Volkswagen was the most-often stolen car brand in Germany in 2016 with Land Rover still the highest risk brand with Porsche increasingly popular with car thieves.
In 2016, car theft in Germany declined to 18,227 insured cars stolen. Volkswagens were the most-frequently stolen car marque in Germany but the number of VW cars stolen declined by 12%. In absolute terms, the most-often stolen cars brands in Germany were VW, Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz. Land Rover remained the riskiest brand with 2.1 per 1,000 insured cars stolen in Germany in 2016. Porsche moved ahead of Audi in this risk category and just missed out on the top-ten list in absolute numbers of cars stolen in Germany in 2016. Large SUVs remained the highest risk with the Toyota Landcruiser 3.0D the most-often stolen car model per 1,000 insured.
Car Theft in Germany in 2016
A total of 18,227 insured cars were stolen in Germany in 2016 according to the Gesamtverband der Deutschen Versicherungswirtschaft (GDV) – a German insurance industry association. This was slightly down on the 18,659 cars stolen in 2015 but the total damage increased by nearly €8 million to €299.2 million.
In recent years, the risk of car theft in Germany has been relatively low and stable at 0.5 cars stolen per 1,000 insured cars.
However, the average damage per stolen car has increased to €16,616 per claim with the total approaching the highs of two decades ago when the number of stolen cars were significantly higher.
In recent years, car theft in Germany was as follows:
| Cars Stolen | Total Cost in € million | Cars Stolen Per 1000 Insured | |
| 2016 | 18,227 | 299.2 | 0.5 |
| 2015 | 18,659 | 291.3 | 0.5 |
| 2014 | 17,895 | 262 | 0.5 |
| 2013 | 18,805 | 263.9 | 0.5 |
| 2012 | 18,063 | 242.2 | 0.5 |
| 2011 | 19,658 | 259.6 | 0.6 |
| 2010 | 19,503 | 257.2 | 0.6 |
| 2009 | 18,215 | 219 | 0.5 |
| 2008 | 16,134 | 175.7 | 0.5 |
| 2007 | 16,502 | 178.3 | 0.5 |
| 2006 | 18,965 | 211.4 | 0.6 |
| 2005 | 23,771 | 253 | |
| 2004 | 28,674 | 284 | |
| 2003 | 31,707 | 293 | |
| 2002 | 34,775 | 300.9 | 1.1 |
| 2001 | 37,549 | 308 | |
| 2000 | 42,560 | 316 | |
| 1999 | 48,742 | 333 | |
| 1998 | 58,646 | 378 | |
| 1997 | 65,861 | 427 | |
| 1996 | 76,392 | 497 | |
| 1995 | 89,254 | 589 | |
| 1994 | 105,248 | 769 | |
| 1993 | 105,543 | 800 | 3.6 |
| 1990 | 40,079 | 261 | West Germany |
| 1985 | 34,511 | 153 | West Germany |
Note: All statistics refer to insured cars only – actual numbers stolen, especially of older cars, were higher.
Most-Often Car Brands Stolen in Germany in 2016
According to the GVA, the following were the most-popular car brands with car thieves in Germany in 2016:
| 2016 | Brand | in 2016 | in 2015 | % Change 15/16 |
| 1 | Volkswagen | 4,429 | 5,032 | -12.0 |
| 2 | Audi | 3,245 | 3,192 | 1.7 |
| 3 | BMW | 2,688 | 2,760 | -2.6 |
| 4 | Mercedes | 1,376 | 1,223 | 12.5 |
| 5 | Mazda | 817 | 611 | 33.7 |
| 6 | Toyota | 664 | 650 | 2.2 |
| 7 | Ford | 621 | 623 | -0.3 |
| 8 | Skoda | 547 | 634 | -13.7 |
| 9 | Opel | 482 | 549 | -12.2 |
| 10 | Renault | 453 | 432 | 4.9 |
| 11 | Porsche | 405 | 221 | 83.3 |
| 12 | Citroen | 246 | 229 | 7.4 |
| 13 | Honda | 233 | 241 | -3.3 |
| 14 | Peugeot | 218 | 230 | -5.2 |
| 15 | Mitsubishi | 196 | 190 | 3.2 |
| 16 | Fiat | 196 | 177 | 10.7 |
| 17 | Seat | 180 | 201 | -10.4 |
| 18 | Nissan | 169 | 126 | 34.1 |
| 19 | Land Rover | 162 | 380 | -57.4 |
| 20 | Hyundai | 139 | 118 | 17.8 |
| 21 | Source: GDV |
Volkswagen remained the most-popular car with car thieves in Germany with 4,429 VWs stolen in 2016. This is not surprising as Volkswagens are the most-common car brand on German roads. However, as with new passenger vehicle registrations, Volkwagens also seemed less popular with car thieves in 2016 than in previous years with the number stolen in Germany in 2016 down by 12% from a year ago.
For the fourth consecutive year, Audi was the second most-popular car in Germany with car thieves in 2016 with BMW third. Despite being Germany’s second best-selling car marque, and the second most common car brand on German roads, Mercedes-Benz was only the fourth most-often stolen car brand in Germany. However, the number of Mercedes-Benz cars stolen in Germany increased by 12.5%.
Theft of Mazda cars in Germany increased by nearly a third in 2016 but Porsche was the “most-improved” brand with thefts increasing by more than 80%. In contrast, the number of Land Rovers stolen in Germany in 2016 was down by nearly 60%.
The Riskiest Car Brands for Theft in Germany in 2016
In terms of the number of thefts per insured car in Germany in 2016, the following were the riskiest car brands according to the GDV:
| Brand | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | |
| 1 | Land Rover | 2.1 | 5.2 | 4.5 |
| 2 | Porsche | 2 | 1.2 | 0.9 |
| 3 | Audi | 1.3 | 1.3 | 1.2 |
| 4 | Mazda | 1.2 | 0.9 | 0.5 |
| 5 | BMW | 0.9 | 1 | 0.9 |
| 6 | Honda | 0.6 | 0.6 | 0.8 |
| 7 | Toyota | 0.6 | 0.6 | 0.7 |
| 8 | VW | 0.6 | 0.6 | 0.7 |
| 9 | Mitsubishi | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 |
| 10 | Mercedes | 0.4 | 0.3 | 0.3 |
| 11 | Citroen | 0.4 | 0.3 | 0.3 |
| 12 | Skoda | 0.3 | 0.4 | 0.5 |
| 13 | Renault | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.2 |
| 14 | Nissan | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.2 |
| 15 | Ford | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.2 |
| 16 | Fiat | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.2 |
| 17 | Peugeot | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.2 |
| 18 | Seat | 0.2 | 0.3 | 0.3 |
| 19 | Hyundai | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.1 |
| 20 | Opel | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 |
For the fourth consecutive year, Land Rover was the most-often car brand stolen in Germany per number of cars insured. However, in 2016, the risk of a Land Rover being stolen in Germany was 2.1 per 1,000 insured – sharply down from 5.2 in 2014 and 4.5 in 2014.
Porsche was only narrowly behind Land Rover in the high theft risk stakes in Germany in 2016. Porsche moved up from third a year ago with the risk of a car being stolen up from 1.2 to 2 per 1,000 cars insured in 2016. Porsche cars alone accounted for nearly €24 million in damage through theft in Germany in 2016.
The risk of having an Audi stolen in Germany in 2016 remained unchanged in 2016 but Audi moved one position down due to the popularity of Porsche with car thieves. The theft risk of Mazdas increased moving the Japanese brand ahead of BMW.
Volkswagen, which saw a sharp drop in market share of new passenger vehicle registrations in the past few months, was less popular with car thieves too. VW slipped behind Honda and Toyota.
Mercedes-Benz moved up into the top-ten list for the first time in years. The appetitive of car thieves for Hyundai and Opel cars remained limited.
The Most-Often Stolen Car Models in Germany in 2016
The most-popular car models with car thieved in Germany in 2016 according to the GVD were:
| Brand | Model | 2016 | 2016: €/Claim | 2015 | |
| 1 | Toyota | Land Cruiser 3.0 D | 14.1 | 37,248 | 11.7 |
| 2 | Audi | Q7 3.0 TDI | 10.7 | 34,981 | 11.5 |
| 3 | BMW | X6 XDrive 40D (1st Gen) | 10.4 | 34,282 | 16.6 |
| 4 | Audi | Q7 4.2 TDI | 10.3 | 37,823 | 10.5 |
| 5 | BMW | X6 XDrive 40D (2nd Gen) | 10.3 | 57,195 | NA |
| 6 | BMW | 550D XDrive | 8.5 | 51,402 | NA |
| 7 | Land Rover | Range Rover 3.0 TD | 8.4 | 42,826 | 40.2 |
| 8 | BMW | 730D | 8.4 | 13,339 | NA |
| 9 | Audi | A6 2.7 TDI Quattro | 8 | 10,881 | NA |
| 10 | BMW | X5/X6 3.0 SD (X70) | 7.5 | 29,160 | 10.1 |
Unfortunately, the GDV statistics are very model type specific so it is impossible to determine for example how many Golfs or 3-Series BMWs were stolen in 2016. Although big SUVs remained the riskiest per number insured, the actual numbers stolen may be low.
The five riskiest cars for being stolen in Germany in 2017 were all large SUVs:
- The Toyota Land Cruiser 3.0D was the most-popular car model with car thieves with 14.1 of each 1,000 insured stolen in Germany in 2016. The Land Cruiser moved up from 4th in the previous two years.
- Two Audi Q7 models made it into the top-five list: the 3.0 TDI moved from 5th to 2nd and the larger engined 4.2 TDI from 6th to 4th.
- After two years as the second riskiest car model for theft in Germany, the BMW X6 slipped to third in 2016. The average damage of an X6 being stolen slipped from €47,404 per car in 2013 when the X6 topped the risk list to €34,282 in 2016.
- However, the newer second generation BMW X6 moved into fifth place in 2016 with the average claim a whopping €57,195 per car. The damage per BMW 550D XDrive was only marginally less.
After leading the list the past two years, the Land Rover Range Rover 3.0D slipped from first back to 7th. Significantly, the average claim is down from €73,096 in 2014 to “only” €42,826 in 2016.
The relatively low damage per car stolen indicates that the BMW 730D and Audi A6 are older models.
The Top 50 list is available as a PDF from the GDV.
Highest Car Theft in Germany Cities in 2016
As before, the highest number of car stolen in Germany cities was in Berlin where 3,477 cars were stolen in 2016. This is 3.8 cars per 1,000 insured for a damage of €17,015 per car.
Hamburg remained the second highest risk and total number of cars stolen in 2016 with 1,112 car stolen, 1.8 per thousand insured or a damage of €20,569 per car.
In other German cities the risk of car theft remained very low. In Munich, Germany’s third largest city, only 105 cars were stolen in 2016 – only 0.2 per thousand insured and damage of only €13,278 per car.
In Stuttgart, only 71 cars were stolen in 2016 but the damage was €25,919 per car. Only in nearby Mannheim was the average claim higher – €27,955 but only 38 cars were stolen.
