Car theft in Germany fell to historic lows in 2019 with Volkswagen the most-often stolen brand but the risk higher for SUVs and luxury cars.
In 2019, car theft in Germany declined to 14,229 cars in total — the lowest level on record. Volkswagen was the most-often stolen car brand but the relative risk for owners of Ford (USA), Mazda, Land Rover, Porsche, and Tesla cars were much higher. SUVs were particularly popular with car thieves. The risk of a car being stolen in Germany remained at a relatively low 0.4 per 1000 insured cars. Berlin and Hamburg were the highest risk cities while car theft was very low in Munich and Stuttgart.
Car Theft in Germany in 2019
According to the Gesamtverband der Deutschen Versicherungswirtschaft (GDV) – a German insurance industry association – the number of insured cars stolen in Germany in 2019 fell by 5% to 14,229 cars. This was the lowest total on record. The drop in car theft, especially of very new models, is partly attributed to improved security measures that made cars newer than two or three years less vulnerable to electronic breaches.
The cost per stolen car in Germany in 2019 fell by only 1% to €19,600 per insurance claim. The total cost of all cars stolen in Germany in 2019 by insurance value was €279.4 million — the lowest total in five years.
Car Theft Statistics for Germany 1993-2019
According to GDV statistics, car theft in Germany and the insurance cost were as follows from 1993 to 2019:
| Year | Cars Stolen | Total Cost in € million | Cars Stolen Per 1000 Insured |
| 2019 | 14,229 | 279.4 | 0.4 |
| 2018 | 15,037 | 298.4 | 0.4 |
| 2017 | 17,493 | 323.7 | 0.5 |
| 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 in this article only include cars insured against theft.
Most-Frequently Stolen Car Brands in Germany in 2019
The list of the 20 most-frequently stolen car brands in Germany in 2019 were as follows:
The list of the most frequently stolen car brands in Germany largely reflects the popularity of these cars with buyers of new cars. Given Volkswagen’s dominance of the German new car market in recent decades, it is no surprise that VW leads the number of stolen cars too.
Mercedes-Benz, however, is usually second in sales but traditionally less frequently stolen. Most of the top brands saw fewer cars stolen overall but Ford, Toyota, and Renault were all stolen in higher numbers.
Highest-Risk Marques for Car Theft in Germany in 2019
The list of the 20 car brands most at risk of being stolen in Germany per 1,000 insured cars:
The highest risk brand in Germany for car theft given the number of cars of the brand registered for use in 2019 was Ford (USA), ie Mustang. The actual numbers of Mustangs stolen are fairly low, as is the number registered in Germany. Where 2.1 of each thousand Ford (USA) cars being stolen in Germany in 2019, Ford (Europe) was clearly less risky at only 0.3%
Land Rover, Mazda, Porsche, and Toyota remained high risk brands while Volkswagen is clearly less popular with car thieves than with new car buyers.
Most-Frequently Stolen Car Models in Germany in 2019
The car models most at risk of being stolen in Germany in 2019 per 1000 cars insured were:
The BMW X6 and Land Rover Velar were the riskiest cars per number insured for being stolen in Germany in 2019. Unfortunately total numbers were not specified as cars such as the Lexus CT200, Prius+, and Talisman are not exactly high volume sellers in Germany. However, being high up on this list is bad news for all owners, as German insurance premiums are partly based on the specific model being involved in an insurance claim.
The highest average claim per car involved was for the 7th generation Porsche 911 at €107,091 per car at risk position 27. The 3rd generation of the 911 came in at position 34 with an average cost of €48,363, while the average claim for an older 2nd generation car, risk 43, was almost €10,000 more per theft.
Germany’s most popular car model, the VW Golf, is nowhere to be seen on this list. It has the advantage of being able to spread the numbers over several model names. The only Volkswagens on the top-50 list of most-often stolen car models in Germany are the Transporter with the claims for the 3rd generation (first water-cooled version) at €8,227 the only average claim below €10,000.
It should be noted that cheaper cars are often not insured against theft and thus will not appear in these statistics.
Cars Stolen in Germany by State in 2019
Cars stolen per federal state (Bundesland) in Germany in 2019 were as follows:
Berlin remained by far riskiest state in Germany for car theft with 3.3 out of every 1000 insured cars being stolen in 2019. Car theft increased in Berlin by 8.8% with the total only 166 below the much more populous North Rhine Westphalia.
The risk of an insured car being stolen in Berlin was more than double that in second place Hamburg. However, Hamburg was the leader at the average claim of €23,522.
The risk of a car being stolen in the southern German states of Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, Rhineland Palatinate, and Saarland was very low at 0.1 per 1000 cars insured.
Riskiest German Cities for Car Theft in 2019
The riskiest large German cities (population bigger than 300,000) for car theft in 2019 were:
The city states Berlin and Hamburg were the highest risk cities for car theft in Germany in 2019. They were followed by the Saxon cities Leipzig and Dresden. In Munich, Germany’s third largest city, only 99 cars were stolen in 2019.
Düsseldorf has a reputation for being a wealthy city and this was reflected in the average claim per stolen car of €29,811. In contrast, the average claim in Stuttgart (home of Porsche and Mercedes-Benz) was only €12,743.
