The 1998 Honda Civic tops the National Insurance Crime Bureau's "2017 Hot Wheels Report" of the most-stolen cars in the U.S. There are many still on the road and thieves want them for parts.
The 1998 Honda Civic is the most stolen car overall. Ohio Gov. George Voinovich, right, gets ready to step into a new natural-gas-powered Honda Civic GX in East Liberty, Ohio, Wednesday, April 8, 1998. Voinovich was invited to drive the first of the new cars off the line during a ceremony marking its entry into the North American market. The tailpipe carbon dioxide emissions of the Civic GX are 20 percent less than a gasoline-powered car, and other toxic emissions have been slashed to almost zero, the company said.
(AP Photo/Chris Kasson)
AP Photo/Chris Kasson
The Nissan Altima ranks No. 1 on the list of 2017’s models that thieves want to snag.
(AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis, File)
AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis, File
The 1997 Honda Accord was the No. 2 most stolen car overall. In this photo taken Jan. 21, 2010, Honda Motor Co.’s headquarter building is reflected on Honda’s car logo in Tokyo, Japan. Honda is aiming to double its global auto sales to more than 6 million vehicles over the next five years as the Japanese automaker gears up for ambitious growth after bouncing back from last year’s disasters. “We have now reached the stage of going on the offensive,” Honda President Takanobu Ito told reporters Friday, Sept. 21, 2012 as he announced his worldwide target for the fiscal year ending March 2017. The automaker sold 3.1 million vehicles for the fiscal year through March 2012.
(AP Photo/Shizuo Kambayashi)
AP Photo/Shizuo Kambayashi
No. 3 for 2017: This is a Sierra Denali 4WD crew cab on display at the Pittsburgh Auto Show Thursday, Feb. 15, 2018.
(AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar
No. 3 all-time: The Ford Pickup truck saw 35,105 thefts overall last year.
(AP Photo/Paul Sancya, file)
AP Photo/Paul Sancya, file
The Chevrolet pckup truck is No. 4 in most stolen vehicles overall. An unsold 2006 Chevrolet pickup truck sits next to a Trailblazer and Avalanche pickup truck on the lot at a dealership in Denver on Sunday, Oct. 8, 2006. Retail sales fell in September by the largest amount in three months, although the weakness primarily reflected a big drop in gasoline prices which actually helped to boost spending in other categories.
(AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
AP Photo/David Zalubowski
No. 4 for 2017: The 2017 Hyundai Elantra is shown at the Los Angeles Auto Show on Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2015 in Los Angeles.
(AP Photo/Chris Carlson)
AP Photo/Chris Carlson
The 2017 Ford Fusion ranks No. 5 hottest models thieves want to get their hands on. The Ford Fusion hybrid is displayed at the North American International Auto Show, Monday, Jan. 11, 2016, in Detroit.
(AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)
AP Photo/Carlos Osorio
The Toyota Camry from 2017 is No. 5 most stolen vehicles over all. FILE- This Feb. 15, 2018, file photo shows the Toyota logo on the trunk of a 2018 Toyota Prius on display at the Pittsburgh Auto Show. Toyota Motor Corp. is reporting its quarterly profit rose 21 percent as cost cuts and booming sales in some markets offset the damage from higher U.S. incentives. Toyota, which makes the Camry sedan, Prius hybrid and Lexus luxury models, reported Wednesday, May 9, 2018, January-March profit of 480.8 billion yen ($4.4 billion), up from 398 billion yen the same quarter the previous year.
(AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)
The National Insurance Crime Bureau’s “2017 Hot Wheels Report” of the most-stolen cars in the U.S. last year is topped by the 1998 Honda Civic.
Why is a 20-year-old car the most stolen vehicle?
There are many still on the road and thieves want them for parts. But many of the most-stolen vehicles are older models because they predate effective anti-theft technology.
The NICB notes that, while 6,707 1998 Honda Civics were reported stolen in 2017, just 388 2017 Honda Civics were stolen. That means there are 17 1998 Civics were stolen last year for every 2017 model.
Four of the ten most stolen vehicles last year were pre-2005 models. In addition to the ’98 Civic, the 1997 Honda Accord ranks No. 2. The 2004 Chevrolet pickup is No. 4 and the 2001 Dodge pickup is No. 8.
The most stolen 2017 model last year was the Nissan Altima, followed by the Toyota Camry, GMC pickup, Hyundai Elantra and Ford Fusion. It should be noted that those are also some of the top-selling vehicles, meaning they are popular and there are more of them on the road for thieves to choose from.
The NICB compiles its annual report based on vehicle theft data submitted by law enforcement to the National Crime Information Center.
NICB says even with slight increases in vehicle thefts in the last few years, vehicle thefts today are at levels not seen since 1967, largely because of enhancements in vehicle security and manufacturing.
But that technology doesn’t work if drivers don’t use it. Thousands of vehicles are stolen each year simply because owners leave their keys or fobs in the vehicles.
NICB says the most effective anti-theft devices include visual and audible warning devices, immobilizing devices like kill switches and smart keys and tracking devices.
Jeff Clabaugh has spent 20 years covering the Washington region's economy and financial markets for WTOP as part of a partnership with the Washington Business Journal, and officially joined the WTOP newsroom staff in January 2016.
