The 10 cars that get stolen the most in America
More than 1 million cars were stolen in 2023, according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau. Photo: vm (Getty Images)
After years of surging car thefts in the United States, 2023 was no different . The National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) said in April that 1,020,729 cars were pilfered last year, up from 1,008,756 in 2022.
Although we don’t know exactly why , we do have an idea of the most commonly stolen vehicles. That’s thanks to a new NICB analysis, which revealed the 10 most commonly stolen vehicles in the U.S. , per the industry trade group’s data.
“These rankings highlight the persistent threat of vehicle theft across the country,” NICB CEO David J. Glawe said in a statement. “Even as we work to deter crime, it is crucial for owners to remain vigilant and take proactive measures to protect their vehicles.”
According to the Bureau, most cars stolen were imported from countries like Japan and South Korea and included vehicles of several different categories, from pickup trucks to sedans.
Here are the top 10 most often stolen vehicles in the United States last year.
Owners of the Hyundai Elantra are — by far — the biggest victims of the so-called “Kia Boyz” demonstrations on social media platforms, namely TikTok. The NICB said 48,445 units of the compact car were stolen in 2023, up from 19,602 units stolen in 2022 , when it was the sixth most stolen model.
The social media trend, the NICB said, is behind a slew of thefts of Hyundai and Kia vehicles; the automakers share a parent company, Hyundai Motor Co., alongside Genesis Motor.
The Kia Boyz — who are mostly bored teenagers — in 2021 started a trend of stealing Kia and Hyundai cars using an easy method that takes advantage of a key security flaw in those vehicles.
Models made by the companies between 2011 and 2021 can be stolen by, among other steps, forcing open the steering column and plugging a USB cord into an opening under the ignition cylinder.
Dig Deeper: US insurers are steering clear of some Hyundai and Kia models
The Hyundai Sonata was another victim of the techniques popularized by the Kia Boyz. Thieves stole 42,813 Sonatas last year, nearly doubling the 21,707 units stolen in 2022, when the Sonata was the fifth most commonly plundered vehicle.
The Kia Optima is another model returning from the NICB’s 2022 rankings. According to the firm’s estimates, 30,204 Optima cars were stolen in 2023, about 12,000 more than were stolen in 2022. The Optima was the seventh most stolen car of 2022.
The 2023 Chevrolet Silverado, featuring the 2023 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 High Country (left), ZR2 (middle) and LT (right). Photo: General Motors
The Chevrolet Silverado 1500 series is General Motor’s one and only entry on the NICB’s latest rankings. About 23,721 pickups were pilfered in 2023 — which isn’t great, but certainly not the worst. For perspective, Chevrolet’s pickups were the most stolen vehicles of 2022 — 48,175 were stolen that year alone. Most were 2004 modelyear pickups.
After a nice break in Detroit, we’re back on track with another car sold by the combined Hyundai Motor Co. giant. The Kia Soul compact was another popular model for burglars in 2023, with crooks running away with a collective 21,00 units.
Honda Motor Co.’ s first entry on the NICB’s 2023 rankings is the Honda Accord, which was ranked in sixth place. The bureau said that 20,895 units of the Accord — which has been around the since 1970s — were absconded with by thieves in 2023. Although that’s a significant amount of stolen cars, it’s actually less than in 2022, when 27,089 cars were pilfered.
And Honda is back! This time with the Civic, which was the seventh most stolen car of last year. The NICB said that 19,858 cars were stolen across the U.S. in 2023, less than the 27,113 taken a year earlier. The Civic was a particularly big target in 2022 in California, where more than 10,000 cars were stolen.
Kia owners really couldn’t catch a break last year. The Forte compact was the eighth most stolen car of the year, at 16,209 units illegally rehoused. The 2021 model-year Forte was a popular target in several states, such as Nebraska and Ohio, in 2022.
After reigning near the top of the NICB’s list in 2022, Ford Motor Co.’s pickups sunk to ninth place in 2023. Just 15,852 Ford F-150 series pickups were stolen in 2023. A year earlier, more than 48,000 of Ford’s full-size pickups were taken from their owners.
In a most likely completely unsurprising twist, this ranking ends in the same way it began — with a car sold by the Hyundai Motor Co. conglomerate.
The Kia Sportage SUV was the tenth most stolen car of 2023, with 15,749 models absconded with by thieves. Although the Sportage was not one of 2022’s most stolen cars, it did rank in the top 10 of several states, including Michigan, Missouri, and Minnesota.
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