EU ranking on car thefts: Belgium is in ninth place

Belgium is in ninth place in an European ranking on car thefts. An average of 16,500 cars are stolen per year, which corresponds to 45 cars per day. ​ Italy is the worst ravaged by car thieves. Car owners are safer in Denmark.

Online insurer Confused.com requested figures from Eurostat on car thefts between 2011 and 2019. With 145 thefts per year per 100,000 inhabitants, Belgium scores rather poorly. 

The Netherlands is doing less well with 201, and in Germany there are only 71 car thefts per 100,000 inhabitants. Italy tops the European rankings, with 276 thefts per 100,000 people per year. That is 80 percent more than the United Kingdom and 5 percent more than France, two countries with a similar population.

With an average of 274 thefts per 100,000 inhabitants, the Czech Republic is in second place, followed by Sweden (266) in third place. Compared to its Scandinavian neighbours, Sweden experiences 91 percent more thefts annually than Finland (139) and a whopping 138 percent more than Norway (112). 

With only five car thefts per 100,000 people per year, Danish car owners have the lowest risk of car theft of all Europeans. 

Safety tips

Insurance expert Alex Kindred at Confused.com offers some tips on how to prevent cars from being stolen.

“Have the vehicle identification number engraved on each of the windows. Thieves then have to pay to replace the glass," he says.

"And leave your car in gear when you park it, with the wheels facing the curb. That makes it much harder for thieves to tow your vehicle," Kindred adds. 

(VIV)

© BELGA PHOTO (FREDERIC DUBOIS)