The Common Features of the Most Stolen Cars in Kenya

The market of new and reconditioned Japanese cars is huge in Kenya. However, with the growth of people’s interest in buying and selling automobiles, a black-market for stolen cars is on the rise too. According to the 2017 Economic Survey, the year 2016 saw a 22% increase in the motor vehicle theft rate.

The Most Stolen Cars in Kenya

Which brand is ruling the used car market in Kenya? Toyota, without any doubt! Nonetheless, such a sweeping popularity has made the Japanese brand vehicles an easy target for the thieves. The Association of Kenya Insurers (AKI) has recently published a report claiming that 71% of the stolen cars in 2016 belongs to that Japanese automotive manufacturer.

stolen cars
A white Toyota station wagon. The favorite type to the car thieves. (photo source: CarSpecs)

Most of the automobiles are stolen when they are parked somewhere outside. The thieves target Toyota because the most popular cars for sale in Kenya belong to this brand. Because of their availability, it’s easy to sell the vehicles and the spare parts.

Other manufacturers making to the list are Nissan, Isuzu, Mitsubishi, and Mercedes-Benz. However, the owners of Ford, BMW, Honda, Hyundai, and Volvo don’t need to worry that much because the thieves are less interested in them. On the other hand, stealing of Porsche or Range Rover is highly rare.

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Let’s find out some common features of the stolen cars in Kenya:

The Color is White

According to the AKI report, almost 51% of the taken automobiles are white. The only reason could be the abundance of white motorcars in the county (approximately 80%), making it easy for the criminals to maneuver and hard for the law enforcement officers to trace.

Silver, black, blue, and gray automobiles come next to the list while the rare and exotic colors such as gold, orange, purple, red, green, and maroon are the least targeted.

Cheaper Price

If you want to protect your car in Kenya from the criminals, buy a high-end model like Ferrari, Porsche, Audi, or Lamborghini. The data revealed by the AKI suggests that vehicles priced under 1 million KSh (Kenyan shilling) are the frequent targets. So, even if you own a Toyota, you will be relatively safer if it’s a high-end vehicle.

cars for sale in Kenya
High-end vehicles with unusual colors are the least targeted. (photo source: Tuning Blog)

>> Best deals for Kenyan buyers: Toyota Prius 2011 for saleSubaru Impreza 2011 for sale <<

The Type is Station Wagon

The AKI stats also show that nearly 46% of the stolen cars are station wagons. Other common targets are saloons, lorries, pickups, and vans. It seems that the thieves don’t have much love for trailers and buses, possibly because of their sizes as these would be harder to hide.

The Things You Should Do

It’s already clear that lower-priced Toyota models, white vehicles, and station wagons are the favorite targets of the criminals. So, if your car ticks any of the aspects, take some cautions to save it from the thieves. You can use a tracking device and put the tracking marks or the registration number on a couple of detachable parts to increase the chance of identification.