Los Angeles car thefts remain steady in 2024, but still far cry from pre-pandemic lows

Car thefts continue to be a problem for vehicle owners and law enforcement across Los Angeles, according to data from the Los Angeles Police Department.

Independent news organization Crosstown LA analyzed the publicly available police data to get a better look on the citywide problem and how this year stacks up compared to years past.

From Jan. 1 through Aug. 31, there were 16,964 stolen-vehicle reports in the city. That figure is about on par with last year, 53 fewer over the same time frame, and about 4.5% lower than in 2022.

But you’ll have to zoom out further to get the full picture regarding the stolen vehicle mess in L.A.

In 2019, right before the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, Los Angeles recorded a total of 15,724 stolen vehicles reports for the entire year — a number already surpassed in 2024, with one-quarter of the year still remaining.

It reflects a troubling nationwide trend that began during the pandemic.

“Initially thieves were targeting vehicles that sat for extended periods on the street. Yet even as the pandemic eased and people resumed old driving habits, counts never declined significantly,” Crosstown wrote in its report.

A major source of vehicles thefts can likely be linked to a viral trend in which thieves would target Kia and Hyundai vehicles, knowns as the “Kia Challenge.” Social media users would use online tutorials to learn how to steal certain model years of these vehicles and would share their results online.

Automakers of affected vehicles have rolled out software fixes to address the problem, and law enforcement agencies across the country have hosted events for car owners to stop by and get the update installed. The LAPD participated in one of these events earlier this year in Eagle Rock.

While the same makes continue to account for the majority of stolen vehicle reports in the city, progress has been made, officials said.

“The profiles of the vehicles that are being stolen still remain consistent, with Kias, Chevys
and Hyundais,” said interim LAPD Chief Dominic Choi during a Sept. 10 meeting of the Los Angeles Police Commission. “But we’ve seen a significant drop in the Kias and Hyundais.”

Of the total stolen vehicles in California last year, the vast majority were eventually recovered, typically not far from where they were taken. But only about half were still considered drivable and more than one-third were wrecked or “intentionally burned,” Crosstown reported.

Due to some changes in how the LAPD reports its crime data, it’s harder now for Crosstown to obtain certain information about crime statistics, particularly neighborhood-specific data.

Estimates, however, seem to indicate that the most populous communities in L.A. unsurprisingly fare worse when it comes to boosted vehicles. Downtown Los Angeles accounts for the most in the city, Crosstown says, with Van Nuys coming in a distant second.