- The National Insurance Crime Bureau has released its annual report on the most stolen vehicles of the past year.
- Kia and Hyundai models populate six of the top 10 spots on the 2023 list, with the Hyundai Elantra, Hyundai Sonata, and Kia Optima taking the top three spots.
- Full-size pickups and top-selling models, including the Honda Accord and Civic, take up the remaining spots in the top 10.
Memphis Raines of Gone in 60 Seconds fame may have retired from stealing cars 20 years ago, but there are still plenty of people who engage in the unlawful activity. The National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) has released its annual report on the most stolen vehicles of 2023, and Kia and Hyundai models top the list. Vehicles from the two brands make up six of the 10 most stolen last year.
The Hyundai Elantra tops the list with 48,445 reported thefts. The Hyundai Sonata and Kia Optima take up the next two spots, reporting 42,813 and 30,204 thefts respectively. The drastic uptick in theft rates for the Korean models disrupts a years-long trend of full-size pickups topping the list, according to the NICB.
The Chevrolet Silverado 1500 was the fourth most often stolen vehicle in 2023, with a reported 23,721 thefts. The Kia Soul was fifth, the Honda Accord sixth, the Honda Civic seventh, the Kia Forte eighth, the Ford F-150 ninth, and the Kia Sportage was number 10.
Unfortunately, the data from the NICB does not include breakdowns for the most common model years of stolen vehicles. A separate report from the NICB describes a steady uptick in vehicle thefts since 2019, and here’s why, according to David J. Glawe, the bureau’s president and CEO: “Criminals are employing increasingly sophisticated methods to steal vehicles, including the use of advanced technology to bypass security systems. From keyless entry hacks to relay attacks on key fobs, perpetrators are exploiting vulnerabilities in modern vehicle security measures with alarming success rates.”
The big change came in 2020, which saw the start of an upward trend in annual vehicle thefts. The increase in thefts overall pairs directly with the increased rate of Kia and Hyundai thefts. Both are likely due to videos on social media showcasing and popularizing stealing vehicles from the brands. According to the NICB, year-over-year theft numbers increased by about 1 percent in 2023, with the District of Columbia and Maryland seeing the largest spike in thefts per capita.
Jack Fitzgerald’s love for cars stems from his as yet unshakable addiction to Formula 1.
After a brief stint as a detailer for a local dealership group in college, he knew he needed a more permanent way to drive all the new cars he couldn’t afford and decided to pursue a career in auto writing. By hounding his college professors at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, he was able to travel Wisconsin seeking out stories in the auto world before landing his dream job at Car and Driver. His new goal is to delay the inevitable demise of his 2010 Volkswagen Golf.