Most stolen vehicles in 2024: Hyundai and Kia dominate NICB list

In recent days, the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) released its latest list of the most stolen vehicles, and the picture has barely changed: Hyundai and Kia still dominate. The reason is familiar—viral clips demonstrating how to take certain immobilizer-free models using a simple USB cable. Even after broad software updates and giveaways of steering-wheel locks, older cars are still vanishing from lots by the thousands.

The outright leader is the Hyundai Elantra, taken more than 11,000 times in the first six months alone. It’s followed by the Hyundai Sonata and the perennial chart regular, the Honda Accord—sought after for its easy-to-sell parts, airbags in particular. Rounding out the top five are the Chevrolet Silverado and the Honda Civic. Further down the ranking sit the Kia Optima, Ford F-150, Toyota Camry, Honda CR-V, and Kia Soul.

Despite a nationwide 23% drop in auto theft, major metros such as Washington and Los Angeles remain high-risk. In those markets, older Hyundais, Kias, and Hondas are prime targets: they’re easy to crack open, and parts flow to dismantlers quickly.

Experts note that the theft landscape has shifted. Thieves increasingly deploy relay boosters that amplify key-fob signals, devices that reprogram OBD ports, and scanners capable of cloning an electronic key in seconds. In practice, even a modern model with built-in safeguards isn’t entirely out of harm’s way. Taken together, the NICB list reads less like a leaderboard and more like a map of vulnerabilities—where age, software, and demand for parts quietly set the odds.