Somewhere in the U.S., a car gets stolen roughly every 37 seconds. That stat sounds made up, but it comes straight from the federal government. And while overall vehicle theft numbers are actually dropping — down 23% in 2025 compared to the year before — certain models are still getting hit hard. Really hard. If you own one of them, you need to know what’s going on and what you can do about it.
Here are the three most targeted cars in America right now, why thieves love them, and some practical steps you can take this weekend to protect yourself.
The Hyundai Elantra: America’s Most Stolen Car for the Third Year Running
The Hyundai Elantra has been the most stolen vehicle in the country for three consecutive years. In 2023, nearly 48,500 were stolen. In 2024, that number dropped to about 31,700. And in 2025, it’s on track for around 22,600 thefts. Progress? Sure. But that’s still an absurd number of stolen Elantras.
The Elantra is the most stolen vehicle in 18 states. Eighteen. That’s not a regional problem — that’s a national epidemic for one specific car.
So why is this particular sedan so popular with thieves? It goes back to a now-infamous TikTok trend called the “Kia Challenge” that showed people how to steal certain Hyundai and Kia models using nothing but a USB cable. The metal tip of a USB-A connector could be jammed into the ignition of models that lacked a basic engine immobilizer — a piece of tech that most other car manufacturers had been including as standard for years. Hyundai simply didn’t put one in many of their vehicles built between 2011 and 2022.
Think about that for a second. A piece of security hardware that costs manufacturers almost nothing to install was left out of roughly 9 million vehicles. And regular people paid the price.
What Hyundai Did About It (and Why You Still Need to Act)
Hyundai rolled out a software upgrade starting in early 2023. The fix makes it so the car will only start if the owner’s key — or an exact duplicate — is in the ignition. According to the Highway Loss Data Institute, vehicles that got the update had theft rates 53% lower than those that didn’t. That’s a massive improvement.
But here’s the problem: as of the latest data, only about 41% of eligible Hyundai vehicles have actually received the update. That means more than half the vulnerable Elantras on the road are still unprotected. If you own one, call your Hyundai dealer today and schedule the update. It’s free. There is no reason not to get it done.
Even with the fix, theft rates for these models remain above the industry average. The software update helps a lot, but it’s not a magic shield. You still need to be smart about where you park and what additional precautions you take.
The Hyundai Sonata: The Elantra’s Bigger Brother Has the Same Problem
Right behind the Elantra is the Hyundai Sonata, the second most stolen vehicle in the country. Over 9,100 Sonatas were stolen in just the first half of 2025. It’s the most stolen car in five states, including Florida and Massachusetts.
The Sonata has the exact same vulnerability as the Elantra — missing engine immobilizers on older model years. Same TikTok trend, same USB cable trick, same headaches for owners. And the same software update is available for eligible models.
In Maryland alone, theft claims for Hyundai and Kia models went from 4 per 1,000 insured vehicles in late 2022 to 14 per 1,000 in early 2023. That’s a 250% increase in a matter of months. Vandalism claims also tripled during that period — probably from failed theft attempts where someone jammed something into the ignition, couldn’t get the car started, and just walked away leaving a destroyed steering column.
Your insurance rates reflect this, too. Insuring a Hyundai Sonata costs about 21% more than the national average for full-coverage policies. The Elantra is 23% above average. You’re paying for other people’s stolen cars whether you realize it or not.
The Honda Accord: A Different Kind of Target
The Honda Accord is the third most stolen car in America, with thefts on pace to hit about 17,800 for 2025. Nearly 30% of those thefts — about 2,600 in just the first six months — happened in California alone. The Accord is the most frequently stolen car in six states.
But the Accord story is different from the Hyundai story. Thieves aren’t going after Accords because of a TikTok trend. They’re targeting them because the car has been one of America’s best sellers for decades, which means there’s a huge market for its parts. Older Accords lack modern anti-theft systems, and many of the parts are interchangeable across model years.
Here’s something wild: thieves are stealing Accords specifically for their airbags, which get resold on Facebook Marketplace for $100 to $500 each. A single car has multiple airbags. Do the math. A thief can strip an Accord’s airbags in minutes and make a quick profit with almost no risk, because who’s checking the origin of an airbag listing on Facebook?
Practical Steps You Can Take This Weekend
If you own any of these three models — or honestly, any car — here’s what you can do right now without spending a fortune.
Get the software update. If you drive a 2011-2022 Hyundai Elantra or Sonata, call your dealer and schedule the free anti-theft software update. This is the single most effective thing you can do. It cuts your theft risk by more than half. Don’t put this off.
Buy a steering wheel lock. Yeah, the Club. The thing your dad used in the ’90s. They’re back and they work — not because they’re impossible to defeat, but because a thief is going to skip your car and move on to the easier target next to it. You can get one at Walmart or auto parts stores for $25 to $50. Kia actually gave them away free to affected owners during the worst of the theft surge.
Drop an AirTag in your car. An Apple AirTag costs about $29 at Best Buy or Amazon. Stick it somewhere out of sight — under a seat, inside the spare tire compartment, in a pocket behind the back seat. It won’t stop a theft, but it can help police recover your car. Some departments have told Honda CR-V owners specifically to do this.
Don’t leave your key fob near your front door. This matters for newer cars with keyless entry. Thieves use relay devices that amplify the signal from your key fob through your front door, tricking your car into thinking the fob is right next to it. Keep your fob in a drawer or a Faraday pouch (about $10 on Amazon) when you’re home.
Park smart. If you have a garage, use it. If you don’t, park in well-lit areas. Back into spots when possible so your steering column is more visible to passersby. Thieves hate being seen.
Other Cars Thieves Love (Honorable Mentions)
Beyond the top three, several other models are getting hit regularly. The Chevrolet Silverado is the most stolen pickup truck in America — over 8,000 stolen in the first half of 2025 alone, passing the Ford F-150 for that unwanted title. There’s currently a lawsuit alleging GM’s keyless entry systems are vulnerable to signal cloning.
The Honda Civic and Honda CR-V are both in the top five, with the CR-V being the most stolen crossover in the country. Older Civics (pre-2001) didn’t have engine immobilizers, and there are still millions of them on the road.
And then there’s the Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, which is stolen at a rate 39 times higher than the average vehicle. That’s not a typo — thirty-nine times. The ZL1 retails for about $75,000, has massive horsepower, and has a vulnerability in its on-board diagnostic port that thieves have figured out how to exploit. GM released a software fix in March 2025 for 2020-2024 Camaros. If you own one, get to the dealer.
One Interesting Bright Spot: Electric Cars
If you’re shopping for a new car and theft is on your mind, here’s something worth knowing: eight of the 20 least stolen vehicles are electric. EVs are harder for thieves to deal with because they need regular charging, their owners tend to have garages, and the cars are constantly connected to the internet — making them easy to track and risky to steal.
That doesn’t mean you should buy a Tesla just to avoid theft. But if you’re already considering an EV, this is a nice side benefit nobody talks about.
The Big Picture
Vehicle thefts in the U.S. dropped to about 660,000 in 2025 — the lowest in decades and a huge improvement from the 1 million+ thefts in 2023. Software updates, better policing, and manufacturer fixes are all working. But “working” doesn’t mean “solved.” That’s still 660,000 people who walked outside to find an empty parking spot where their car used to be.
If you own an Elantra, Sonata, or Accord, don’t panic — but don’t ignore this either. A free software update, a $29 AirTag, and a $30 steering wheel lock from Home Depot could be the difference between keeping your car and filing a police report. That’s less than the cost of a tank of gas for about ten minutes of effort. Just do it.
