Old Hondas

Old Hondas, specifically the 1990s-era Civic and Accord, were determined to be the most stolen vehicles in the United States in 2013. This information comes courtesy of the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB), a not-for-profit insurance organization.

The news regarding the old Hondas is not surprising, as it continues a trend from past years. Why are old Hondas so attractive to car thieves? The answer is simple … today’s cars are more difficult to steal because of newer technology such as anti-theft key codes, satellite tracking systems and engine immobilizers.

Old Hondas Finish First and Second

About 54,000 Honda Accords and 45,000 Civics were pilfered in 2013, with more than half of them being 1997 and earlier models (not coincidentally, the immobilizing technology was added the next year).

While final numbers have not been announced, the NICB expects overall car thefts to be down by about 3.2 percent, with just under 700,000 cars stolen. While this is a lot of cars, it pales in comparison to the record of 1.66 million in 1991; and it’s a record low number not seen in nearly 50 years – 1967, to be exact.

According to the NICB, a car is stolen every 45 seconds, and this measures out to about $4 billion in yearly losses.