Imagine buying a car… And that car is on a list of the most stolen cars in the United States… Well recently, the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) has revealed that car theft in the United States has reached very worrying figures, and in the last year, more than 1,020,729 stolen vehicles have been reported, !!! Even surpassing the figures for 2022 (the year in which the most vehicles were stolen in the US). And the worst thing is that in the state of California it was positioned as the state with the highest number of thefts, registering a total of 208,668 stolen cars…
And the worst of all is that it not only affects the owners of the vehicles, but also the insurers who have estimated some $8 billion lost annually!! What is going on?
Car theft in the United States
According to the report, the most stolen brands were Hyundai and KIA, closely followed by Honda. The ten most stolen models were:
- Hyundai Elantra
- Hyundai Sonata
- Kia Optima
- Chevrolet Silverado 1500
- Kia Soul
- Honda Accord
- Honda Civic
- Kia Forte
- Ford F-150 Series Pickup
- Kia Sportage
The Honda Accord stood out, and not in a good way. It was not only in California, but also in states such as New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island, being the most stolen vehicle in those regions.
What about KIA and Hyundai thefts?
The Kia Boys, a group of kids who became famous for leading a wave of car thefts in the United States, exploiting a vulnerability in some Kia and Hyundai vehicles. These young people, organized mainly through social networks, showed how to start certain vehicles without a key using only a screwdriver and a USB cable. The situation was so serious that Kia and Hyundai had to launch software updates and anti-theft devices to stop the problem, while many insurers even denied coverage for these models due to their high theft rate!
How can we protect our car from theft?
Both the authorities and the NICB have shared some preventive measures that we can carry out so that our vehicle is not stolen. They seem like very absurd measures but we often forget them:
- Always lock your car and roll up the windows when parking it.
- Do not leave valuables in sight, as they can attract criminals.
- Park in well-lit places or with security cameras.
- Use a tracking device (such as Apple Tag or similar) to facilitate the recovery of the car in case of theft.
- Keep the key fob away from the vehicle when it is parked, especially in cars with keyless access.
Also, it is important now with so much technology inside our cars, that we keep our vehicle software up to date and make sure all the revisions and modifications are applied. Finding one day that your car is not where you left it can be in the top 5 of unpleasant things, especially for those people that depend on their car for work or important daily tasks.
Car theft has become a trending topic, especially in places like California, where it seems to be trendy to wake up and find your car missing. So take whatever steps are necessary to protect your vehicle.