The National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) today released an expanded, data-rich version of its popular Hot Wheels report-its list of the 10 most stolen vehicles in the United States. The report examines vehicle theft data submitted by law enforcement to the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) and determines the vehicle make, model and model year most reported stolen in 2012. A first-edition feature is also contained in today's report: a look at the top 25 2012 vehicle makes and models that were reported stolen in calendar year 2012.
In previous Hot Wheels reports, rankings were determined based on the most stolen model year vehicle within each vehicle make and model. Only one make/model/year would appear on the top 10 list, even though other model years of the same vehicle would have earned a position on the list. This was done to offer a more varied list with significant theft numbers than to focus on just one or two makes year after year.
Beginning with today's report, the top 10 most stolen will appear by make and model only with its corresponding theft total. Beneath the make and model will appear its various model years with their corresponding theft totals for 2012. This is more easily understood by viewing the accompanying spreadsheet or PDF.
For 2012, the most stolen vehicles* in the nation were:
| 1. | Honda Accord | 58,596 |
| 2. | Honda Civic | 47,037 |
| 3. | Ford Pickup (Full Size) | 26,770 |
| 4. | Chevrolet Pickup (Full Size) | 23,745 |
| 5. | Toyota Camry | 16,251 |
| 6. | Dodge Caravan | 11,799 |
| 7. | Dodge Pickup (Full Size) | 11,755 |
| 8. | Acura Integra | 9,555 |
| 9. | Nissan Altima | 9,169 |
| 10. | Nissan Maxima | 6,947 |
Older Honda Accords and Civics were by far the most stolen models in 2012. The 1996 Accord led the list with 8,637 thefts. In fact, Accords and Civics account for the first 16 spots on the most stolen list and all are 1990-2000 models. By comparison, newer Hondas are rarely stolen, thanks to improved anti-theft technology. For a report, watch this video.
The new feature in Hot Wheels this year is the addition of a list of the top 25 model year 2012 vehicles that were most stolen in calendar year 2012. The top 10 on this list are:
| 1. | Nissan Altima | 921 |
| 2. | Chevrolet Impala | 778 |
| 3. | Chevrolet Malibu | 727 |
| 4. | Toyota Camry | 665 |
| 5. | Ford Fusion | 655 |
| 6. | Ford Pickup (Full Size) | 595 |
| 7. | Ford Focus | 523 |
| 8. | Chrysler 200 | 449 |
| 9. | Dodge Charger | 416 |
| 10. | Dodge Avenger | 412 |