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Pickups Are the Most Targeted Vehicles for Theft

National Insurance Crime Bureau conducted a study on the most targeted vehicles for theft in 2022. Trucks hit the top two spots.

August 7, 2023
Pickups Are the Most Targeted Vehicles for Theft

Chevy and Ford pickups were the most stolen vehicles in 2022.

Photo: Work Truck

2 min to read


According to an analysis conducted by the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB), an organization dedicated to predicting, preventing, and prosecuting insurance crime, full-size pickups were the most targeted vehicles for theft in 2022.

Accounting for over 25% of reported thefts in 2022, it’s actually a decrease from the peak of 33% in 2021.

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Despite the surge in vehicle thefts since the onset of the pandemic, there has been a notable increase in recovery rates.

In 2022, more than 85%of stolen passenger vehicles were successfully recovered, with approximately 34% being found within a day of the theft report.

Vehicle Theft Is a Multi-Billion-Dollar Industry

David J. Glawe, the President and CEO of the National Insurance Crime Bureau, emphasized the severity of vehicle theft, describing it as a multi-billion-dollar industry in the United States.

He revealed that on average, one motor vehicle was stolen every 32 seconds, culminating in over one million stolen vehicles in the previous year.

Glawe underlined the disruptive impact of vehicle theft on people's lives, causing financial hardships and compromising community safety.

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He emphasized that addressing this issue is not solely the responsibility of law enforcement agencies, but rather necessitates a collaborative effort involving vehicle owners, community members, and various levels of government.

Following full-size pickups, Honda, Hyundai, and Kia sedans experienced similar theft rates. The report indicated that social media trends might have played a role in contributing to their elevated theft rankings in 2022.

Top 10 Most Stolen Vehicles 

How do you avoid having your pickup truck stolen? Glawe recommends three steps to help prevent theft:

  1. Remove valuables or hide them from view when the vehicle is unattended.

  2. Lock all doors and roll up windows.

  3. Don’t leave keys in the truck.

So, which were the top most stolen pickup trucks? Here are the top ten most stolen vehicles in the U.S. in 2022, according to NICB.

Rank

Make/Model

2022 Total Thefts

Model Year Most Often Stolen

1.

Chevrolet Pickup (Full Size)

49,903

2004

2.

Ford Pickup (Full Size)

48,175

2006

3.

Honda Civic

27,113

2000

4.

Honda Accord

27,089

1997

5.

Hyundai Sonata

21,707

2013

6.

Hyundai Elantra

19,602

2017

7.

Kia Optima

18,221

2015

8.

Toyota Camry

17,094

2021

9.

GMC Pickup (Full Size)

16,622

2005

10.

Honda CR-V

13,832

2001


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