The Most-Stolen Vehicles of 2025, Read From a Dealer's Lot

Every year the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) publishes the models stolen most often in the US. Drivers read it to see whether their own car made the cut. Read it from a dealer's lot and it says something more useful: the vehicles thieves want most are the ones you stock, sell and take in on trade every week.

The backdrop is good news. According to NICB's 2025 analysis, 659,880 vehicles were reported stolen nationwide in 2025, a 23% decrease from 2024 and the lowest levels in several decades. NICB is also clear that one vehicle is still stolen every 48 seconds.

NICB's release names all ten models, and you can read the full list there. Below we look at the list by type of vehicle and what it means for inventory.

The short version: the 2025 list is made up of everyday sedans, full-size pickups and a compact SUV, the same high-volume vehicles most lots carry, so protection should follow your whole inventory, not just the expensive units.

1. What the 2025 List Actually Shows

It's ordinary vehicles. Of the ten most-stolen models in 2025, seven are passenger cars, two are full-size pickups and one is a compact SUV. None is a luxury or performance model. The top model had 21,732 reported thefts; the tenth had 8,445.

It's concentrated, but not only in one place. NICB found that more than one-third of all vehicle thefts occurred in the top 10 metro areas by theft volume. California alone reported 136,988 thefts, more than 20% of the nation's total. If your store is in or near a large metro, that concentration is your market. If it isn't, NICB's reminder still applies: "as a crime of opportunity, no community or individual is immune."

2. Read Raw Counts With Care

The list counts thefts, not risk per vehicle. NICB ranks models by total thefts. A model sold in very large numbers can rank high partly because so many are on the road. That's our reading, not an NICB finding, but it matters for how you use the list.

"Not on the list" doesn't mean "safe." A model that sells in smaller numbers may never appear, even if thieves like it. The better question for a dealer isn't "which models are on the list?" but "which units on my lot match what thieves are after, and how are they protected tonight?"

Prevention measures move the numbers. NICB reports that two manufacturers whose models were heavily targeted in recent years accounted for 14% of all thefts in 2025, down from 16% in 2024 and 21% in 2023. NICB says the trend "reflects the impact of software updates and theft-prevention measures implemented in response to the theft trend." Protection works when it's actually applied to the vehicle.

READ: The Hidden Price of Auto Theft

3. Give Older Used Units a Second Look

Model years matter. NICB's 2025 release doesn't break the list down by model year. Its 2023 release, covering 2022 thefts, did: for six of the ten models on that list, the model year most often stolen was 2006 or older.

Older doesn't mean low value to a thief. Trade-ins and budget units can sit on the back row for weeks. Some popular 2015 to 2019 models were sold without an electronic immobilizer, which made them easy targets; our comparison of Titan and factory immobilizers covers that history.

Fold it into reconditioning. When a trade-in arrives, check for open recalls and available software updates along with everything else. It's the dealer version of the advice we give drivers: keep software updated and check recalls.

4. Don't Assume a Newer Key Is Enough

The factory immobilizer is a baseline. A factory immobilizer checks for a recognized key before the engine will run. That ended hot-wiring for most cars, and it's why thieves now go after the key instead.

Thieves bring a key the car accepts. In a relay attack, thieves pass on the signal from a key fob, and the car treats it as the real key. Key programmers use the car's diagnostic access to add a new key in minutes. That's the risk for newer inventory, whether its model is on the list or not.

Pickups are a case in point. Two full-size pickups made the 2025 top ten. Pickups and work trucks are prime targets for theft, and on many lots they're also some of the most valuable front-line units.

5. What to Do With the List on Your Lot

Protect the mix, not the showpiece. If your inventory leans on midsize sedans, compact SUVs and pickups, that's most of your exposure. Titan is built for whole lots: inventory is secured after hours with geofencing, lot visibility and managed workflows, and if it has a motor, Titan protects it.

Add a layer that doesn't trust the key. When armed, Titan stops the first start, so an armed vehicle won't move, even with a working key. OEM recovery services act after a theft is reported.

Keep the basics. NICB's tips start with simple steps: park in well-lit areas, lock doors and always take the keys. On a lot, that means good lighting, locked units and fobs stored out of reach, away from doors and windows.

Keep protection flexible. Units can be removed for dealer trades or aged inventory as needed, so protection follows your stock as it turns.

The List Is a Mirror

The most-stolen list looks a lot like a typical lot because thieves want what people buy. That makes it less a warning about a few models and more a reminder that every everyday unit on your lot is worth protecting.

See how Titan protects dealer inventory, or book a live vehicle demo and bring your current stock mix with you.