By Steven Symes 
For the first half of 2025, the United States has seen a 23 percent drop in car thefts, accelerating the trend started in 2024. While that’s great news, not everyone in the country is seeing that kind of relief, plus you could still have your ride stolen, even in the safest areas.
Car theft rates remain high, even though they’re falling.
The National Insurance Crime Bureau says auto thefts for January through June of 2025 totaled 331,114. While that’s a big drop versus the first six months of last year, it’s still a lot of vehicles swiped by criminals.
What’s more, NICB says the monthly totals for January through June of this year were “consistently lower” than during any of the monthly totals during 2024. That’s a great sign that the work to break up car theft rings, etc. is paying off.
While NICB’s official press release about the car theft trend attributes the pandemic for the huge spike, we’re not so sure. After all, the increase in people boosting vehicles started happening in 2019 and it kept climbing after the pandemic was over. But blaming all sorts of things on covid has become a crutch.
Before you breathe a sigh of relief, this drop in car thefts doesn’t mean we’re back to where car theft levels were in 2018. And depending on where you live, the likelihood your vehicle will be stolen could be rather high.
In other words, you need to stay vigilant. Park your car in a secured garage, especially at night, if possible. Don’t leave valuables in it. Install a GPS tracking device and consider a kill switch or some other pre-ignition anti-theft device so it’s harder to take.
Installing security cameras around your property is another good move. But most importantly, lock your doors and put your key fob in a Faraday cage at night.
Source: National Insurance Crime Bureau
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