By Lewis Nibbelin, Analysis Author, Triple-I
Car thefts dropped 23 p.c nationwide in 2025, marking the second consecutive 12 months of historic declines, based on the newest evaluation from the Nationwide Insurance coverage Crime Bureau (NICB).
At 659,880 thefts, final 12 months’s drop constructed on the momentum of a 17 p.c decline in 2024, beforehand the most important lower in complete thefts in 4 many years. A number of jurisdictions skilled even higher year-over-year decreases, with automobile theft down by 39 p.c in Washington, 35 p.c in Colorado, and 34 p.c in Puerto Rico.
“Coordinated prevention efforts by regulation enforcement, auto producers, insurance coverage firms, and the Nationwide Insurance coverage Crime Bureau are having a significant influence on automobile thefts nationwide,” stated NICB president and CEO David J. Glawe, including that such efforts “stay key to defending households, companies, and communities nationwide.”
Car thefts surged in 2020 to about one automobile stolen each 36 seconds, fueled partly by shutdowns throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Ranges remained elevated into 2023, which recorded greater than a million thefts as social media traits highlighting automobile safety system vulnerabilities gained traction.
Many traits focused Kia and Hyundai fashions, comprising six of the ten most stolen autos that 12 months. In response, each producers started implementing stronger prevention measures and software program updates, decreasing their share of complete thefts from 21 p.c in 2023 to 14 p.c in 2025.
Regardless of general progress, automobile theft throughout the U.S. nonetheless happens each 48 seconds, the NICB reported. City communities are at higher danger, with greater than one-third of thefts concentrated within the prime ten metro areas in 2025. Accordingly, California – dwelling to 3 of the highest ten areas – recorded the very best variety of automobile thefts in 2025, contributing greater than 20 p.c of the nation’s complete.
Past the direct monetary value of dropping these property, theft of autos or automobile parts add upward strain on auto insurance coverage charges, significantly inside areas identified to be high-risk. The price to restore and change stolen autos can be rising, compounding a market already impacted by mounting fraud and authorized system abuse throughout the nation.
Whereas systemic enhancements have helped enhance theft charges, automobile house owners should take steps to assist mitigate their very own danger. Triple-I recommends the next precautions:
- Maintain doorways locked and home windows shut anytime a automobile is left unattended.
- Conceal valuables within the trunk to forestall creating a further goal on the automobile.
- Park in safe, extremely trafficked, and well-lit areas. In public parking areas, keep as shut as doable to protect cubicles or retailer entrances. Maintain private garages locked.
- Contemplate anti-theft units similar to audible alarms and steering wheel locks. Many new vehicles embrace monitoring units, which might help find a stolen automobile, however these are additionally out there for buy and set up in older vehicles. Verify with an insurance coverage skilled to find out how anti-theft units can qualify policyholders for premium reductions.
- Exploit automobile identification (VIN) numbers. Quite a lot of regulation enforcement companies and insurance coverage databases can use a VIN quantity to make it more durable for automobile thieves to promote a stolen automobile or its elements.
Staying protected via sufficient insurance coverage protection can be important. Policyholders with auto insurance policies that meet state-required minimums might lack protection for automobile theft or injury from theft, which is usually supplied via non-obligatory complete insurance coverage.
