Report: Car Theft on the Rise in First Half of 2023

A recent report from the Council on Criminal Justice has revealed that there has been an increase in car thefts over the first half of this year, Kelley Blue Book reports.

The mid-year update on crime trends in American cities studied 37 cities, which were “selected based on data availability” as opposed to size and are not meant to be an entirely accurate representation of the nation as a whole.

Though it was found that most crime has either remained steady or decreased for the first six months of 2023, the only exception to this was vehicle theft, which saw an increase of 33.5% from the same time a year prior.

Vulnerable Kia and Hyundai models have been cited as a potential reason for the increase. The vehicles lack engine immobilizers and became a prime target for theft in late 2021 when online videos demonstrating how to bypass the vehicles’ security with a USB cable and a screwdriver went viral.

“It is likely that much of this increase is the result of thefts of Kia and Hyundai models, but rates were already trending upward before these vehicles became popular targets,” the report noted.