Is your car more likely to be stolen if it’s a Lamborghini or a Lexus? An Aston Martin or an Alfa Romeo, a Bentley or a BMW?
Actually, no.
It turns out car thieves are much more practical-minded when it comes to what they steal, meaning your mild-mannered Toyota (TM) sedan or Honda (HMC) hatchback could be a target.
Vehicle theft is a multi-billion-dollar crime, with the cost of stolen vehicles coming in at about $7.4 billion in 2020 alone, an average of $9,166 per theft, according to the Insurance Information Institute and the FBI.
Many of those thefts are due to driver error—things like leaving the key or fob in the car, or leaving the doors unlocked.
So if it isn’t to burn rubber in a supercar, why do thieves take cars? While joyriding is a factor, usually cars are stolen for spare parts or to use as transportation for another crime—a getaway car, according to Jerry Insurance Agency.
Of nearly 181,000 vehicles stolen in California in 2020 (the state with the most stolen vehicles) most were recovered, but only 63.6% were recovered intact and in drivable condition, 3.1% were missing major components, 8.6% were stripped of minor parts, and 24.6% were intentionally burned and/or wrecked, according to the California Highway Patrol. The CHP said that in 2020, 39 vehicles were stolen just for their cargo.
The biggest market for parts is going to be for the most popular cars, so it comes as no surprise that vehicles with high sales numbers like Ford (F) pickups and Honda Civics are more frequently stolen. And because they are more common, it’s easier for thieves to get around in them without being noticed.
There are some cars that are tough to steal because of their anti-theft features, a few of these include the Tesla Model S (TSLA) , Nissan Leaf (NSANF) , BMW 3-series four-door (BMW) , and the Hyundai Tucson (HYMTF) , according to Jerry Insurance.
Here are the vehicles that were stolen the most in 2020, for all model years, followed by the most frequently stolen new models, according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau, and the 10 worst cities for vehicle thefts.
The Most Stolen Cars
1. Ford pick-up (Full size)
- Thefts (in 2020): 44,014
- Most common model year stolen: 2006
Wikipedia
2. Chevrolet pick-up (Full size)
- Thefts: 40,968
- Most common model year stolen: 2004
Wikipedia
3. Honda Civic
- Thefts: 34,144
- Most common model year stolen: 2000
Wikipedia
4. Honda Accord
- Thefts: 30,814
- Most common model year stolen: 1997
Wikipedia
5. Toyota Camry
- Thefts: 16,915
- Most common model year stolen: 2019
Toyota
6. Nissan Altima
- Thefts: 14,668
- Most common model year stolen: 2020
Nissan
7. GMC pick-up (Full size)
- Thefts: 13,016
- Most common model year stolen: 2005
HumanZoom at English Wikipedia
8. Toyota Corolla
- Thefts: 12,515
- Most common model year stolen: 2020
Toyota
9. Honda CR-V
- Thefts: 12,309
- Most common model year stolen: 2000
Wikipedia
10. Dodge pick-up (Full size)
- Thefts: 11,991
- Most common model year stolen: 2001
Wikipedia
The Most Stolen New Cars
1. Nissan Altima
Thefts: 1,732
(New car data is for 2020 model year cars.)
Nissan
2. Chevrolet Pick-Up (Full size)
Thefts: 1,447
Chevrolet
3. Toyota Corolla
Thefts: 1,295
Toyota
4. Chevrolet Malibu
Thefts: 1,175
Chevrolet
5. Ram Pick-Up (Full size)
Thefts: 1,118
Ram
6. Toyota Camry
Thefts: 1,041
Toyota
7. Hyundai Elantra
Thefts: 989
Hyundai
8. Jeep Cherokee/Grand Cherokee
Thefts: 876
Jeep
9. Ford Pick-Up (Full size)
Thefts: 875
Ford
10. Dodge Charger
Thefts: 738
Dodge
The 10 Cities With the Worst Car Theft
1. Bakersfield, Calif.
- Vehicles stolen (in 2020): 8,161
- Theft rate (per 100,000 people): 905.41. The national average was 246 stolen cars per 100,000 people in 2020.
2. Yuba City, Calif.
- Vehicles stolen: 1,279
- Theft rate: 724.46
Ray Bouknight from Sacramento, CA, USA/Wikipedia
3. Denver
- Vehicles stolen: 21,112
- Theft rate: 705.80
4. Odessa, Texas
- Vehicles stolen: 1,114
- Theft rate: 664.28
5. San Francisco
- Vehicles stolen: 30,774
- Theft rate: 655.20
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6. Albuquerque, N.M.
- Vehicles stolen: 5,835
- Theft rate: 631.75
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7. Pueblo, Colo.
- Vehicles stolen: 1,023
- Theft rate: 602.39
8. Billings, Mont.
- Vehicles stolen: 1,038
- Theft rate: 564.75
9. St. Joseph, Mo.
- Vehicles stolen: 692
- Theft rate: 564.64
10. Tulsa, Okla.
- Vehicles stolen: 5,553
- Theft rate: 551.76
Source: National Insurance Crime Bureau
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