Time of day, week NT car thieves most likely to strike revealed as crime rate dwarfs nation

Territorians are up to five times more likely to have their car stolen compared to other Australians, with one popular vehicle model taken the most. Read how much the crimes cost the population.

Friday nights were among the most dangerous periods to leave cars unattended.

Territorians are having their cars stolen at a rate up to five times that of residents in other states and territories, new data compiled by insurer Budget Direct has revealed.

The data, which compares the number of thefts with the number of registered vehicles in the jurisdiction, reveals there were 1639 car thefts in the NT in 2021 — more than one for every 100 vehicles.

The figure is more than five times the rate of 1.8 per 1000 vehicles in New South Wales, where there was a total of 10,473 cars stolen in 2021.

The Territory’s car theft rate was by far the highest in the nation, at more than double the next highest figure of 4.5 per 1000 vehicles in the Australian Capital Territory.

Queensland and Victoria had the next highest rates, with figures of 3.7 and 3.0 per 1000 registered vehicles respectively.

The data also reveals the total cost of the crimes to Territory motorists was more than $4.5m.

The Toyota HiLux was the most commonly stolen vehicle in the NT, with the 28 pinched in 2021 alone costing their owners or their insurers a total of $846,284.

The Budget Direct boffins also crunched the numbers on what times and days of the week cars were most likely to be stolen with the end of the week proving most risky.

In the NT, more than 200 vehicles were stolen between the hours of midnight and 4am in 2021 but the highest risk time was between 8pm and midnight on Friday nights, when 37 cars were stolen.

Even during the lowest risk period, between midday and 4pm, the data reveals a total of 49 cars were stolen during the calendar year.

“In the Northern Territory and Western Australia, the later hours on Friday between 8pm and 11.59pm is when the most motor vehicle thefts occur,” the researchers found.

“Fridays could be a popular time for motor vehicle thieves as car owners may have headed out for the evening and not travelled in their own vehicle, which is most likely at their home address, making it an easier target as owners might not be nearby.”

In response, a spokeswoman for NT Police directed Territorians to Neighbourhood Watch NT’s Stop.Look.Lock campaign.

“NT Police continue to urge the community to take precautionary measures to minimise the possibilities of car theft,” she said.

“In partnership with Neighbourhood Watch NT we are committed to helping create safer and more secure Territory neighbourhoods.”