(NEXSTAR) – After years of spiking vehicle thefts, the tides have turned. The number of stolen cars reported in 2024 was down substantially, breaking the pattern of year-after-year increases set off in 2020.
About 850,700 vehicles were stolen in the U.S. last year, according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB). That’s down from more than 1 million stolen vehicles in 2023.
Despite the trend, some vehicles are still being targeted fairly often by thieves. The NICB reports two Hyundai models – the Elantra and S onata – were still the most targeted vehicles for theft in the U.S. last year, as they were in 2023 .
Thefts of Hyundai and Kia cars skyrocketed in 2020, when videos showing how to take advantage of the cars’ vulnerabilities and steal them started spreading on TikTok. Thieves realized the cars didn’t have engine immobilizers, a standard piece of anti-theft tech.
But things have gotten better for owners of these affected models, too. The automakers have been offering anti-theft software upgrades to vehicle owners, and the number of Hyundais and Kias stolen in 2024 dropped nationwide.
As for Texas, the Lone State state saw the second most total vehicle thefts in the entire country in 2024—despite having roughly 19,000 fewer thefts than in 2023.
The model of car that had the most thefts in Texas was the Chevrolet Silverado 1500 by far with just under 6,500 stolen. The GMC Sierra 1500 was second with a little more than 4,000 thefts, followed by the Hyundai Elantra with around 3,100.
Here’s the full list of the most common cars that were stolen in Texas in 2024, according to the NICB:
| Rank | Make/Model | No. of thefts in 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chevrolet Silverado 1500 | 6,453 |
| 2 | GMC Sierra 1500 | 4,073 |
| 3 | Hyundai Elantra | 3,140 |
| 4 | Ford F150 Series | 2,371 |
| 5 | Ford F250 Series | 2,103 |
| 6 | Hyundai Sonata | 2,031 |
| 7 | Dodge Charger | 1,582 |
| 8 | Kia Optima | 1,580 |
| 9 | Chevrolet Camaro | 1,511 |
| 10 | Dodge Ram Pickup | 1,501 |
The most commonly stolen vehicles across the U.S. in 2024, according to the NICB, were:
| Rank | Make/Model | No. of thefts in 2024 |
| 1. | Hyundai Elantra | 31,712 |
| 2. | Hyundai Sonata | 26,720 |
| 3. | Chevrolet Silverado 1500 | 21,666 |
| 4. | Honda Accord | 18,539 |
| 5. | Kia Optima | 17,493 |
| 6. | Honda Civic | 15,727 |
| 7. | Kia Soul | 13,562 |
| 8. | Ford F150 Series Pickup | 12,952 |
| 9. | Toyota Camry | 12,296 |
| 10. | Dodge Charger | 11,452 |
It’s not just what you drive, but also where you live that affects how likely you are to be targeted by car thieves. Washington, D.C., California, New Mexico, Colorado and Nevada have the highest vehicle theft rates.
