Living up to its stereotype as a bogan hot spot, Waikato's most stolen car model is the Ford Falcon.
Meanwhile in Canterbury owners of Toyota Hilux are most likely to be targeted by car thieves, according to analysis of police data by financial comparison website MoneyHub.co.nz.
Canterbury is also the stolen car capital of the country, with 831 vehicles reported stolen in the last six months of 2018.
Car thieves in Waikato target Ford Falcons over any other model, figures show.
Across the country there were 3642 cars stolen during that period. Tasman had the lowest number of thefts, with 51.
Nationwide Toyota Hilux, Subaru Legacy and Subaru Impreza are the most stolen models, with at least two reported stolen every day.
Monday was the most common day of the week for cars to be stolen or reported stolen.
MoneyHub, which published findings from its car insurance analysis, outlines the extra insurance costs that are often associated with owning a car more likely to be stolen.
MoneyHub's senior research Christopher Walsh said thieves had different preferences around the country.
"Auckland thieves lusted after the Mazda Familia more than any other car. But in Waikato, the Ford Falcon was the most stolen car, and in Southland and Otago thieves preferred the Honda Civic," Walsh said.
In Wellington, the Mitsubishi Lancer was most favoured, while the Toyota Hilux was popular with thieves all over the country, especially those in Canterbury, Bay of Plenty and Northland, he said.
In Canterbury there were 68 Toyota Hilux stolen in a six month window.
Owners of Toyota Hilux, Subaru Impreza or Subaru Legacy could pay a lot more for car insurance than for models less in demand by thieves, he said.
"In every instance, what you pay for vehicle insurance will vary by model and driver," he said.
MoneyHub research found that policies for the same car in Auckland could cost twice as much for those in the regions.
The type of roads in your region could also affect your premiums. For example motorists who lived in an area known for bendy roads might pay more.
It also found that the cost of insuring a car in New Zealand continued to climb much faster than inflation.
Car owners could save as much as 15 per cent on their car insurance by electing to pay annually instead of monthly, it said.
Otago and Southland had the lowest number stolen cars per capita and Canterbury, Northland and Counties Manakau had the highest rate per capita.
MoneyHub would continue to analyse police data every six months, Walsh said.
Top 10 stolen cars in six months to December 31, 2018:
1 Toyota Hilux (162 stolen)
2 Subaru Legacy (116 stolen)
3 Subaru Impreza (93 stolen)
4 Holden Commodore (93 stolen)
5 Toyota Hiace (56 stolen)
6 Nissan Primera (51 stolen)
7 Mitsubishi Lancer (48 stolen)
8 Nissan Navara (48 stolen)
9 Ford Courier (48 stolen)
10 Honda Accord (45 stolen)