Car thefts are on the rise in France: 133,800 cases were recorded in 2022, an increase of 9% compared to 2021 according to the Coyote Secure observatory, relayed Thursday by BFMTV. The company, which has 400,000 vehicles in France and Belgium equipped with trackers, has combined its data with that of the Ministry of the Interior. According to Auto Plus, there are 360 thefts every day, or "15 cars stolen every hour".

Some regions are more affected than others. In Ile-de-France, there are 5.9 thefts for 1,000 vehicles equipped with a Coyote Secure tracker. In Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, 4.2 thefts per 1,000 vehicles are listed. The Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region completed the podium. These three regions list half of the claims in France. In addition, the strongest increases are to be found in Brittany (29%), Centre-Val-de-Loire (21%), and Bourgogne-Franche-Comté (14%).

SUVs and hybrids in the lead

SUVs are the most coveted models by thieves with 3.2 thefts per 1,000 vehicles. If the figure is stable compared to 2021, this is not the case for hybrid vehicles, points out BFMTV. The risk of theft increases by more than 40% in 2022 to reach 3.3/1,000 according to the study. Toyota's RAV4 SUV is the most stolen vehicle in France, according to the ranking issued by Auto Plus.

The trend is confirmed by Coyote's study. These hybrid vehicles are also of interest to thieves for their exhaust containing rhodium. Pots that are found alongside stolen vehicles, some of which were traced by Coyote's tools.

Much less than two-wheelers

Another lesson from the study is that professional vehicles are twice as likely to be stolen as cars owned by individuals. Construction machinery is not spared either, with a 13% increase in claims.



In addition, the methods of thugs are evolving and are becoming more and more sophisticated. More than 70% of them use electronic tools to unlock vehicles and seize them in minutes. However, it seems much easier to steal a two-wheeler than a car. Indeed, the loss rate reaches 52 per 1,000 for scooters and 43 for motorcycles. Significant figures that are down compared to 2021, but remain ten times higher than the claims of cars.

  • Car
  • SUV
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  • Hybrid cars