Auto theft is not fair. Just ask anyone who’s ever had their car stolen. But it’s not random as there are some models that thieves target more than others.
And year after year, the most-stolen vehicles are Hondas made in the 1990s. In fact, of the 700,00 cars boosted in America last year, over 100,000 were Civics and Accords from the 1990s.
Why Hondas, you ask? It’s not the manufacturer’s fault. Quite the opposite, actually: It’s largely because they were so successful and remain so reliable.
There are more of these vehicles still on the road today than just about anything else, so they naturally represent a higher proportion of those stolen. And all those cars still on the road need parts to keep them running, making them worthwhile for thieves to steal, break down into pieces, and sell on the black market.
Little wonder then, that the Accord and Civic top the list with 52,244 and 49,430 examples stolen in America last year, respectively, according to data published by the National Insurance Crime Bureau.
Further down in the #3 and #4 spots are full-size pickups from Ford and Chevy, with 29,396 and 27,771 examples stolen last year, respectively. The Toyota Camry comes next at 15,466, followed by Dodge pickups (11,212), the Toyota Corolla (10,547), Nissan Altima (10,374), Dodge Caravan (9,798) and Chevy Impala (9,225).
Older vehicles are stolen in higher numbers because their anti-theft devices are more primitive. But not even new cars are exempt from theft. Last year, 1,104 examples of the 2015 Nissan Altima were stolen in America, ahead of 1,069 of the 2015 Chrysler 200. MY2015 examples of the Toyota Camry and Corolla, GMC Sierra, Dodge Charger, Hyundai Sonata, and Chevy Malibu, Impala and Cruze rounded out the remaining top ten. So if you’re in the market for a new car, maybe consider something that’s less likely to get boosted.
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