The Most Cursed Vehicle in Japan Revealed

383 Toyota Land Cruisers were stolen in Japan in 2023. Photo: Boi Ha.

Data from the Japanese Insurance Association shows that 9 out 10 of the most-stolen models in Japan are Toyotas and Lexuses, according to Carscoops. The data was gathered from 21 insurers operating in the Land of the Rising Sun.

The top 10 accounted for 55.7% of all reported thefts last year. There were 2,597 reported thefts in 2023, slightly fewer than the 2,656 recorded in 2022. That’s still more than the 2,425 reported in 2021, indicating that vehicle thefts rose in the Land of the Rising Sun.

For the third year in a row, the Toyota Land Cruiser topped the list. The report suggests there were 383 Toyota Land Cruiser thefts in Japan. That figure includes the Prado variant of the Toyota Land Cruiser, according to Carscoops.

The Toyota Alphard (364) and Toyota Prius (307) were also popular with Japanese car thieves last year, following the Toyota Land Cruiser. The Lexus LX was stolen 120 times, while insurers recorded 60 thefts of the Toyota Hiace in Japan.

The Toyota Alphard was also a popular target for thieves in Japan. Photo: Boi Ha.

Rounding out the top 10 most-stolen vehicles in Japan last year were the Toyota Crown (53), Toyota Vellfire (43), Lexus RX (42), and Toyota Harrier (37).

Interestingly, Mercedes-Benz models were also popular with criminals, with 37 total thefts. However, the report didn’t provide a breakdown of which Mercedes-Benz models were stolen in Japan.

Carscoops reports that car thieves have different tastes depending on the region. In the United States, full-size pickup trucks from Chevrolet and Ford topped the list of stolen vehicles in 2022, followed by the Honda Civic, Honda Accord, and Hyundai Sonata.

In the United Kingdom, meanwhile, Land Rovers were the most frequent targets, accounting for more than half of the 10 most-stolen vehicles on Confused.com’s list. The Lexus RX 450h and Ford Fiesta were also popular with British car thieves in 2023.

According to Response, around 58.5 percent of the car thefts occurred at night. This time of day is likely ideal for thieves because visibility is low and traffic is lighter.