The Holden Commodore has been a mainstay on Australian roads for decades. However, the iconic car has been a hot commodity among thieves lately looking to profit and, in some extreme cases, use the vehicle to commit dangerous crimes.
It's not just private drivers who are targeted by crooks, with a V8 Supercars Championship team falling victim to the theft of its Holden VE Commodore practice car – allegedly taken from its Melbourne headquarters.
The homegrown icon was the most stolen car in Victoria between July 2023 and July 2024, with 949 examples stolen in the state alone.
Similarly, a 2023 report published by the Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research (BOCSAR) in New South Wales identified that Holden cars were a favourite among crooks.
According to the BOCSAR report, there were 6953 Holden models stolen between April 2018 and March 2023, equating to a theft rate of 1.8 Holden vehicles per 100,000 registered cars in NSW.
To find out how owners can protect their cars from being stolen, Drive spoke to a range of experts. Here's what they said.
How can Holden Commodore owners protect their cars from being stolen?
Experts say there are several security measures you can take for a wide array of budgets when it comes to preventing car theft.
“In my opinion, engine immobilisers are the best aftermarket anti-theft devices because they stop all known methods of [car] thefts,” Mitch Thiele from Switchback Lighting – a Melbourne-based company specialising in installing engine immobilisers – told Drive.
“A few features of the IGLA [anti-theft] system is even if the thieves physically get your keys, they're not able to start the vehicle without entering a PIN code using factory controls on the steering wheel and dash.
“IGLA specifically blocks access to the OBD Port while the car's [engine] is immobilised (before entering the pin). This stops thieves from being able to program their own key using the OBD Port,” he added.
According to the company's website, the IGLA 200 immobiliser is priced from $1080 not including installation.
Similarly, live GPS tracking systems can be a helpful theft prevention device for car owners looking to mitigate the risk.
“GPS tracking is the best way to go, in my opinion, as you can still locate the car even if it's towed away without being started,” says Jon Bergman, the Managing Director of Automotive Integration, a Melbourne-based automotive electronics company.
Automotive Integration's AIS GPS System, for example, costs an estimated $1100 for the initial device installation and a further $300 annual fee for user-controlled monitoring. However, prices can change depending on a customer's car.
“The AIS live system allows the vehicle to be tracked and remotely shut down from the owner's phone anywhere in the world,” he added.
Alternatively, old-school security tools such as steering wheel and gearstick locks offer a visual deterrent for thieves looking to steal a car.
Budget-friendly options like Faraday pouches – a bag lined with material to block electromagnetic fields – can prevent a thief from boosting or relaying a car key's signal.
What Holden Commodore models are the most vulnerable to theft?
Thiele said Holden VF Series Commodores built between 2013 and 2017 are the most vulnerable to car theft.
“The number-one most stolen car in Australia, the VF Commodore, is being stolen at alarming rates due to the [car] horn’s location,” he told Drive.
Due to the car horn’s easy access, thieves can circumvent the OEM's security measures quickly without alerting bystanders.
“I think this is why these VF Series Commodores are being targeted by the masses because they are a silent and quick steal. We have seen these cars stolen in less than 45 seconds," he added.
“Had there been a horn fitted in the location of the previous VE Commodore, we wouldn’t be seeing as many of these cars stolen as we are.”
However, Holden Speciality Vehicles (HSV) are also prone to hijacking because of the lack of spare parts available on the second-hand market.
“[Holden Commodores] are relatively commonplace and blend in better than European brands… especially if they are being used for crimes. Otherwise, they’re targeted for parts,” said Bergman.
“After seven years, a manufacturer no longer needs to provide spare parts. This has opened the floodgates to theft for [rebirthing operations] and crime syndicates dealing in stolen parts for the repair industry.”
Justin Stark from Ultimate Wiring Conversion – a New South Wales-based company specialising in custom wiring on Holden cars – added: “All Holden Commodores are vulnerable as they are easy to sell parts and the V8s and HSV models are very desirable.
“Even so, V6 models still get stolen [and] VF push buttons are the worst [when it comes to] being stolen due to the current publicity."
It's worth noting the aftermarket companies that sell the reprogramming and key scanning tools thieves use to steal cars are also a big part of the problem and don't just affect Holden Commodores.
Stark told Drive, “[The issue is] that aftermarket tools are allowing the stealing of these vehicles by circumventing the wait times that the factory software/scan tools impose on the GM [General Motors] technicians.
“This has become so bad that the thieves used to have to wait from three to 10 minutes to program a new key. It's now down to 35 seconds, and they don't even need to program a key now as the tool will allow the ignition to be turned on and acts as the key to the start car.
“It isn't just VF [Commodores] that are vulnerable to this way of starting the car with the tool; all late-model push-button cars can be started with this [device].
“It's not the car manufacturers at fault for their lack of security, but more to the manufacturers of the programming tool, along with no regulation on who can purchase these tools,” he added.
Ethan Cardinal graduated with a Journalism degree in 2020 from La Trobe University and has been working in the fashion industry as a freelance writer prior to joining Drive in 2023. Ethan greatly enjoys investigating and reporting on the cross sections between automotive, lifestyle and culture. Ethan relishes the opportunity to explore how deep cars are intertwined within different industries and how they could affect both casual readers and car enthusiasts.
