Which SUVs are hardest to steal in South Africa, and which are targeted most?

Which SUV is hardest to steal?

We can’t name one, because we found no South African test of it. The spec sheets show what each SUV is fitted with, and two Toyotas list the most: the Land Cruiser 300’s anti-theft equipment runs to a siren alarm, an immobiliser, intrusion and tilt sensors, an item the sheet calls “Fingerprint” and an ultra-wideband key, and the Prado’s has double locking in place of “Fingerprint”.^3,4 Toyota says the ultra-wideband key “prevents the car’s engine from starting if the key isn’t physically within the vehicle”.²⁴

Yet those two are still targets. In August 2026 TopAuto, citing LandCruiserSA, reported thieves getting through the alarm and immobiliser on the Land Cruiser, Prado and Fortuner by tapping the car’s data network, in under 90 seconds by “some estimates”.⁵ Toyota South Africa’s 2022 free security update had already covered every Fortuner from 2016 and the Prado VX and VXL from 2017.²⁵ And in July 2026 a Land Cruiser 300 worth “R2.2 million”, stolen in Benoni, was stopped on the N1 near Makhado, allegedly on its way to Beitbridge.²⁶

Which SUVs are targeted most?

The Fortuner is the only SUV in King Price’s 2026 top 10, at fourth, and Gauteng Tourism puts it second.^1,2 The Corolla Cross is fourth for Auto Trader and on MasterDrive’s list, and Fidelity ADT added it in 2026 after Blue Hawk Tactical warned that “organised groups had been actively targeting Corolla Cross models across Gauteng”.^8,9,10 Discovery Insure went as far as calling it “high risk for hijacking and theft”, before saying it had “not singled out the Toyota Corolla Cross”.²⁷

Fidelity ADT called the Hyundai Venue an emerging target in 2026, although Hyundai no longer sells it.^10,13 Overall, SUVs and station wagons made up 386 of the 3 788 carjackings SAPS sorted by vehicle type from April to June 2026, far fewer than bakkies or hatchbacks and sedans.²⁸

Haval, Chery and the SUVs on no list

The Haval Jolion and H6 and Chery’s Tiggo models were named in a 2025 Cars.co.za article without a data source, and no 2026 ranking we found includes them.^1,12 Auto Trader’s February 2026 article names the brands, “Haval and Chery”, as an emerging risk because of demand for replacement parts, but no model and no figures.²⁹ Our guide to whether Chinese cars are hijacked explains where those names came from.

The Ford Everest, Isuzu MU-X and Kia Sportage are on none of the 2026 lists we checked, and Pineapple puts the Hyundai Creta among models “less likely to make the list of high-risk vehicles”.^1,8,10,19 Large 4x4s still carry a risk of their own: IOL reported in April 2026 that syndicates go after high-profile 4x4s and bakkies, and quoted an order for Range Rovers.³⁰

The only list of least hijacked cars is older. King Price’s, from hijackings reported between January 2021 and April 2023 and given “in no particular order”, includes six SUVs: the Audi Q3, Chery Tiggo 4 Pro, Hyundai Creta, Nissan Magnite, Subaru Forester and Suzuki Vitara.²⁰ It counts one insurer’s clients, and it clashes with a newer source on one car: Cars.co.za listed the Tiggo 4 among “known targets” in January 2025.¹² Our guide to the cars least likely to be stolen has the full list.

Before you insure an SUV

Your insurer decides what your SUV needs, and tells you when cover starts: King Price says an anti-theft device “will be confirmed with you at the inception of your cover, and will also be noted on your policy schedule”.³¹ If your SUV is keyless, take the Insurance Crime Bureau’s warning seriously: it says “organised criminals are using relay attack technology to target vehicles” with keyless entry and start, and advises owners to “consider disabling the keyless entry or proximity function when it is not required”.³² Our guide to relay attacks and keyless car theft explains what blocks it.

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