Car Thefts Fell in Early 2025

• Nationwide, car theft fell 23% in the first six months of 2025, according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau.
• Thefts surged during the pandemic, but are nearly back to pre-pandemic levels.

Car theft is becoming less common. America saw 23% fewer stolen cars in the first six months of 2025 than in the same period in 2024, according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB).

Forty-nine states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico all reported fewer car thefts in the first two quarters of this year than last. The only state to report an increase? Alaska, with a 26% rise concentrated in Anchorage.

The NICB credits “the effectiveness of collaborative efforts by law enforcement, automakers, insurers, and the National Insurance Crime Bureau” for the drop. It notes that advanced data analytics have helped drive a crackdown.

The 10 Most Commonly Stolen Vehicles

Most years, the list of the most commonly stolen vehicles looks a lot like the list of the most commonly driven vehicles. Thieves steal what’s available, after all. Common cars are also more useful to networks that dismantle them and sell the parts.

However, a new trend began to shift the data in 2021, and it remains with us. Thieves began targeting inexpensive base models of Hyundai and Kia vehicles after a series of social media videos showed how to steal them easily.

The companies had built some cars without an immobiliser – a common anti-theft device that ensures a vehicle won’t start without its smart key present. They have since launched multiple efforts to stop the theft wave, and just this week, agreed to retrofit 4 million older cars with new anti-theft technology.

Four Hyundai and Kia models now appear in the top 10.

Rank	Make/Model	2025 Q1-Q2 Thefts
1	Hyundai Elantra	11,329
2	Hyundai Sonata	9,154
3	Honda Accord	8,531
4	Chevrolet Silverado 1500	8,006
5	Honda Civic	6,396
6	Kia Optima	6,011
7	Ford F-150	4,996
8	Toyota Camry	4,986
9	Honda CR-V	4,889
10	Kia Soul	4,380