The Most Stolen Cars in America

While you might think that ostentatious sports cars and expensive luxury vehicles might be the most obvious targets for car burglaries, you’d be surprised to learn which vehicles are the most stolen cars in America.

If you thought your car was theft-proof because it’s a Honda, as opposed to a BMW or Lexus, you’d be disappointed to learn that the “simple man’s car” is actually stolen more often than luxury vehicles. The vehicles that are actually stolen most often in the US are the simple, new and used cars that typical middle-class Americans drive.

Top 10 Most Stolen Used Vehicles from Last Year

1996 Honda Accord	52,244 units stolen
1998 Honda Civic	49,430 units stolen
2006 Ford F-Series	29,396 units stolen
2004 Chevrolet Silverado	27,771 units stolen
2014 Toyota Camry	15,466 units stolen
2001 Dodge Ram	11,212 units stolen
2014 Toyota Corolla	10,547 units stolen
2015 Nissan Altima	10,374 units stolen
2002 Dodge Caravan	9,798 units stolen
2008 Chevrolet Impala	9,225 units stolen

The ever so popular midsize sedans were the most stolen cars in the United States last year. Cars like the Toyota Camry, the Nissan Altima, and the Chrysler 200 are some of the top stolen cars this past year. “Hot Wheels”, a group that does extensive research on the topic of stolen vehicles on a yearly basis, has the data to back up their findings. Surprisingly enough, other vehicles that have been victims of auto thefts a lot in 2016 are the Chevrolet Silverado full-size pickup trucks, Civic Sedans, and Honda Accords.

10 Most Stolen New Cars from Last Year

Nissan Altima	1,104 units stolen
Chrysler 200	1,069 units stolen
Toyota Camry	923 units stolen
Toyota Corolla	776 units stolen
GMC Sierra	670 units stolen
Dodge Charger	666 units stolen
Hyundai Sonata	632 units stolen
Chevrolet Malibu	629 units stolen
Chevrolet Impala	594 units stolen
Chevrolet Cruze	586 units stolen

 

As you can see, there are clearly many older model vehicles being stolen than the latest cars on the market. The difference between the numbers of new verses old vehicles being stolen is starkly different. Which begs the question, why? Why would car thieves target used-vehicles as opposed to the new cars on the market? Once you allow yourself to get into the headspace of a cat burglar, it begins to make a bit more sense.

New automobiles are usually stolen in order to resell as-is. This is easily done with the help of some doctored paperwork. Because the risk of stealing and reselling whole vehicles is higher than taking used cars apart for their spare parts, there are fewer car thefts for new vehicles than there are for used cars. Interestingly, of the cars that are stolen, many of them are the higher-end luxury vehicles that one would suspect would be stolen.

Beware: the Nissan Altima, Toyota Camry, and Toyota Corolla sedans are so popular with car thieves, that they appear on both the new and the used car lists.

Why Are Used Cars More Of A Theft Target Than New Vehicles?

Even though technically, new cars are more valuable than used vehicles, most cars on the road in the United States are not brand new. For this reason, car owners are often looking for replacement parts for their vehicles. When used cars are stolen, they are usually taken to chop-shops where they are stripped for parts that are then sold online and too crooked auto part dealerships.

The stolen vehicle will rarely be sold as a whole unit, and will instead be sold for individual parts like used airbags, car wheels, air conditioner compressors, and transmissions. The car loses value, but the stealing and selling of these parts are a lot less risky than selling whole vehicles.

What Makes a Vehicle a Theft Risk?

• Victims of opportunity
• Things left in a vehicle
• The demand for used car parts
• Weak auto security systems

Fewer and Fewer Car Thefts in America Each Year

The good news is that car theft rates are slowly diminishing over time. The reason for the decrease in stolen cars in America is due to two main factors.

• All the newer automobiles these days are fitted with better and stronger auto security systems.
• When there are issues with a vehicle’s security system, local car locksmith services are available to service the issues simply and effectively, without it costing the car owner a lot of money.

The face of car theft is changing too, instead of the handy, lock-picking car burglars of the nineties, most stolen cars now in days are taken by techies who can hack their way into cars via the car’s computer systems and on-board data.

When it comes to keeping your vehicle secure, Authorized Locksmiths can help you install a powerful auto security system or other high tech car security innovations that are sure to help keep potential car thieves from stealing your vehicle.