The most popular cars to steal in Greece

Car thefts are increasing in Greece since the security of vehicles is of old technology due to their age. Here are the cars preferred by thieves in the Mediterranean country.

According to the statistics, in Greece there are approximately 230 thefts per 100,000 inhabitants, with New Zealand taking first place with 1,171 thefts per 100,000 inhabitants. Uruguay completes the top five with 558, Italy with 232 and the USA with 228 vehicle thefts.

To the question we asked expert criminologists, why there are so many car thefts in Greece, since today it is difficult for a stolen vehicle to be sold and recirculated in Greece and abroad (it is easily detected today), the answer is clear: But of course for spare parts.

The increased age of the vehicle fleet in our country (+17 years), has created a great need for cheap spare parts, which on the one hand are not sufficient in the market, due to the many damages (damaged - old cars), while on the other hand, genuine parts are clearly more expensive than… stolen ones.

So thieves easily find buyers who can't (or don't want to) spend much money repairing their car.

Car thieves now choose popular cars that have been sold enough in Greece, but also rarer cars that are not easy to find spare parts. In fact, in some cases of this specific category of stolen cars, the robbers contact the owner asking for a "ransom" to return the car.

According to News Auto, the car most preferred by thieves in Greece in recent years remains the Smart, mainly manufactured from 1998 to 2014, which have many common spare parts.

READ MORE: Summer Car Hire Prices Soar In Popular Destinations Including Cyprus And Greece, Warns Consumer Group.