Do You Drive One of the Most Stolen Cars?
CARS.COM — At this point, owners of 20-year-old Honda Accords must be getting sick of “Have you checked the garage recently?” jokes. According to a just-released report by the National Insurance Crime Bureau, the Honda Accord topped the list of most stolen vehicles for the ninth year in a row — with the 1997 model year of the perennial best-seller proving most popular among theives.
Related: Car Thefts in U.S. Surge
The NICB’s annual car-theft report, “NICB’s Hot Wheels: America’s 10 Most Stolen Vehicles,” ranked the vehicles most frequently stolen in 2016 based on data submitted by law enforcement agencies.
“Of the 22 years we’ve been producing this report, Hondas have been in the top spot all but three years,” NICB Public Affairs Director Frank G. Scafidi told Cars.com.
The 10 most stolen vehicles in 2016, followed by the total number stolen, were:
10. Jeep Cherokee/Grand Cherokee; 9,245
9. Chevrolet Impala; 9,749
8. Toyota Corolla; 11,989
7. Dodge full-size pickup truck; 12,128
6. Nissan Altima; 12,221
5. Toyota Camry; 16,732
4. Chevrolet full-size pickup; 31,238
3. Ford full-size pickup; 32,721
2. Honda Civic; 49,547
1. Honda Accord; 50,427
The list stays relatively consistent from year to year and includes many older models that lack the benefit of anti-theft technology. Immobilizing and tracking devices are effective in preventing theft, but NICB President and CEO Joe Wehrle warns that anti-theft systems are only effective if car owners use them properly.
“The increase in vehicle thefts over the past two years should be a reminder that drivers must do their part to protect their vehicles,” Wehrle said in a statement.
According to the vehicle-theft recovery experts at LoJack, car owners should never leave their keys inside with the engine running (for obvious reasons), and they should never keep spare keys and valuables in the vehicle.
“In recent years, approximately 700,000 motor vehicles, $1 billion of construction equipment and $175 million of in-transit cargo go missing annually,” said Patrick Clancy, LoJack vice president of law enforcement, in a statement.
LoJack on Tuesday announced its annual National Vehicle Theft Protection Month program, which reminds car owners to be cautious as car thefts spike in July and August.
