HEALTHPLAN MAGAZINE

A study has revealed the areas of Spain where your car is most likely to be stolen.

The study which was carried out by the association of insurers UNESPA, not only detailed where you are most likely to have your car stolen but also the age and models thieves favour the most.

Although the number of car thefts that occur in the country has fallen significantly over the past 10 years, the fact remains that if you live in certain parts of the country, you can be three times more likely to have your car stolen.

For the analysis, the postcode of the car owner was taken into account, since it was assumed that most of the robberies occurred near the home because this is the area where the car spends the most time parked.

So where in Spain are you most likely to have your car pinched?

Following the conclusion of the UNESPA study, the company found that car owners in the provinces of Western Andalusia, Castilla La Mancha, Madrid and Catalonia, were far more likely to become victims of vehicle theft.

With car thefts more likely to occur in larger cities, residents of Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia and Seville and those that border them such as Toledo and Guadalajara were far more at risk.

However, there was one municipality where the risk of you having your vehicle stolen is more than three times the national average. That region is Seville.

This was closely followed by Parla (Madrid), Ciudad Real, Melilla and a town on the outskirts of Seville, Dos Hermanas.

Owning a vehicle in these areas means that the chances of you having your vehicle stolen are double the national average.

Within these municipalities most likely to suffer a car theft are several towns around Madrid (Fuenlabrada, Leganés, Getafe, Coslada, Móstoles) and Barcelona (Santa Coloma de Gramenet, Badalona, ​​Cornellà de Llobregat).

Areas most at risk

• Seville
• Parla (Madrid)
• Ciudad Real
• Melilla
• Dos Hermanas (Seville)
• Santa Coloma de Gramenet (Barcelona)
• Fuenlabrada (Madrid)
• Badalona (Barcelona)
• Cornellà de Llobregat (Barcelona)
• Huelva
• Leganés (Madrid)

Which cars do thieves favour the most?

It doesn’t always come down to the area either. The report shows that thieves are looking to steal specific vehicles of a certain age.

The study shows that cars that are 10 years old or more accounted for two out of three thefts.

According to UNESPA, there are certain older models that thieves targeted the most such as the Seat Ibiza, Volkswagen Golf, Seat León, Ford Focus and the BMW 3 Series. These five vehicle models account for 18% of all car thefts in Spain.

If you own a Ligier JS microcar then you need to pay special attention as this particular model was ten times more likely to be stolen than any other vehicle.

Vans were also popular including the Fiat Fiorino and Doblo Cargo. The Abarth 500 and Seat Arosa were also common targets for car theft.

Car thefts down 50% over the past decade

On a positive note, the number of car thefts has fallen significantly over the last 10 years.

In 2011, there were 203,000 thefts compared to 101,000 registered in 2020, a fall of around 50%.

This improvement is the result of a number of factors, among which include the successive improvements made in terms of safety by manufacturers, a greater number of vehicle checks by the authorities, and the fact that many new homes now come with a garage meaning cars are stored securely rather than left on the street overnight.

Source

https://www.unespa.es/notasdeprensa/robos-automoviles-datos-2020/
https://www.autopista.es/noticias-motor/en-lugar-espana-es-mas-probable-te-roben-coche_253103_102.html
https://www.20minutos.es/motor/actualidad/que-coches-les-gustan-mas-a-los-cacos-en-espana-4971898/