South Africa in 2025 has seen a slight drop in motor vehicle theft compared to 2024. Looking at motor vehicle and motorcycle theft, as well as hijackings, Spotlight and TopAuto have reported these promising statistics:
The team at Cartrack would like to think that we played a part in this improvement. Over 100,000 vehicles were recovered by us over the last decade, and that number just keeps going up. Are car and bike thieves finally rethinking their ways? Let’s check out the latest motor vehicle theft news and talk about some of the possible solutions to FURTHER reduce these numbers.
The latest news regarding car theft in South Africa can be broken down into 3 categories:
Taking these categories together gives us some idea of how many cars are either stolen or broken into each year. We can also compare these numbers with previous years to spot improvements.
Let’s take a look at each of these three categories and discuss solutions that might be helpful to vehicle owners.
IOL reported on figures from the South African Police Services, showing that Gauteng still holds the lead for most hijackings compared to other provinces. Countrywide, an average of 66 cars are being hijacked every day, and most of these are business vehicles.
The report also pointed out that utility bakkies are often targeted because they’re easier to smuggle across the SA border. Vehicles that are driven across the border after being stolen or hijacked make up around 30% of all stolen cars in SA. Many of these also fall under work or business vehicles.
Perhaps the most shocking statistic is that your car is more likely to be hijacked than stolen. Hijackings account for around 56% of stolen cars in South Africa in the year 2025.
Solutions for businesses - One of the most effective ways of recovering a hijacked vehicle is to have an advanced vehicle tracking system installed to it. Some of the challenges Cartrack has tried to address regarding vehicle tracking are:
We’ve made it our mission to out-think hijackers in every scheme they’ve come up with. This explains Cartrack’s high recovery success rate.
According to the SAPS' latest crime stats as reported by Top Auto, 19,032 incidents of "theft-out-of-car" were reported between March 2024 and March 2025. These aren't always smash-and-grab cases, but they do form part of this statistic.
In many cases, whatever's stolen from the car isn't ultimately retrieved. In fact, most of the time the theft victim has no idea when the crime transpired, or who the culprit might be.
Car & bakkie owners (and especially company vehicle owners) are now installing cameras in their vehicles to monitor what happens in and around a vehicle. While this technology has a myriad of other benefits, it’s actually a very effective deterrent against thieves who break into cars.
Why? Because thieves don’t want their faces or clothing being recorded!
Top Auto also tells us that there were 7,731 cases of stolen motor vehicles and motorcycles recorded in 2025. This is 9.1% less than 2024 of the same quarter. Sounds like good news, right?
Is technology finally making a dent in motor vehicle theft statistics? Here are some of the ways Cartrack has tried to make a difference:
☑️ Real-time GPS tracking: Continuous vehicle monitoring and location updates
☑️ Stolen vehicle recovery teams: Rapid response partnerships with law enforcement
☑️ Driver behaviour monitoring: Alerts for risky or suspicious driving activity
☑️ Geo-fencing alerts: Instant notifications if a vehicle leaves approved zones
☑️ Tamper detection: Warnings when trackers are interfered with or disconnected
☑️ Mobile app access: Owners can track and manage their cars remotely
Adopting anti-car-theft technology may be the best way to lower our motor vehicle theft statistics in ways we never thought possible. Find out if any of these solutions would suit your car or your business vehicles.
The factors that increase the chance of your car getting stolen or broken into include:
There are several ways you can make sure your car is relatively safer when it’s parked at home or somewhere else:
One of the top methods car thieves use to steal cars is through signal jamming. This is where they use electronic devices to prevent your remote car locker from locking your car. They then wait for you to walk away and simply climb in and steal your vehicle.
Some devices can even clone your key’s signal, allowing them to simply unlock your car. This method has become a popular one, especially in parking lots across South Africa.
However, the most popular method of stealing cars is hijacking. Hijackers wait for their target vehicle to stop at a robot and then hold up the driver with firearms. They throw the driver out and drive the already-ignited car away, usually across the border or to a ‘chop shop’ where they strip it for parts.
Cross-border vehicle theft is when stolen cars are taken from one country to a neighbouring one to be sold, dismantled for parts, or illegally re-registered. In South Africa, criminals often target high-value cars and SUVs, moving them across Zimbabwe, Botswana, or Mozambique. This makes it harder for police to track and recover these vehicles.
At Cartrack, we know all about cross border car theft. In fact, our recovery team has often worked with authorities to trace stolen vehicles, using GPS tracking and intelligence to locate them quickly after they've been moved across the border. We also help prevent theft by advising on security measures and monitoring vehicles that are at risk of being stolen in this manner.
The SAPS hasn’t released any clear number of vehicles they’ve recovered over the past year. However, you can check out their most recent general crime stats release to see how vehicle theft has decreased over the past year compared to 2024’s same quarter.
It’s also worth noting that the SAPS works with recovery teams to retrieve stolen vehicles. That’s why having a tracking device on your vehicle significantly decreases the chances of having your car stolen without being recovered.
The best way to prevent your car from being stolen is to have multiple levels of security from Cartrack. If you have a car with a good immobiliser, that’s one level. However, adding more security measures (dashcams, tracking devices, etc.) is recommended, as this makes it all the more harder for thieves to steal your car.
Here are some ways you can protect your car with extra security from Cartrack:
Thieves use online marketplaces to sell stolen parts by splitting them into small lots, using fake profiles, and anonymous payment methods. You're obviously less likely to spot theft when parts are mixed with normal second hand sales. They list batteries, wheels and stereos on social media and make these items look legitimate.
Car thieves who steal vehicles or parts face jail time in South Africa. They may also be forced to pay fines. These individuals also get a permanent criminal record if they're convicted. South Africa's courts set sentences based on the value of the items that were stolen. If violence or firearms were used, this will increase the sentence.
Yes, comprehensive car insurance normally covers your whole vehicle if it's stolen. It may also cover fixed parts like built-in radios and wheels. Portable items like loose tools or personal belongings usually aren’t covered. Always check your policy terms to make sure.
Neighbourhood watches and community policing help to stop car theft by reporting suspicious activity, organising patrols and sharing intelligence with the police. They act as a visible deterrent, so they do help a lot. They also improve response times and help to identify hotspots. Communities and SAPS should work together so your street becomes harder for thieves to operate in.
Stay updated on South Africa’s latest motor vehicle theft trends. Explore key news, stats, and expert solutions to protect your car and reduce risks.
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