The Association of Kenya Insures says the more expensive a car is, the less likely it is to be stolen. Finding a buyer for high-performance vehicles might take long, increasing the likelihood of recovery. More so, there is a ready market for the spare parts of the cheaper models. It also found out that the most stolen cars in Kenya are Toyotas.
“Seventy one percent of vehicles reported stolen in the country are Toyotas followed by Isuzu (seven per cent) and Nissan (five per cent). The rest constitute 17 per cent cumulatively,” says AKI. Mitsubishi and Mercedes Benz complete the top five of the most stolen cars.
Volvo, Honda, BMW, Ford, and Hyundai are less likely to be stolen.
Colour
The most stolen cars in Kenya are white in colour. This is because they are so many white cars in the country. Thus, it is easy for the stolen car to blend in. 50 per cent the stolen cars were white, followed by silver which stood at 21 per cent. The other car colours which are auto thieves’ favourites are black, blue and grey vehicles, in that order.
The vehicles that are least likely to be stolen are that are colour green, red, gold, pearl, purple, orange and maroon.
“White Toyotas are attractive to thieves because even if you tell the police you have lost your white Toyota, how many of them are on the road?” posed AKI’s Tom Gichuhi.
Cost
Cars that cost less than Ksh 1 million are more likely to be stolen as opposed to cars that are over Ksh 1 million. Cars whose engine capacities sat above 2000cc and those that originated from Europe or the US were also found to be less likely to be stolen. Kenya is flooded with the relatively cheap Japanese cars, and those are the most targeted.
Body types
Station wagons, saloon cars, lorries, pickups and vans are the most targeted body types in that order. Station wagons make up 46% of the stolen cars.
66% of the cars are stolen when parked, the more reason car owners should take apply these precautions to prevent your car from being stolen.
SOURCE: parentsafrica.com
