According to a new report, Texas was the state with the fifth-highest vehicle theft rates in the U.S. in 2022.
The study, conducted by vehicle history check platform carVertical, found that for every 1000 vehicles regustered in the Lone Star State last year, 13 were stolen — which amounted to a total of 105,015 stolen automobiles out of 7,784,067.
Ahead of Texas for vehicular theft rates were California (fourth place, 14 stolen vehicles per 1000), Missouri (third, 15 per 1000), Washington (second, 15 per 1000) and Colorado — which was first overall with a whopping 28 automobiles stolen per 1000, which more than doubled Texas' rate.
Despite having the same vehicle theft rate, Washington inched out Missouri on the list because it had a higher total amount of motor vehicles lifted (46,939 automobiles in Washington to Missouri's 29,345).
The more than 100,000 vehicles that were taken in the state of Texas over the course of the previous year was the second-highest total in the whole country, sitting behind California which had over 200,000 stolen in 2022 — by far the highest mark in America.
According to carVertical, the overall theft numbers among the top ten states on the list saw an average increase of 13%, putting the spotlight on a crime that is trending upwards in the U.S.
“The alarming spike in the number of car thefts, make it more important than ever for car buyers to perform a vehicle history check prior to making a purchase," said carVertical in a release. "By examining a car's past, including its ownership history, accident record and whether or not it was previously reported stolen, buyers can better protect themselves from potential fraud.”
For those wondering which brands and styles of motor vehicles were preyed on the most last year, carVertical uncovered that as well.
The company found that the number one most stolen vehicle in the U.S. last year was the Chevrolet Pick-Up (48,206 thefts), followed behind by another full-size truck in the Ford Pick-Up (47,999), along with the Honda Civic (31,673) and Honda Accord (30,274) to round out the top four.
To conduct its report, carVertical gathered and analyzed data from the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB).