New data shows which vehicles are stolen the most

(NEXSTAR) – Vehicle thefts have dropped substantially, according to new nationwide data. The National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) reports the theft of cars and trucks declined in 2025 to the lowest levels seen in decades.

Of course, that’s little consolation if you’re one of the 659,880 vehicle owners who had your car stolen last year. The NICB says that’s equivalent to a vehicle being stolen every 48 seconds.

Vehicle theft is most common in California. Two of the Golden State’s metro areas – the Bay Area and the Bakersfield area – lead the nation in most vehicle thefts per capita. Memphis, Tennessee, used to rank in first place, but moved to the third spot in 2025.

Some vehicles are also more likely to be targeted than others. For the third year in a row, the most frequently stolen vehicle was the Hyundai Elantra, according to NICB data.

Hyundai and Kia vehicles were increasingly targeted for theft starting in 2020, when videos showing how to take advantage of the cars’ vulnerabilities and steal them started spreading on TikTok.

Hyundai ended up creating pop-up “clinics” around the country to give owners of the affected vehicles anti-theft software upgrades. Kia also announced security upgrades at the end of 2023.

The companies appear to be making major progress; while there were more than 48,000 Hyundai Elantras stolen in 2024, fewer than half that total were stolen in 2025.

Most Stolen Vehicles in 2025

While overall vehicle thefts have shown steady declines, there are early signs catalytic converter thefts may be back on the rise. Authorities from Berkeley, California, to the Nashville suburbs have said vehicles there are being targeted for the precious metals contained in catalytic converters.