America's Most Stolen Cars

Bertel Schmitt
by Bertel Schmitt

Car thefts are on the decline, reports The National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) in its annual review of trends in car heists. While vehicle thefts have not been this low since 1967, there is a disturbing new trend: Stolen key codes.

Leading the list of the most stolen vehicles of last year is the 1994 Honda Accord:

America’s Most Stolen CarsRankVehicle Make/ModelYear1Honda Accord19942Honda Civic19983Ford Pickup (Full Size)20064Toyota Camry19915Dodge Caravan20006Acura Integra19947Chevrolet Pickup (Full Size)19998Dodge Pickup (Full Size)20049Ford Explorer200210Nissan Sentra1994

While the list makes believe that older cars are easier pickings, thefts of late model vehicles are trending up, despite them being harder to steal due to sophisticated key code technology.”

Says NICB CEO Joe Wehrle:

“Today’s vehicle thieves are typically professional criminals who have figured out how to get the key code for a specific vehicle, have a replacement key made, and steal the vehicle within a matter of days. We are aware of nearly 300 thefts that took place in the first three months of this year in which we believe replacement keys using illegally obtained key codes were used to steal the vehicle. “

Here is a list of the most stolen cars by state.

Most Stolen Cars By StateStateVehicleYearAlabamaChevrolet Pickup (Full Size)1997AlaskaChevrolet Pickup (Full Size)1990ArizonaHonda Accord1994ArkansasChevrolet Pickup (Full Size)1994CaliforniaHonda Accord1994ColoradoHonda Accord1995ConnecticutHonda Accord1997DelawareHonda Civic2000District Of ColumbiaDodge Caravan1998FloridaFord Pickup (Full Size)2006GeorgiaHonda Accord1996HawaiiHonda Accord1993IdahoFord Pickup (Full Size)2006IllinoisDodge Caravan2000IndianaChevrolet Pickup (Full Size)1994IowaChevrolet Pickup (Full Size)1999KansasHonda Accord1995KentuckyChevrolet Pickup (Full Size)1999LouisianaFord Pickup (Full Size)2006MaineChevrolet Pickup (Full Size)1998MarylandDodge Caravan2000MassachusettsHonda Civic1998MichiganDodge Caravan2000MinnesotaHonda Accord1996MississippiFord Pickup (Full Size)2006MissouriFord Pickup (Full Size)2006MontanaChevrolet Pickup (Full Size)1997NebraskaChevrolet Pickup (Full Size)1994NevadaHonda Accord1994New HampshireHonda Civic2000New JerseyHonda Accord1994New MexicoFord Pickup (Full Size)2006New YorkHonda Civic2000North CarolinaHonda Accord1994North DakotaChevrolet Pickup (Full Size)2002OhioDodge Caravan2000OklahomaChevrolet Pickup (Full Size)1994OregonHonda Accord1992PennsylvaniaHonda Accord1997Rhode IslandNissan Maxima1997South CarolinaHonda Accord1997South DakotaChevrolet Pickup (Full Size)2000TennesseeChevrolet Pickup (Full Size)1996TexasFord Pickup (Full Size)2006UtahHonda Accord1996VermontFord Pickup (Full Size)2006VirginiaHonda Accord1994WashingtonHonda Accord1992West VirginiaFord Pickup (Full Size)2004WisconsinDodge Caravan2000WyomingFord Pickup (Full Size)2000
Bertel Schmitt
Bertel Schmitt

Bertel Schmitt comes back to journalism after taking a 35 year break in advertising and marketing. He ran and owned advertising agencies in Duesseldorf, Germany, and New York City. Volkswagen A.G. was Bertel's most important corporate account. Schmitt's advertising and marketing career touched many corners of the industry with a special focus on automotive products and services. Since 2004, he lives in Japan and China with his wife <a href="http://www.tomokoandbertel.com"> Tomoko </a>. Bertel Schmitt is a founding board member of the <a href="http://www.offshoresuperseries.com"> Offshore Super Series </a>, an American offshore powerboat racing organization. He is co-owner of the racing team Typhoon.

More by Bertel Schmitt

Comments
Join the conversation
2 of 65 comments
  • Kvndoom Kvndoom on Aug 21, 2012

    I wish they would go by actual total numbers instead of percentage of fleet. "Most stolen cars" does not equal "most cars stolen". That's the number I really want to see.

  • 2drsedanman 2drsedanman on Aug 21, 2012

    I'm not suprised my home state of Kentucky has a problem keeping full size Chevy trucks from being stolen. You can't get all those Oxycontin and Vicodin in a trunk of a Camry.

  • Wjtinfwb My comment about "missing the mark" was directed at, of the mentioned cars, none created huge demand or excitement once they were introduced. All three had some cool aspects; Thunderbird was pretty good exterior, let down by the Lincoln LS dash and the fairly weak 3.9L V8 at launch. The Prowler was super cool and unique, only the little nerf bumpers spoiled the exterior and of course the V6 was a huge letdown. SSR had the beans, but in my opinion was spoiled by the tonneau cover over the bed. Remove the cover, finish the bed with some teak or walnut and I think it could have been more appealing. All three were targeting a very small market (expensive 2-seaters without a prestige badge) which probably contributed. The PT Cruiser succeeded in this space by being both more practical and cheap. Of the three, I'd still like to have a Thunderbird in my garage in a classic color like the silver/green metallic offered in the later years.
  • D Screw Tesla. There are millions of affordable EVs already in use and widely available. Commonly seen in Peachtree City, GA, and The Villages, FL, they are cheap, convenient, and fun. We just need more municipalities to accept them. If they'll allow AVs on the road, why not golf cars?
  • ChristianWimmer Best-looking current BMW in my opinion.
  • Analoggrotto Looks like a cheap Hyundai.
  • Honda1 It really does not matter. The way bidenomics is going nobody will be able to afford shyt.
Next