A thriving southern British Columbia city has been given the dubious honour of being the new car theft capital of North America.

Surrey, B.C., normally known for its 600 parks and spacious greenbelts, won the distinction Friday, taking over from Regina which was previously the worst city in North America for auto thefts.

According to insurance figures, for every 100,000 people in Surrey more than 1,700 of them had their vehicle stolen last year.

In Regina, there were just over 1,500 motor vehicle thefts per 100,000 people, more than double that of Pheonix, Ariz., considered the car theft hot spot of the U.S.

According to Surrey RCMP, 10 to 15 vehicles are stolen daily in Surrey. However, an average of 89 per cent of those are later recovered by police, most with some sort of damage.

The majority of cars are stolen by young offenders, right out of the owner's driveway.

The Insurance Corporation of British Columbia -- the province's largest car insurance firm -- estimates car theft costs it about $4,000 per vehicle, even for cars that are eventually recovered because of damage done during the theft.

The RCMP said most thefts are orchestrated by a group of known thieves, which in turn use the cars to commit other crimes such as robberies and break and enters.

The top 10 vehicles stolen in B.C. are trucks, sports cars and family sedans, both domestic and imports, according to the British Columbia Automobile Association.

The most stolen car in B.C.? The Honda Civic, following by the Dodge Caravan, Toyota Camry, Plymouth Voyager, and the Honda Accord.