Car theft statistics can reveal that many factors such as your locale, the state you live in, the kind of car you drive - and even the time of year - all play a factor in how high a chance for vehicle theft is. Whenever you hear of a colleague or neighbor’s car getting stolen, somehow it never occurs to you that the very same thing could happen to yourself. The fact of the matter is, the possibility of your own car getting stolen is very real; read up on the latest statistics of motor vehicle thefts and learn tips on how to prevent your vehicle from thieves!
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What is Motor Vehicle Theft?
By owning a motor vehicle, one is always at risk of the vehicle being stolen. The FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting Program lists the following vehicles as motor vehicles:
- Sport utility vehicles (SUVs)
- Automobiles
- Trucks
- Buses
- Motorcycles
- Motor scooters
- All-terrain vehicles (ATVs)
- Snowmobiles
Historical Motor Vehicle Theft Statistics
Since 1991, the overall level of motor vehicle theft has decreased by 55%. Motor vehicle theft cases dropped from nearly 1.7 million in 1991 to 748,841 in 2018. This could be attributed to a wide variety of causes, such as better technology in vehicles that make them harder to access for thieves, or increased focus and improved methods from law enforcement to prevent thefts from occurring.
On the other hand, accidents can happen — drivers forget their keys in their vehicles, for example. This has been a large contributor in recent years to the number of stolen vehicles. Between 2016 and 2018, there were 229,339 cases of vehicle theft as a result of keys simply being left in vehicles.
25 Motor Vehicle Theft Statistics to Know
- There were 873,080 auto thefts in 2020, a 9.2% increase over 2019 which had 799,644 thefts, a boost of more than 73,000 thefts. Overall, the yearly increase was 9.2 percent, however each month from June through December showed double-digit gains.
- The average loss per stolen vehicle was $8,407.
- Washington state boasts a 71% recovery rate for stolen motor vehicles.
- Utah reports a 63% recovery rate for car theft.
- The average recovery rate for the United States is 46% for stolen motor vehicles.
- In 2018, approximately $6 billion was lost to thieves as a result of motor vehicle theft in the U.S.
- In 2018, there were 41,674 motorcycle thefts across the U.S.
- New Year's Day is the most common holiday day for vehicle theft, with 2,469 stolen vehicles.
- President's Day is the second most popular holiday for car thieves, with 2,312 stolen vehicles.
- More than 8,000 American Honda motorcycles were stolen in 2019.
- 32% of cars stolen in winter months have their keys left inside, compared to 24% the rest of the year.
- In 2020, 209 vehicle thefts happened daily because the owner left the keys inside.
- In 2019, Bakersfield, California was the city with the highest number of car thefts - more than 6,500 cars were stolen.
- Albuquerque, New Mexico is in a close second to Bakersfield, with nearly 6,400 motor vehicle thefts.
- California ranks #1 as the state with the highest number of motorcycle thefts numbering over 7,000.
- Florida ranks second with just over 4,200 motorcycles stolen.
- The state where theft rates are the lowest is in Vermont.
- New York City is the worst city for motorcycle thefts, however, with more than 1,300 stolen in 2018.
- Los Angeles is a distant second place with just over 600 motorcycles stolen.
- The full-size Ford Pickup truck was the most stolen vehicle of 2019 as nearly 39,000 were stolen that year.
- Unfortunately, the Honda Civic was the second most stolen vehicle the same year as more than 33,000 were stolen.
- Some new cars can be broken into in as little as 10 seconds.
- On average, car burglary statistics find that 209 cars are stolen daily because of keys or key fobs being left in the vehicle in the United States.
- In 2018, more than 155,000 motor vehicles were stolen in California.
- Texas had nearly 70,000 vehicles stolen that same year, ranking them in second place.
How Can You Prevent Motor Vehicle Theft?
There are a few ways to combat and prevent motor vehicle theft, including:
- Common Sense: Vehicle owners should always remove keys from the ignition, lock doors and windows, and park in well-lit areas.
- Warning Devices: These include visible and audible alarms. Aftermarket alarms are available for all makes and models of cars. Visual devices include column collars, steering wheel locks, and brake locks.
- Immobilizing Devices: The third layer of protection prevents thieves from bypassing the ignition and hot-wiring of the vehicle. Some examples are smart keys; fuse cut-offs; kill switches; starter, ignition, and fuel pump disablers; and wireless ignition authentication.
- GPS Tracking Devices: Tracking devices are very effective in helping authorities recover stolen vehicles. Some systems combine GPS and wireless technologies to allow remote monitoring of a vehicle. If the vehicle is moved, the system will alert the owner, and the vehicle can be tracked via computer.
Rastrac has decades of experience in helping companies, municipalities, and other organizations meet their goals with telematics systems. Our fleet management software can easily be customized to fit your company’s unique needs with a variety of add-ons and services that go above and beyond just “dots on a map.”
With flexible options for fleet tracking devices and software—plus a dedicated support team and online tools—Rastrac has been making integrating GPS tracking solutions with your day-to-day operations easier since 1993. We give you the tools you need to optimize your fleet management processes and help you reach your true revenue potential. Contact us today!