Hyundai and Kia increase technology, car theft drops sharply

Hyundai and Kia vehicles topped the list of most stolen vehicles in 2021 and 2023 due to a lack of anti-theft devices, making them easy targets for thieves.

Although Hyundai and Kia vehicles remained in the top five most stolen vehicles in 2024, the number of thefts dropped by about 37.5%, according to data from the US National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) thanks to new anti-theft measures.

Hyundai Motor America said it has taken anti-theft measures on some of its base models without anti-theft protection by providing a free software upgrade, ignition interlock protection. The South Korean automaker said 68 percent of the vulnerable vehicles have received the anti-theft update.

According to NICB data, vehicle thefts across the United States fell 16.6% to 850,708 vehicles in 2024 from a year earlier. The number hit a record high of 1.02 million vehicles in 2023.

The improved supply of spare parts and new cars also makes car theft less attractive to thieves.

Carjackings spiked during the pandemic as disrupted supply chains drove up prices for cars and parts, but the appeal faded as inventories improved, said Art Wheaton, a professor at Cornell University.

Washington state saw a significant drop in car theft, while Nevada, Nebraska, Oregon and Colorado also saw sharp declines in stolen vehicles by 2024.

While models like the Ford F-150, Chevrolet Silverado, Toyota Camry and Honda Civic top the theft list, the four Hyundai and Kia models in the top 10 for 2024 show broader problems, Wheaton said.

Alex Piquero, a criminology professor at the University of Miami, credited law enforcement efforts to disrupt theft rings, while the Council on Criminal Justice noted that a decline in black market activity, both domestic and international, may have also contributed to the decline.