Being hijacked is always scary and understanding the hijacking trends can help you stay safe. As hijackings continue to happen, you’ll need to be capable of reacting appropriately when put in these situations.
These are some of the most commonly asked questions when it comes to the trends of hijacking in South Africa, and their answers.
Year-over-year from 2024/25 approximately 65 vehicles are hijacked daily.
Hijackers use several different ways to steal your car, as we discussed in one of our previous blogs, the top ways hijackers will try to steal your car are:
Some of the best ways to prevent hijacking attempts are to stay vigilant at home, pay attention at intersections, and reverse into parking spots when parking. This makes it less likely to be targeted by hijackers because they prefer easy targets.
Sedans, hatchbacks, and coupes are the most likely to be hijacked in South Africa. These vehicles are targeted because they have a high resale value. This makes the risk of stealing them seem more worthwhile for hijackers.
Driveways, school zones, petrol stations, and traffic intersections are spots where you may be hijacked at any moment. These locations are targeted because you may already be getting out of your vehicle or be stationary for a longer period of time.
As of November 2025 Gauteng is still a hot spot for hijackings. While there has been a decrease year-on-year for hijackings countrywide, the numbers are still high. KwaZulu-Natal and the Western Cape are the other two hot spots for hijackings in the country and have also experienced an increase overall.
If you’re in the unfortunate situation of being hijacked, remember to:
Cartrack helps through our tracking unit and our mobile app which has an action or panic button for you to use. Once you are safely away from the hijacking location, you can use your phone to signal us for help. Our teams will mobilise to start the recovery process and alert emergency services.
The thought of being hijacked is already a cause for dread, but if your child is stuck in the car while it’s being stolen is nearly unthinkable. We’ve covered what to do in a previous blog, but if you do find yourself in this situation, remember these tips:
Open your Cartrack App and press the panic or action button. This alerts us and our teams can then mobilise to start the vehicle recovery process. Our control room will call you to ensure you’re safe, updating you on what the Found team is doing.
Yes, recovery of a car is always possible after a hijacking, depending on key factors. The quicker recovery starts, the higher the chances your car will be recovered.
Panic buttons are one of the crucial ways that you can initiate recovery of your vehicle if you’re ever hijacked. If you’re in a hijacking event always remember:
