Most Stolen Cars in America (2026 Report)

Key statistics at a glance

The 10 Most Stolen Cars in America (2025 NICB Data)

The National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) publishes the most widely cited ranking of stolen vehicles in the United States, historically known as the "Hot Wheels" report. The most recent ranking, released March 18, 2026 as part of NICB's 2025 Vehicle Theft Report, covers thefts reported during calendar year 2025.

The Hyundai Elantra remained the most stolen vehicle in America for 2025, with 21,732 reported thefts nationwide. The Honda Accord (17,797) and Hyundai Sonata (17,687) followed close behind. The list mixes two distinct patterns: older Hyundai and Kia sedans still targeted for their missing immobilizers, and perennially common vehicles — the Honda Accord and Civic, Chevrolet Silverado 1500, Ford F-150, Toyota Camry, and Nissan Altima — that are stolen at scale simply because so many are on the road and their parts stay in demand.

Nationally, 659,880 vehicles were reported stolen in 2025, a 23% decline from 850,708 in 2024 and, per NICB, the lowest total in several decades. Even so, one vehicle was still stolen every 48 seconds in the United States in 2025.

The Hyundai and Kia Theft Wave

Roughly two dozen 2011–2022 Hyundai and Kia models were sold in the U.S. without an engine immobilizer — the standard electronic device that prevents a car from starting without its coded key. According to the Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI), immobilizers were standard on only 26% of 2015 model year Hyundai and Kia vehicles, versus 96% for all other manufacturers. Starting around 2021, videos spread on TikTok and other platforms showing how to start these cars without a key, and thefts exploded. NHTSA tied the resulting theft trend to at least 14 reported crashes and eight fatalities as of February 2023.

The wave peaked in 2023: HLDI measured Hyundai/Kia theft claim frequencies in the second half of 2023 at more than 11 times their early-2020 level and more than 8 times the rate for other brands. In NICB's 2023 ranking, Kia and Hyundai models occupied six of the top ten spots, including the entire top three — the Hyundai Elantra alone recorded 48,445 thefts that year.

The wave has since receded sharply. Hyundai and Kia vehicles accounted for 14% of all U.S. thefts in 2025, down from 16% in 2024 and 21% in 2023, per NICB. Elantra thefts fell 55% between 2023 and 2025, and Kia Optima thefts fell 62%, while thefts of vehicles unaffected by the immobilizer defect — like the Honda Accord — declined far more modestly.

The Software Fix and the Class-Action Settlement

On February 14, 2023, NHTSA announced that Hyundai and Kia would provide a free anti-theft software update for approximately 3.8 million Hyundai and 4.5 million Kia vehicles that lack an immobilizer. The update extends the alarm from 30 seconds to one minute and requires the key to be in the ignition switch for the vehicle to start. The companies also distributed more than 26,000 steering wheel locks through 77 law enforcement agencies in 12 states. The update's effect is well documented: HLDI found theft claim frequencies dropped 53% — and whole-vehicle theft claims 64% — for vehicles that received it.

Owners also sued. In the consolidated class action In re: Kia Hyundai Vehicle Theft Marketing, Sales Practices, and Products Liability Litigation (No. 8:22-ML-3052, C.D. Cal.), covering 2011–2022 model year vehicles sold without immobilizers, the court granted final approval of a settlement on October 1, 2024. Benefits included reimbursement of up to 60% of a vehicle's Black Book value for a theft-related total loss, up to $3,375 or 33% of value for theft damage, up to $375 for insurance deductibles or increased premiums, and reimbursement for steering wheel locks and key fobs. The claim deadline passed on April 28, 2025; per the settlement administrator, appeals have delayed payment issuance, though the free software upgrade remains available at authorized dealerships.

Why These Models Get Stolen

Missing or weak anti-theft hardware is the single clearest driver. Federal regulations require manufacturers to mark major parts on high-theft vehicle lines so stolen components can be traced, and NHTSA encourages — but does not require — passive anti-theft devices like immobilizers. HLDI's long-running finding that theft losses fall by about half when vehicles carry immobilizing devices explains why the 2011–2022 Hyundai/Kia group, largely without them, became the top target.

Volume and parts demand explain the rest of the list. Passenger cars made up more than 74% of stolen vehicles in NHTSA's 2022 figures, and the Accord, Civic, Camry, Altima, Silverado, and F-150 have been among America's best-selling vehicles for decades — meaning a deep used-parts market for engines, transmissions, doors, and airbags. Older vehicles also predate modern security: before the Hyundai/Kia wave, NICB's rankings were topped for years by full-size pickups, and in earlier eras by 1990s-2000s Honda Civics and Accords, which remain targeted for parts long after production.

Theft is costly even when vehicles are found. NHTSA put the cost of vehicles stolen in 2022 — a year with over 1 million thefts — at more than $8 billion. NICB data show about 85% of stolen passenger vehicles are eventually recovered, 34% within a day, but recovery does not undo damage to ignitions, steering columns, and stripped parts.

Where Vehicles Are Stolen

Theft is heavily concentrated. California recorded 136,988 thefts in 2025 — more than 20% of the national total — followed by Texas (75,269), Illinois (28,327), Florida (27,142), and New York (24,206). More than one-third of all U.S. thefts occurred in just ten metropolitan areas, led by Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim with 53,911. The San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont metro had the highest theft rate among large metros at 477.51 thefts per 100,000 people.

The 2025 decline was broad-based: nearly every state saw fewer thefts. Washington State posted the largest percentage drop (−39%), followed by Colorado (−35%) and Puerto Rico (−34%). NICB attributes these declines to strengthened criminal penalties, dedicated state auto theft prevention authorities, law enforcement coordination, and the Hyundai/Kia software rollout.

What Used-Car Buyers Should Do

Before buying any used vehicle — especially a 2011–2022 Hyundai or Kia or another model on the top-10 list — run the VIN through NICB's VINCheck at nicb.org/vincheck. It is free and instantly flags vehicles reported stolen and not recovered, or reported as salvage or flood-damaged, by participating insurers representing 92.49% of U.S. earned premium (as of August 2026). It allows five searches per IP address per day and is not a complete vehicle history, so treat a clean result as one signal, not a guarantee.

For title history, use an approved report from the National Motor Vehicle Title Information System (NMVTIS), the U.S. Department of Justice system built to keep stolen vehicles from being resold; it covers title brands, theft-related records, and total-loss history. A free VIN decoder is also worth running first to confirm the VIN's specification — year, plant, trim, engine — matches the car and title in front of you, since cloned or altered VINs often fail that basic consistency check. Compare the VIN on the dashboard, driver's door jamb, and title document, and inspect the steering column and door locks for repair evidence on theft-prone models.

Insurance is part of the math. HLDI's claim-frequency data — the same data insurers use in pricing — showed Hyundai/Kia theft claims running many times the industry rate at the 2023 peak, and the class settlement specifically reimbursed owners up to $375 for increased premiums and deductibles. On an affected Hyundai or Kia, confirm with a dealer that the free anti-theft software update was installed; HLDI links the update to a 53% drop in theft claims. Note that no VIN tool provides a vehicle owner's name or personal information — federal law (the Driver's Privacy Protection Act) restricts personal motor vehicle records.