The State of Auto Theft in the U.S. in 2024

In 2023, the last year for which the NICB released national data on motor vehicle thefts, there were 1,020,729 reported motor vehicle thefts. This was an increase of only one percent from the previous year.

While both violent and property crime have decreased since the early 1990s,¹ there has been a spike in motor vehicle theft since 2020 — although the rate of increase is slowing year-over-year. The initial increase may have been related to economic hardships and unemployment following the COVID-19 pandemic.

David J. Glawe, President and CEO of NICB, explained that criminals are now using sophisticated methods to steal vehicles, including hacking key fobs that enable keyless entry and are common with newer cars.²

David S. Abrams — a professor of law, business economics, and public policy at the University of Pennsylvania — explained that because people were spending more time at home, there was less surveillance and more privacy at nonresidential buildings. Cars were left unattended for longer periods, leading to an increase in car theft.²

You are much more likely to experience motor vehicle theft in certain regions, states, and cities compared to the national average.

Motor Vehicle Theft Rates by State

Colorado is the worst state for motor vehicle theft, with 583 thefts per 100,000 inhabitants in 2023 In other words, you are 91 percent more likely to experience motor vehicle theft in Colorado than in the rest of the country. Colorado is technically second to Washington, D.C., although the latter is not a state.

The NICB has not yet released its full vehicle theft report for 2023, but according to 2022 data, the states with the lowest auto theft rates were New Hampshire, Maine, and Idaho. In New Hampshire, there were only 54 motor vehicle thefts per 100,000 inhabitants, making car theft there 82 percent lower than the national average.

Of the 10 states with the lowest auto theft rates, eight are on the East Coast.

Motor Vehicle Theft Rates by City

The majority of the cities with the highest auto theft rates are on the West Coast. Pueblo, Colorado, has the highest motor vehicle theft rates of any city in the U.S., with a whopping 1,842 thefts per 100,000 inhabitants in 2022.

Similarly, the cities with the lowest auto theft rates were largely in the Northeast. One of the cities with the lowest motor vehicle theft rate was State College, Pennsylvania, with only 18 thefts per 100,000 inhabitants.

In 2019, the most recent year for which the FBI released theft data, victims of motor vehicle theft lost a total of $6.4 billion. There were 612,187 reported motor vehicle thefts throughout the year, equaling an average loss of $8,886 per vehicle.

Car theft can encompass many stolen times: personal items stolen from cars, car parts, and entire vehicles.

Items

These are some items most commonly stolen from cars:

• Car radios and speakers
• Car registration
• Electronic devices (phones, laptops, etc.)
• GPS devices

Car Parts

These are the most commonly stolen car parts:

• Catalytic converters
• License plates and tags
• Rims and tires
• Third-row seats
• Truck tailgates³

Catalytic converter theft in particular has increased greatly since the pandemic — by 288 percent from 2020 to 2022 alone.⁴ Catalytic converters contain precious metals such as platinum and can be sold for $50 to $250 each, and they can cost thousands to replace. Rates of catalytic converter thefts have declined since 2023, but they are still at risk of being stolen.

Cars

Theft occurs with older cars more often than newer cars. Car thieves are more familiar with older cars, so they’re easier to break into. Additionally, new cars are more likely to have anti-theft devices and cameras. In 2022, the most common model years were earlier than 2015, making them usually at least 10 years old.

Kias and Hyundais, in particular, are being stolen at high rates in large part due to a recent TikTok trend targeting these two vehicle manufacturers. Videos circulating on the platform (as well as YouTube) teach teens how to hotwire certain Kia and Hyundai models using a USB charging cable.

Note that this data only covers motor vehicle thefts reported to the police department. There is no good national data on vehicle recovery or break-in methods, such as hot-wiring — just the number and location of thefts.

If your car or parts of your car are stolen, will car insurance cover theft? The answer is yes, if you have comprehensive coverage.

Comprehensive coverage applies to damages to your car caused by events other than collisions, including theft, weather-related incidents, and vandalism. However, no state’s minimum coverage includes comprehensive coverage, so you would’ve had to add this coverage optionally.

With comprehensive coverage, you could be reimbursed for a stolen car or car parts. However, it won’t cover items stolen from your car (like laptops) or aftermarket upgrades (like custom parts). Instead, your homeowners or renters insurance would cover your personal property under “off-premises coverage.” For custom parts, you may need to buy additional insurance, as comprehensive coverage only applies to permanent and pre-installed car parts.

Especially if you’re on the West Coast, you should be wary of motor vehicle theft. Even if you live in an area with low theft rates, such as New Hampshire, it’s best to have comprehensive coverage. If your car is stolen, comprehensive coverage would reimburse you for your vehicle’s actual market value — or what you paid for it if you have gap insurance. Learn more about how we conduct our auto insurance research in our methodology below.

To compile this report, we used the most recent third-party data — from 2022 and 2023 — from the National Insurance Crime Bureau. We also used 2024 data from the Pew Research Center and Texas-based CCTV company LotGuard.