The State of Auto Theft in the U.S. in 2026

In 2025, the last year for which the NICB released national data on motor vehicle thefts, there were 659,880 reported motor vehicle thefts. This was a decrease of 23 percent from the previous year.¹

While both violent and property crime have decreased since the early 1990s,² there has been a spike in motor vehicle theft since 2020. However, following year-over-year decreases in both 2024 and 2025, the number of vehicle thefts has dropped to below pre-pandemic levels.

David J. Glawe, President and CEO of NICB, noted that the ongoing efforts of law enforcement, policymakers, and NAIC are yielding results in preventing auto thefts.

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

California has the highest number of motor vehicle thefts, with 136,988 thefts in 2025, accounting for more than 20 percent of the national total. Texas is in second place at 11 percent of the national total.

In 2025, the states/territories with the greatest percentage decreases in thefts were Washington, Colorado, and Puerto Rico. Most of the states on this list are in the West and the South.

Motor Vehicle Thefts by City

Half of the cities with the highest numbers of auto theft are in California and Texas, which makes sense given they are the two most populated states. Los Angeles experiences the most motor vehicle thefts of any city in the U.S., with a total of 53,911 thefts in 2025, which represents 8 percent of the national total.

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

According to 2023 data published by Statista, the total average value of property stolen from vehicles that year was $2,451.³ The average value of motor vehicle accessories stolen was $1,443.

These are some items most commonly stolen from cars:

• Car radios and speakers
• Car registration
• Electronic devices (phones, laptops, etc.)
• GPS devices
• Credit cards
• Garage door remotes

These are the most commonly stolen car parts:

• Catalytic converters
• License plates and tags
• Truck tailgates⁴

Catalytic converter theft increased following the pandemic — by 288 percent from 2020 to 2022 alone.⁵ Catalytic converters contain precious metals such as platinum and can be sold for $50 to $300 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.

Theft occurs with older cars more often than newer cars. Older cars lack the modern anti-theft devices and cameras that newer models come equipped with, so they tend to be easier to break into.

Kias and Hyundais have been particularly targeted in recent years, but thefts involving these makes decreased in 2025 for the third year in a row. They accounted for 14 percent of vehicle thefts in 2025, down from 16 percent in 2024 and 21 percent in 2023.

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.

Car insurance covers theft if you have comprehensive coverage on your policy.

Comprehensive coverage applies to damages to your car caused by events other than collisions, including theft, weather-related incidents, and vandalism. No state requires comprehensive coverage as part of minimum coverage; however, your lender likely requires comprehensive coverage if you leased or financed your vehicle.

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 coverage, as comprehensive coverage only applies to permanent and pre-installed car parts.

Motor vehicle theft is an issue across the country, but you should be especially wary of it if you live in the cities and states with high vehicle theft numbers. 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 to 2025 — from the National Insurance Crime Bureau. We also used 2024 data from the Pew Research Center and Texas-based CCTV company LotGuard.