According to the FBI, vehicle thefts fell 18.6% last year
- The FBI reported 880,327 vehicle thefts last year across the United States.
- Auto thefts dropped 18.6% from 2023, but remain higher than pre-2020 levels.
- Larcenies from vehicles dropped to their lowest level in several recent years.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has released crime statistics for 2024 and they paint an interesting picture. While crime is down, someone is murdered every 31.1 minutes.
That’s terrible, but we’re more interested in motor vehicle theft. The FBI says there were an estimated 880,327 thefts last year and that means there were 258.8 per 100,000 people.
More: How Hyundai And Kia Sparked America’s Largest Drop In Car Thefts In 40 Years
While that sounds like a lot, the bureau said the number of vehicle thefts fell 18.6% from 2023. Despite sounding like good news, the FBI noted that thefts are 8.9% higher than 2020 estimates and 24.3% higher than estimates in 2015.
This means auto theft is still a serious problem, despite a significant drop last year. In fact, a car theft was reported every 35.9 seconds in 2024.
Besides motor vehicle theft, the FBI found that larcenies from vehicles fell significantly. Notably, the number of reported cases dropped below one million for the first time in years.
The latest report didn’t delve into the reasons behind the shifts but, in 2023, the estimated number of motor vehicle thefts exceeded 1,000,000 for the first time since 2007. This was likely driven in part by the so-called Kia Challenge, which taught and encouraged young people to steal Hyundai and Kia vehicles.
The brands worked to address their woeful security following a spike in thefts, likely helping to drive the crime rate downward. Despite these efforts, a previous study revealed the Hyundai Elantra, Hyundai Sonata, and Kia Optima were among the five most stolen vehicles last year.
2023-2024 Change In Motor Vehicle Theft
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