Having your car stolen is one of the worst things a car owner can have happen to them. Decades ago having your car stolen was more of a common event than in today’s time and age. This is due to the updated and optimized anti-theft technology and security systems that are installed on today’s newer model cars. With that being said, there is a car stolen every forty seconds in the United States – whether or not you have the latest anti-theft device on your car or not, you have a chance of having your car stolen.
If you’re looking to find out what cars are stolen the most and how to make a smarter decision at the dealership, you have come to the right place! The NICB (National Insurance Crime Bureau) has compiled the latest “Hot Wheels” data, which is the most stolen cars in the year of 2017 (vehicles make and model). They have also taken the data a step further and analyzed the “theft rate” of these top ten most stolen cars. Older models of these vehicles may lack the state-of-the-art security systems, while the newer models have the updated anti-theft devices.
When all the research was compiled we found out one of the biggest car security threats was drivers own ignorance. Many cars are stolen because the driver leaves their vehicles unlocked! Below we will give you some information and data on the information we gathered from the top 10 most stolen cars in the United States.
Vehicle thieves love pickups
Full-size pickups are one of the most sought-after vehicles for car thieves. All four main pickup brands (Dodge, Ford, Chevrolet, and GMC) are popular choices. The top 2 pickups with the highest rate of theft are the Chevrolet and GMC.
Car thieves are picky
There are very few car models that are the top stolen cars in any given state. Also, there are only a few models that account for a large share of cars that are stolen. A huge statistic that drives these statements home is that the top 4 most stolen cars (specific models) accounted for 28% of all cars stolen in 2017.
A skewed timeline
The NICB report showed which model year car was the most stolen in 2017 for each of the top 10 vehicles. Within the report is showed that there were still some late 1990 models that were still on the road that had less than average anti-theft car devices making them more vulnerable to car theft. Nevertheless, car models from the 2,000s and even 2016 – 2017-year models dominated the list. Knowing this amazing statistic, it shows that current anti-theft technology these days is not always the key deterrent for keeping your car from being stolen.
A key player not on the list
One vehicle that is not on this list, that was the most stolen car in Wisconsin and Illinois for the year of 2017 was the Dodge Caravan – keep this in mind if you live in these 2 states.
In the list below, the theft rates were calculated per 1,000 cars of each model as part of the 264 million cars that are on the road today. The theft rates that are shown represent a ratio of stolen cars in the year of 2018 as a share of the appropriate total number of that model on the road per 1,000 cars. An example would be: an estimated 2 out of every 1,000 Chevrolet Impalas on the road today was stolen in 2017. Now, for the list you have all been waiting for!
Top 10 most stolen cars in America
10. Chevrolet Impala
* Number of thefts: 9,487
* Model year most stolen: 2008
* Theft rate: 2 per 1,000 vehicles
9. GMC Pickup (Full Size)
* Number of thefts: 10,865
* Model year most stolen: 2017
* Theft rate: 10 per 1,000 vehicles
8. Dodge Pickup (Full Size)
* Number of thefts: 12,004
* Model year most stolen: 2001
* Theft rate: 4 per 1,000 vehicles
7. Toyota Corolla
* Number of thefts: 12,337
* Model year most stolen: 2016
* Theft rate: 2 per 1,000 vehicles
6. Nissan Altima
* Number of thefts: 13,358
* Model year most stolen: 2016
* Theft rate: 2 per 1,000 vehicles
5. Toyota Camry
* Number of thefts: 17,278
* Model year most stolen: 2017
* Theft rate: 2 per 1,000 vehicles
4. Chevrolet Pickup (Full Size)
* Number of thefts: 30,058
* Model year most stolen: 2004
* Theft rate: 11 per 1,000 vehicles
3. Ford Pickup (Full Size)
* Number of thefts: 35,105
* Model year most stolen: 2006
* Theft rate: 7 per 1,000 vehicles
2. Honda Accord
* Number of thefts: 43.764
* Model year most stolen: 1997
* Theft rate: 5 per 1,000 vehicles
1. Honda Civic
* Number of thefts: 45,062
* Model year most stolen: 1998
* Theft rate: 6 per 1,000 vehicles
Knowing that there is a high probability that your car can be broken into or stolen, you want to make sure you take that proper steps to insuring your car. Please feel free to reach out to Safe Harbor Insurance with any questions that you have about car insurance and making sure you’re properly covered.
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