The Alicante town with the highest car theft rate in 2024

In 2024, 1,366 cars were stolen in Alicante, leaving a long queue of owners around the province who discovered their car had disappeared when they went to collect it.

Despite the large number, the Ministry of the Interior’s data shows that it decreased by 4.5% last year, which was significantly more than the 0.7% decline in general crime.

However, due to the territory’s peculiarities, every town has its weak point, which is its unresolved crime issue. For others, it is the homes; for others, it is sexual assaults; and for some, it is the increased frequency of car theft.

Dénia was the municipality with the worst financial situation in all of Alicante last year. The high standard of life and the town’s popularity make it an ideal place for thieves, who can choose from a variety of luxury vehicles and others that are parked in remote coves.

66 auto and motorbike thefts were reported in the Marina Alta municipality last year, translating to a rate of 1.41 thefts per 1,000 residents.

Stated differently, Dénia has a rate of one vehicle theft for every 711 residents, which is significantly higher than the provincial average and makes it the most common location for this kind of crime in Alicante. However, compared to the previous year, when 70 thefts were reported, the number has dropped by 5.7%.

In 2024, 1,366 cars were stolen in Alicante, leaving a long queue of owners around the province who discovered their car had disappeared when they went to pick it up.

Despite the large number, the Ministry of the Interior’s data shows that it decreased by 4.5% last year, which was significantly more than the 0.7% decline in general crime.

However, due to the territory’s peculiarities, every town has its weak point, which is its unresolved crime issue. For others, it is the homes; for others, it is sexual assaults; and for some, it is the increased frequency of car theft.

Dénia was the municipality with the worst financial situation in all of Alicante last year. The high standard of life and the town’s popularity make it an ideal place for thieves, who can choose from a variety of luxury vehicles and others that are parked in remote coves.

66 auto and motorbike thefts were reported in the Marina Alta municipality last year, translating to a rate of 1.41 thefts per 1,000 residents.

Stated differently, Dénia has a rate of one vehicle theft for every 711 residents, which is significantly higher than the provincial average and makes it the most common location for this kind of crime in Alicante. However, compared to the previous year, when 70 thefts were reported, the number has dropped by 5.7%.

As of January 1, 2024, the National Institute of Statistics (INE) reported that there were 46,942 people living there. However, this figure is deceptive because the city is one of the most popular tourist destinations, attracting tens of thousands of visitors each month who do not register.

With 353 vehicle thefts in 2024, Alicante tops the list in absolute terms, but its rate per 1,000 residents (0.98) is far lower than Dénia’s. The same is true for the municipalities that rank second and third on the list of the most impacted, Torrevieja (1.10) and Orihuela (1.03).

At the opposite end, the lowest rates of vehicle theft are seen in municipalities like Villena (0.12) and Novelda (0.08), indicating that two important determinants in this kind of crime are tourism and the cities’ purchasing power.