After years of a consistent rise in car thefts, a significant decline was observed in 2024, breaking the pattern set-off since 2020. A report issued by the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) states that approximately 850,700 vehicles were reported stolen across the U.S. in 2024. This was a substantial decrease compared to the more than 1 million vehicles reported stolen in the previous year, 2023.
Despite the overall decline, certain car models still remained favorites among thieves, particularly the Hyundai Elantra and the Hyundai Sonata. There was a surge in thefts of Hyundai and Kia cars in 2020 when videos revealing how to exploit the cars vulnerabilities and steal them became widely distributed on TikTok. The NICB reports suggest that the thieves exploited the absence of engine immobilizers, an essential anti-theft technology.
However, improvements have been made also for these vulnerable models. The manufacturers have been offering anti-theft software upgrades to vehicle owners and consequentially there has been a noticeable reduction of stolen Hyundai and Kia cars in 2024 nationwide.
Still, the statistics confirm that these two models remained the most frequently stolen vehicles in 2024, with 31,712 thefts of Hyundai Elantra and 26,720 of Hyundai Sonata reported across the U.S.
The regional data from California mirrors the national trend with Chevrolet Silverado experiencing the highest number of thefts (6,248) and Hyundai Sonata coming second with 5,865 thefts reported in 2024. Other frequently targeted models include Honda Civic, Hyundai Elantra, and Honda Accord.
Vehicle theft rates also varied depending on the geographical location with Washington, D.C., California, New Mexico, Colorado and Nevada being the most affected areas.
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