Blog

Jun 29, 2023

The most stolen car in Massachusetts isn't a luxury car

By Susannah Sudborough Contrary to what you might expect, the most frequently stolen car in Massachusetts isn’t a luxury vehicle — it’s an everyday fuel-efficient sedan. A new report from Quote

By Susannah Sudborough

Contrary to what you might expect, the most frequently stolen car in Massachusetts isn’t a luxury vehicle — it’s an everyday fuel-efficient sedan.

A new report from Quote Wizard, a car insurance quote website, found that the Honda Accord is the most frequently stolen car model in the Bay State.

The report, which used FBI crime data, found that the Accord is also the most frequently stolen car model in Rhode Island and Connecticut. In Massachusetts, the next most frequently stolen car models are similar to the Accord — Honda Civics and Toyota Camrys.

But fuel-efficient sedans are not the most commonly stolen cars across New England. The report found that, like in many rural states, the most frequently stolen car model in Maine is a Chevy pick-up, while in New Hampshire, it’s a Ford pick-up.

Vermont was the only state in the country to have any Subaru models among its top three most frequently stolen cars. According to the report, the Impreza took the state’s number one slot.

Fuel-efficient sedans and American-made pick-ups have been among the most frequently stolen cars in the U.S. for years, according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau. This is partly because they have been among the best-selling car models over the last 30 years.

A car model being popular means that not only are there more opportunities for theft of that particular model, but that the parts can easily be sold on the black market.

But, according to Way, a car service scheduling app, Honda cars are also a common target of catalytic converter thieves. Not only are their catalytic converters easier to steal because Honda car bodies sit higher above the ground than other cars, but their catalytic converters are made for hybrid cars, so they fetch a higher price on the black market.

There is some good news for Honda owners in the Bay State. The report found that car theft in Massachusetts has decreased by nearly 40% since 2011, even while 30 out of 50 states saw increases in car theft during that time.

Some states have even seen a dramatic increase in car theft since 2011. The report found that car theft in states such as Colorado and South Dakota increased by 144% and 125%, respectively, during that time.

Conversely, most New England states have seen significant decreases in car theft since 2011. Vermont saw the biggest decrease in the country with a 50% drop, the report found. Massachusetts wasn’t far behind, experiencing the third-biggest decrease.

Rhode Island experienced the fifth-biggest decrease with a 37% drop, the report found. Maine also made the top 10, seeing the eighth-biggest decrease at 21%, and New Hampshire came in at number 12 with a modest decrease of 10%.

Connecticut was the only New England state to experience an increase in car theft during that time, the report found, seeing a notable increase of 27%.

The report found that New England states also had some of the lowest rates of car theft in the country. In 2020, Vermont had the lowest rate at 42 thefts per 100,000 people. Maine and New Hampshire were right behind with rates of 64 and 76 thefts per 100,000 people, respectively.

Massachusetts had the fifth-lowest car theft rate in the country at 99 thefts per 100,000 people, according to the report. Rhode Island came in at number 11 with 143 thefts per 100,000 people.

Still, regardless of how likely you are to have your car stolen, there are actions you can take to reduce that chance even further.

Stay up to date on all the latest news from Boston.com