The Most Stolen Cars in the US

What are the things you consider before buying a new car? Are you factoring in brand popularity? Or maybe you’re considering whether or not your car will be a favorite target among thieves? In this case, you better keep reading because we’ll discuss the most stolen cars in the US.

Apparently, full-size pickups are well-liked among the criminals as they topped the list of the most stolen vehicles in 2022, according to a new study from the National Insurance Crime Bureau.

Full-size trucks were the target of more than a quarter of all thefts reported in 2022, and Chevrolet pickups topped the list with 49,903 stolen units in the US. Ford trucks were close behind with 48,175 thefts, while GMC was the only other full-size truck brand to make the top ten with 16,622 stolen ‘professional grade’ pickups.

It’s not really unexpected that Hyundai also had a strong presence on the top ten list, with the Sonata and Elantra being new entries. The popularity of these models among thieves was likely driven by social media and the absence of an immobilizer.

The Hyundai Sonata was the most stolen model among Hyundai vehicles in the US last year, with 21,707 thefts, mostly of the 2013 model year. The Hyundai Elantra was a close second, with 19,602 thefts. The Kia Optima also had a high theft rate, with 18,221 units stolen, mostly of the 2015 model year.

The theft rate of Hyundai and Kia vehicles may be high, but there’s a silver lining as the National Insurance Crime Bureau reported Hyundais and Kias had recovery rates between 87% and 95%. This is consistent with some stories that suggested many of the cars were taken just for fun.

Last year, car thefts rose by 7%, with one unit stolen every half minute. This means thieves stole more than one million vehicles in 2022, but most of them were recovered. In fact, over 85% of the stolen vehicles were found, and 34% of them were recovered within a day after they were reported missing.

If you want to know a simple trick to avoid being a target of theft, then it’s to never leave your keys inside your car. Many vehicles are stolen every year because the owners didn’t take their keys with them.