The National Insurance Crime Bureau on Monday released its Hot Wheels report, an annual tally of the autos stolen most often in the U.S. last year. The report shows that the Honda Accord and Honda Civic had been the most popular cars with thieves, with 53,995 Accords and 45,001 Civics stolen in 2013. The report for 2012 also named the Accord and Civic as the most stolen, even though thefts of newer models have dropped significantly due to improved anti-theft systems.


The most stolen automobiles in 2013 had been:


1. Honda Accord (53,995)
2. Honda Civic (45,001)
3. Chevrolet pickup, complete size (27,809)
4. Ford pickup, full size (26,494)
5. Toyota Camry (14,420)
6. Dodge pickup, full size (11,347)
7. Dodge Caravan (10,911)
7 Jeep Cherokee/Grand Cherokee (9,272)
9. Toyota Corolla (9,010)
10. Nissan Altima (8,892)


According to the insurance bureau’s report, FBI information suggests that automobile thefts will drop 3.2% in 2013 as soon as final numbers are accessible later this year. If that prediction is correct, 2013 would mark the lowest quantity of automobile thefts given that 1967, and a reduction of far more than 50% given that automobile thefts peaked in 1991, when a lot more than 1.6 million automobiles have been stolen.


“The drop in thefts is great news for all of us,” NICB President and CEO Joe Wehrle said in a news release. “But it nonetheless amounts to a automobile getting stolen every single 45 seconds and losses of over $ 4 billion a year. That’s why we applaud the vehicle makers for their efforts to increase anti-theft technologies and pledge to continue to perform with our insurance coverage firm members and law enforcement to determine and seek vigorous prosecution of the organized criminal rings responsible for so several of these thefts.”


The most stolen 2013 model year automobiles have been:


1. Nissan Altima (810)
2. Ford Fusion (793)
3. Ford pickup, full size (775)
4. Toyota Corolla (669)
5. Chevrolet Impala (654)
6. Hyundai Elantra (541)
7. Dodge Charger (536)
8. Chevrolet Malibu (529)
9. Chevrolet Cruze (499)
8. Ford Focus (483)


The New York Times reports that auto thefts in New York City have plummeted 96% given that 1990 due to the crime becoming much more challenging and much less profitable:


The most essential factor is a technological advance: engine immobilizer systems, adopted by manufacturers in the late 1990s and early 2000s. These make it basically impossible to begin a vehicle with no the ignition crucial, which consists of a microchip uniquely programmed by the dealer to match the car.


While new technologies has helped with the decline in stolen autos, the microchip ignition systems might not be as foolproof as when believed: In 2012, a video surfaced showing hackers stealing a BMW in much less than 3 minutes, possibly by exploiting the car’s insecure On-Board Diagnostic (OBD) port. And in 2013, safety experts working on a government grant demonstrated a related hack by driving a Toyota Prius with a Nintendo controller connected to the OBD port.