California Vehicle Thefts Drop Nearly 25% in 2025 as Sacramento County Records 23% Decline
The report identified the 2013 Hyundai Elantra, 2015 Kia Optima and 2013 Hyundai Sonata as the three most frequently stolen automobiles statewide
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Vehicle thefts in California fell by nearly one-quarter in 2025, marking the second consecutive year of declines as state officials credited coordinated law enforcement operations, targeted California Highway Patrol deployments and crime suppression efforts. Sacramento County mirrored the statewide trend, recording a 23% decrease in reported vehicle thefts.
Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Tuesday that California recorded 133,372 stolen vehicles in 2025, down 24.3% from 176,230 thefts reported in 2024. The reduction represented the state's largest percentage decline among major crime categories and continued a broader drop in violent crime, property crime and robberies.
"Californians should not have to worry about whether their car will still be there when they come back," Newsom said. "Crime is down across California, and vehicle theft is declining because our law enforcement officers are dismantling theft rings, recovering stolen vehicles, and bringing offenders to justice. We will continue to support the men and women holding criminals accountable and driving crime down."
For Sacramento County, the statistics reflected a similar improvement.
The county recorded 5,061 vehicle thefts in 2025, down from 6,572 in 2024, a 23% reduction, according to the California Highway Patrol's annual Vehicle Theft Facts report. Sacramento ranked as the state's eighth-highest county for vehicle thefts, behind Los Angeles, Alameda, San Diego, San Bernardino, Santa Clara, Riverside and Orange counties.
The CHP also highlighted Sacramento among counties where regional crime suppression teams were deployed. State officials said those coordinated operations, which expanded in 2025 after launching in select cities the previous year, contributed to significant reductions in vehicle theft.
The Sacramento region remains the center of vehicle theft activity in Northern California. While approximately 5% of all vehicle thefts statewide occurred in Northern California — defined in the report as Sacramento, Yolo, Butte and Shasta counties — 75.8% of those thefts occurred in Sacramento County.
Among neighboring counties, thefts also declined:
- Yolo County: 628 thefts, down 16.8%
- Butte County: 526 thefts, down 29.1%
- Shasta County: 462 thefts, down 12%
- Placer County: 356 thefts, down 23.8%
- El Dorado County: 158 thefts, down 28.2%
Statewide, law enforcement recovered 111,661 stolen vehicles, representing an 84% recovery rate. More than half of the recovered vehicles were returned to their owners in drivable condition. Recovery rates were especially high for automobiles, at 92.5%, and for personal trucks and SUVs, at 89.3%.
The CHP report estimated stolen vehicles carried a combined value of $1.2 billion in 2025. On average, one vehicle was stolen every four minutes in California. Personal trucks and SUVs accounted for the largest share of thefts at 43.2%, followed by automobiles at 37.3%.
The report identified the 2013 Hyundai Elantra, 2015 Kia Optima and 2013 Hyundai Sonata as the three most frequently stolen automobiles statewide. Among trucks and SUVs, early-2000s Chevrolet Silverado pickups remained the most commonly stolen vehicles for the fourth consecutive year.
State officials also pointed to broader public safety trends. Between 2024 and 2025, California's homicide rate declined 18.6%, robbery fell 19.9%, property crime dropped 14.3%, violent crime decreased 10.2%, and motor vehicle theft posted the largest decline at 25.8%. California's homicide rate of 3.5 per 100,000 residents is the lowest recorded since statewide reporting began nearly six decades ago.
