Kia, Hyundai models top 2023 list of stolen vehicles
For years, full-size pickups had topped the list of America’s most stolen vehicles. That’s no longer true.
Kia and Hyundai models now hold the top three spots in a 2023 ranking of stolen vehicles, according to a May 9 report from the National Insurance Crime Bureau, a not-for-profit organization that partners with insurance companies to combat fraud and theft.
Hyundai Elantras were stolen more than 48,000 times and Hyundai Sonatas were stolen more than 42,000 times, according to the report. The Kia Optima experienced the third-highest volume of thefts, at more than 30,000.
Social media videos that expose vulnerabilities in the automakers’ vehicles likely played a role in their increased theft, the organization said.
The analysis is based on the 1,020,729 vehicle thefts from 2023 that were reported to law enforcement and entered into the FBI’s National Crime Information Center.
Which vehicles were most stolen?
The top 10 stolen vehicles for 2023, according to the report:
Hyundai Elantra: 48,445 thefts Hyundai Sonata: 42,813
Kia Optima: 30,204
Chevrolet Silverado 1500: 23,721 Kia Soul: 21,001
Honda Accord: 20,895
Honda Civic: 19,858
Kia Forte: 16,209
Ford F150 Series Pickup: 15,852 Kia Sportage: 15,749
It’s a new look for the list, which had included a full-size pickup truck in the top three models going back to 2011.
Why thefts are up
Some models may be more vulnerable to theft because they are more common on U.S. roads.
Half the models in the list – the Honda Accord, Ford F-Series pickup, Honda Civic, Chevrolet Silverado and Hyundai Sonata – were also listed among the top 10 most popular cars in the U.S. as of 2022, according to a report from Insurify, an insurance comparison platform, based on its database of over 4.6 million car insurance applications.
However, theft claims for 20032023 Hyundai and Kia models in the first half of 2023 were more than 10 times higher than thefts in the same period three years prior, according to a December report from the Highway Loss Data Institute, an insurance research group.
The spike in thefts has been blamed on a lack of theft immobilizers in many Hyundai and Kia vehicles, a security flaw spotlighted on social media.
The two Korean automakers earlier this year agreed to a $145 million class action settlement and are set to award funds to eligible car owners who had their vehicles stolen. A judge is expected to give final approval to the order this summer.
Hyundai spokesperson Ira Gabriel said the company has launched “wideranging initiatives” to enhance vehicle security and is committed to “comprehensive actions” to assist those affected by vehicle thefts.
Kia spokesman James Bell said the automaker is also taking comprehensive action to enhance the security of its vehicles.