Car thefts have soared in recent years. In some U.S. cities, 2020 was the worst year for car theft in decades. Over 880,000 vehicles were stolen nationwide in 2020, which is around one vehicle every 36 seconds. Nearly 90,000 more vehicles were stolen in 2020 than in 2019, and the trend only seems to be continuing. Cities like Chicago, Washington D.C., and New York City all also saw an uptick in carjackings in 2021.
Experts at the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) have pointed to economic downturn and job loss during the pandemic, along with depleted school and social programs, to help explain the severe increase in auto thefts.
And there’s also the issue of what one NICB expert calls “owner complacency,” or simply not securing your car. The New York Times reported in January 2021 that police saw an increase in drivers leaving their key fobs and smart keys in their cupholders, giving thieves easier access to vehicles.
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How we ranked the cities
Using 2020 U.S. Census Bureau data, we identified the top 100 most populated metro statistical areas (MSAs) in the country. We then used four key metrics to determine which of those metro areas were the best and worst for vehicle theft.
We used the top 100 most populated metropolitan statistical areas in the United States as the basis for our index. Each MSA was given a score from 1 to 100 in four different categories, and each category was weighted according to relevance, with the theft rate being the most heavily weighted category. The lowest score was the “worst” city for auto thefts and the highest score was the “best.”
Here are the top cities, ranked from best to worst, for car theft.
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25. Springfield, Massachusetts
Total score: 314
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24. Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, Oregon
Total score: 310
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23. Jackson, Mississippi
Total score: 310
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22. Little Rock-North, Arkansas
Total score: 307
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21. Minneapolis
Total score: 301
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20. San Antonio-New Braunfels, Texas
Total score: 294
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19. New Orleans-Metairie, Louisiana
Total score: 289
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18. Fresno, California
Total score: 279
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17. Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, Washington
Total score: 278
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16. Houston-The Woodlands, Texas
Total score: 277
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15. Memphis, Tennessee
Total score: 258
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14. Wichita, Kansas
Total score: 248
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13. Albuquerque, New Mexico
Total score: 244
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12. Riverside, California
Total score: 227
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11. St. Louis, Missouri
Total score: 226
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10. Louisville-Jefferson, Kentucky
Total score: 193
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9. Chattanooga, Tennessee
Total score: 186
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8. Salt Lake City, Utah
Total score: 182
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7. Los Angeles-Long-Beach, Anaheim, California
Total score: 168
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6. Kansas City, Missouri
Total score: 158
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5. San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, California
Total score: 136
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4. Tulsa, Oklahoma
Total score: 126
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3. Bakersfield, California
Total score: 96
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2. San Francisco–Oakland-Berkeley, California
Total score: 89
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1. Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, Colorado
Total score: 77
Image Credit: Deposit Photos.
Does car insurance cover car theft?
Car insurance only covers car theft if your policy includes comprehensive coverage. Comprehensive coverage is typically required if you are leasing or financing your car, but most drivers should consider adding it even if it’s not required. This type of coverage is designed to protect your car if it’s damaged or destroyed by something other than a collision — like theft, vandalism, fire or falling objects.
If your car is stolen, you’ll need to report it to the police and then call your insurance company. To use your comprehensive coverage, you have to pay a deductible before your insurer will kick in the costs to cover your stolen car. If your claim is accepted, your insurer will reimburse you for the actual cash value (ACV) of your stolen vehicle, which means that depreciation is factored into your claim payout.
For example, say your car was ten years old when it was stolen. With actual cash value, its age will be factored into your reimbursement — so you won’t be receiving the same amount of money that you paid for the car if you bought it as new (or the cost to replace it with a new car).
Related: Learn more about comprehensive coverage
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How does location factor into car insurance rates?
When calculating your car insurance premiums, insurers will look at your ZIP code to help assess risk. The car theft rate or accident rate in your area can have a big impact on your rates. If you live in a city or town that reports frequent car theft or break-in claims, your car insurance rates may be higher than someone who lives in a place with a lower theft rate.
Related: Learn more about what affects your auto insurance premiums
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How does a stolen car affect insurance rates?
If you have a full coverage auto insurance policy (meaning one that includes comprehensive and collision coverage in addition to liability) your policy will cover a stolen car. If you file a comprehensive claim for a stolen car, your rates may go up when you renew your policy — even though it likely wasn’t your fault your car was stolen.
“A vehicle theft claim can raise rates at your policy renewal just like any other claim,” says Deante’ Peake, licensed property and casualty operations sales manager at Policygenius. “When you file a claim to an insurer, you become a higher risk in the insurance company’s eyes. Based on statistical data, after you file one claim, the likelihood of you submitting another claim in the future increases. So, to overall balance the loss of the claim that has to be paid and the increased risk, insurers raise the rates of the insured. In some cases, they may even raise the rates of everyone in your area, especially if multiple claims were filed in that geographic region.”
Consider shopping around to see rates from different insurance companies if your car insurance does go up — some insurers may offer you a better deal, regardless of your theft claim.
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Methodology
We used the top 100 most populated metropolitan statistical areas in the United States as the basis for our index. Each MSA was given a score from 1 to 100 in four different categories, and each category was weighted according to relevance, with the theft rate being the most heavily weighted category. The lowest score was the “worst” city for auto thefts and the highest score was the “best.”
In the last category, recovery rate by state, each MSA was ranked according to their state’s score on a scale of 1 to 44 (not all 50 states are represented in the top 100 MSAs). The state with the most recovered vehicles was given a score of 44 and the state with the least recovered vehicles was given a score of 1.
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2020 motor vehicle theft rate per 100,000 residents: We used 2020 data
— the most recent data available — from the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) to determine the theft rate of each of the top 100 most populated metropolitan statistical areas. The rates factor in population, and are based per 100,000 residents. This was given a value of six times the baseline.
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Percentage increase in motor vehicle theft rate from 2019 to 2020. We compared 2019 and 2020 data from the NICB to calculate the percentage increase or decrease in theft rate from 2019 to 2020. This was given a value of two times the baseline.
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Percentage increase in cost for a full coverage policy vs. state minimum coverage: Rates courtesy of Quadrant Information Services for every ZIP code in the top 100 most populated MSAs and were based on full coverage policies with liability amounts of 50/100/50. We compared those rates to the rates for the minimum car insurance requirements in each city. Rates provided are average costs, so your quotes may differ. This was given a value of one times the baseline.
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Vehicle recovery by state in 2020: 2020 rates courtesy of the NICB. Recovery rate is listed by state, not by MSA. These rates do not factor in whether or not the vehicle was recovered as usable or totaled. This was given a value of one times the baseline.
You can find a full list of sources on Policygenius.
This article originally appeared on Policygenius.com and was syndicated by MediaFeed.org.
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