Queensland thieves are targeting some of the most high-value and commonly available cars in the Sunshine State, new data has shown.
The Courier Mail reports data from the Royal Automobile Club of Queensland (RACQ) and Suncorp has shown most stolen vehicle insurance claims through both companies in 2024 were made for Toyota LandCruisers.
Suncorp received “almost 7000” stolen vehicle claims in 2024, with the LandCruiser leading the way, and the HiLux behind it.
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For RACQ, the state’s largest motoring club reportedly had 1459 stolen vehicle claims made – down about 10 per cent from 1628 last year – with the LandCruiser again the most common car taken by thieves, once again ahead of the HiLux and Ford Ranger utes.
It’s worth noting the report doesn’t specify which LandCruiser models are included in these tallies.
Suncorp data reportedly showed Kirwan in Townsville and both Pimpama and Surfers Paradise on the Gold Coast had the highest rate of stolen vehicles, while the RACQ data indicated the broader Townsville, Cairns, inner Brisbane and Logan regions as those with the most claims.
While the RACQ received fewer stolen vehicle insurance claims in 2024 than 2023, data previously reported by The Courier Mail showed car thefts rose by 101 per cent from 2015 to 2024 – the biggest increase of any state.
The publication also reports the value of the stolen vehicles in 2024 to be worth $113 million, up 305 per cent from the circa-$37 million figure of 2015 – another high compared to other states.
Queensland isn’t alone in seeing Toyotas targeted, with Victoria Police recently reporting a 76.4 per cent increase in the theft of vehicles from the Japanese giant for a total of 3212 recorded as stolen last year.
Though Holden didn’t get a mention on Queensland’s stolen car leaderboard, 2859 of the defunct brand’s cars were stolen in Victoria throughout 2024, up 92.9 per cent on the year prior.
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