Aucklanders who own a Nissan Tiida or a Mazda Demio are urged to buy a steering wheel lock, as new data reveals they're the most stolen vehicles in the city.
Inspector Trevor Beggs says almost 9500 cars were stolen from Auckland in the last year - of those, 825 were Demios and 777 were Tiidas.
Rounding out the top five most stolen vehicles were the Mazda Atenza (364), Subaru Legacy (304) and the Subaru Impreza (243).
Beggs says these vehicles are seen as being easier to steal than others, leading offenders to target them.
"Many used imported second-hand vehicles do not have factory fitted immobilisers, making them preferred targets for offenders."
As a precaution, motorists whose vehicles feature on the unlucky list are advised to protect themselves by investing in a steering wheel lock, installing an immobiliser and making sure they always park in well-lit areas when they can.
Beggs says if you can park off the street entirely, such as down a driveway, that's even better - and he also advises people to avoid keeping anything valuable in their cars.
"The solution is straight-forward; the more security measures you have in place, the harder it is for offenders to steal your vehicle and the less likely it is that you will be targeted."
Of the 9500 stolen vehicles, 6900 were eventually recovered - however only about 1300 charges were laid in regards to the thefts.
