By Eve Nowell 
America’s car thieves have ditched the flashy muscle rides. Now, it’s all about snagging Hyundais—the bland, everyday sedans that somehow became the hottest ticket for sticky fingers. The Hyundai Elantra just smoked the competition, clocking a whopping 11,329 thefts in the first half of 2025.
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Who saw that coming? The thing’s no speed demon, and it sure isn’t turning heads on the highway. But here’s the kicker: thieves can practically steal it with a USB cable and a TikTok tutorial. Turns out, Hyundai and Kia skimped on some basic security features for years, leaving millions of their cars wide open to amateur crooks. Even though the automakers finally got their act together and added immobilizers, older models are still sitting ducks.
The Sonata snagged second place with 9,154 thefts. Not exactly a shocker—same flaw, same result. Meanwhile, muscle cars like the Camaros and Mustangs once ruled the stolen-car charts, but better tech has made them less of a free-for-all. Now, it’s the boring, dime-a-dozen sedans that crooks love.
Rounding out the top ten? Your typical commuter brigade: Accords, Civics, Silverados, and F-150s. Basically, if it’s everywhere, it’s getting swiped.
Some places are worse than others. D.C. leads the pack with 373 thefts per 100,000 folks, while California and Nevada aren’t far behind. Oddly enough, overall thefts have actually dipped—maybe because even criminals are sick of driving Elantras.
But here’s the takeaway: thieves ain’t hunting for horsepower anymore. They want easy targets, something they can boost quick and dump faster. And thanks to social media, a whole generation of would-be Grand Theft Auto players now knows exactly which cars to hit. Feels like the bad guys just changed the game, and Detroit’s old-school muscle didn’t even see it coming.
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John Lloyd 
Elizabeth Puckett 
Shawn Henry