- Hyundai and Kia made six of the 10 most stolen vehicles in America last year.
- The rise in thefts of Korean vehicles topples pickup trucks’ long-time dominance as the most common target for American auto thieves.
- Despite that surge, the total number of stolen vehicles in the US only increased by 1% compared to 2022.
Do you want to take a wild guess at which country produced the most frequently stolen vehicle in America in 2023? Nope, it’s not domestic brands. Clutch your pearls – it’s South Korea! Thanks to the countless reports covering the exploits of the Kia Boys, it won’t surprise you to learn that Hyundais and Kias were the vehicles most frequently targeted by thieves in 2023.
The Korean automakers didn’t suddenly start producing the most attractive cars on the market; rather, they manufactured vehicles that were remarkably easy to steal, as evidenced by widespread TikTok videos showed.
Read: Hyundai Sonata And Elantra Were Among The Most Stolen Vehicles Of 2022
According to new data from the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB), Hyundai and Kia made six of the 10 most stolen vehicles in America in 2023. In addition, they made the top three most filched vehicles of the year, the Hyundai Elantra, the Hyundai Sonata, and the Kia Optima.
The rise in Korean car thefts was so pronounced that it broke pickup trucks’ longtime dominance on the list of most stolen vehicles in America. Although the Chevrolet Silverado 1500 is still a major target for thieves, it fell from the top spot in 2022 to fourth place in 2023.
Top 10 Most Stolen Vehicles In America, 2023
In addition to the Hyundai and Kia vehicles and the two pickups, Honda was the only other automaker to crack the top 10. Interestingly, thieves also preferred the Japanese automaker’s sedans, targeting the Accord and the Civic in the greatest numbers.
Despite Kia and Hyundai vehicles becoming a more prominent target for thieves, Americans didn’t steal that many more vehicles in 2023 than they did a year earlier. In all, 1,020,729 vehicles were reported stolen last year. Although that is more than 2022, continuing a trend of rising thefts, it’s only around one percent more vehicles than were stolen in the previous year.
According to the NICB, more than 85 percent of vehicles snatched in 2023 were later recovered by law enforcement. Of those, 34 percent were found within a day of the vehicle being reported stolen.
If you’re concerned about your vehicle being taken from you, the NICB recommends taking the following actions: parking in well-lit areas, closing your windows and locking your doors when you park your vehicles, hiding valuables, and not leaving your car running while unattended.
