For the fifth consecutive year, Coyote System publishes its car theft barometer in France. An activity that had decreased since the start of the health crisis. This is rising again with different targets, depending on the evolution of the market.
” One vehicle theft occurred every 4 minutes across the country in 2021.” This phrase highlighted by Coyote System in its Flight Observatory 2022 is cold in the back. The study is based on cross-data from the French company, the Ministry of the Interior and insurance companies.
TO READ. Car thefts. The most affected regions and vehicles in 2020
Fewer flights in 2021 than in 2019
If the number of 122,700 crimes in 2021 seems high to you, know that in 2019 the police had counted more than 140,000. This fall is explained by the health crisis and the restrictive measures put in place since 2020. This downward trend was confirmed until the summer of 2021 but reversed with the “return to normal” in September (see graph below). The amount of car thefts then increased considerably since more than a third of the thefts of the year occurred in the last quarter of 2021.
However, these flights are not always final. According to Argos, the economic interest group financed by French insurers, ” 38.5% of vehicles insured against theft end up being found, sometimes many months later. In more than 90% of cases, recovered vehicles are returned to their owners with little or no damage “. To give you an idea, the annual cost of this category of claims reimbursed by insurers in 2019 was 780 million euros.
Ile-de-France, the most affected region
Nevertheless, not all French people are in the same boat because some regions are more affected than others by the phenomenon. As usual, Île-de-France tops the list. She displays ” both the highest number of thefts, but also the highest loss rate with 5.9/1000” (5.9 vehicles stolen for 1,000 equipped with Coyote Secure*).
The loss ratio also increased in PACA (+ 5.1%) and in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes (+ 4.5%), both in the top 5 of the most affected regions. Note that the three regions mentioned above represent more than half of the flight declarations in 2021. But it is the Pays de la Loire region that is breaking records with a 14.3% increase in flights in 2021.
SUVs are the most popular
Over the years, thieves’ favorite cars have evolved along with the market. Thus, it is the SUVs that catch the eye of the thugs. Only the loss ratio for this type of bodywork increased in 2021 (rate of 3.2/1000) compared to 2020.
” The share of SUVs in the volume of auto thefts is impressive, however, and has increased by 40% compared to 2020. In 2021, SUVs accounted for 64.6% of car thefts equipped with Coyote Secure », according to this observatory. City cars are still very prominent (2.9/1000), followed by sedans and family cars.
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Watch your OBD socket!
Screwdriver theft is ancient history. Today’s thieves are often computer hackers who handle their tools to perfection. ” In 2021, 88% of flights were operated using technology or electronically. A stable trend compared to 2020, all vehicles combined”, explains Coyote. Four operating modes come up frequently: via the OBD socket, theft using a relay case, a mouse (mouse jacking) or a computer. Everything is possible. The classic car jacking, gun to the head, is therefore really no longer in the morals. Thefts by fraud (scam, false identity, etc.) or with keys increased by 77%, even if they represent less than 5% of cases.
* Coyote Secure: vehicle geolocation anti-theft system
