LoJack Announces 10th Annual Vehicle Theft Recovery Report

  • January 17, 2019
  • DJ Thompson

Today, we are happy to announce our 10th installment of the Vehicle Theft Recovery Report, detailing stolen vehicle recoveries in 2018. This year’s report shows that the LoJack recovery data mirrors the trend of rising auto theft nationally and highlights how thieves are continuing to target popular vehicles. The report comes in the form of an infographic, which you can download here.

Here are a few key insights from the report:

Recovery Values Mirror National Auto Theft Trends

Law enforcement recovered over $129 million worth of LoJack-equipped stolen vehicles last year, a 15% increase in the past three years. According to the FBI Uniform Crime Report, auto theft has increased at a similar rate nationally over the past three years. What’s more, for the tenth straight year, the top three states for stolen vehicle recoveries in our report are:

  1. California
  2. Texas
  3. Florida

The FBI data tells a similar story, with these states also ranking in the top three for total auto theft. Given the recent FBI data, it may come as no surprise that our report matches the overall state of auto theft across the country.

Popular Vehicles are Common Targets for Thieves

The top five most recovered vehicle models and their unit sales in 2018 were:

  1. Honda Civic | 326k sold
  2. Honda Accord | 291k sold
  3. Toyota Camry | 343K sold
  4. Toyota Corolla |304k sold
  5. Chevrolet Silverado | 586k sold

The top four vehicles on this list were also popular with consumers in 2018 and over the last decade. Combine that with strong sales growth with Silverado and the truck segment in general means replacement parts for these vehicles are in high demand. As a result, these vehicles become prime targets for profit-minded thieves who often strip and sell the parts on the lucrative black market.

As our vehicles become more connected, more advanced vehicle technology has been integrated or installed. This raises the cost of replacement parts, so the profit incentive becomes even stronger for thieves. The average value per recovered vehicle increased 4% over the past three years—look for that trend to continue with the development of connected car technology, advanced sensor systems and crash notifications.

Thank You to Law Enforcement

Law enforcement continues to make our communities safer through their hard work, investigations and dedication. We would like to thank them for their tireless service. We are proud to work with over 1,900 agencies across the country to help reduce the impact of auto theft on the community, and we look forward to supporting their efforts in 2019 and beyond.

Are you attending NADA 2019 in San Francisco? Meet with the LoJack team at booth #7435 West Hall, Level 2 to discuss solutions for your dealership and customers, or visit here.