Is your vehicle a target for thieves? See the 15 makes, models stolen the most in Wichita
Although Kia Soul and Hyundai Sonata were the top stolen vehicles in Wichita in the first two months of this year, Chevrolet Silverado was the most stolen vehicle in Wichita overall from January 2020 through February.
There were 584 Silverado trucks stolen during the four-year period, or 5.6% of all 10,375 vehicle thefts, according to an analysis of Wichita Police Department data. Honda Accord was second with 354 thefts, followed by Honda Civic and CRX with 343. Dodge Ram 1500 pickups came in fourth with 229, followed by Ford F-250 with 217.
For all of 2023, there were 156 Silverados stolen. Dodge Ram 1500 came in second with 78 reported thefts, and Ford F-250 was third at 68 thefts. The Silverados account for nearly 7% of all 2,339 vehicle thefts reported to Wichita police in 2023.
What’s happening nationally
The trend in Wichita is similar to what’s happening nationally.
Chevrolet Silverados and then Ford F-series trucks were the No. 1 and No. 2 stolen vehicles nationwide in 2022, according to the latest available data by the National Insurance Crime Bureau.
The Chevy and Ford trucks were also the most purchased new and used vehicles in 2023 and 2022, according to magazines Car and Driver and Autoweek.
In 2022, Honda Civic and Honda Accord were the third and fourth most stolen vehicles, followed by Hyundai Sonata, Hyundai Elantra and Kia Optima, according to the NICB. Neither Hyundai or Kia had a vehicle in the Top 10 in any other year going back to 2016.
Although Kia and Hyundai thefts in Wichita are done by a mix of youth and adults, Wichita Police Department Lt. Kim Warehime, who heads the agency’s auto theft section, says Wichita’s truck thieves are almost all adults stealing for financial gain.
Why are so many Kias and Hyundais being stolen in Wichita? It’s that online challenge
“Some are being stripped and parted out,” she said. “They will take the doors off of one truck and put on another. Or they will take the bed of the truck and put (it) on another … Some are taken to another state and sold.”
She cautioned anyone buying a vehicle off of Facebook Marketplace to check whether it’s stolen. People can call any of the police bureaus during normal business hours to see if a vehicle identification number comes back stolen, although thieves can change VINs to hide that.
You can also do a title check and have your insurance company inspect the VIN.
Top 15 vehicles stolen in Wichita
Here is a list of the Top 15 make and model vehicles stolen in Wichita from 2020 through February. The number is how many have been stolen during that time.
Chevrolet Silverado, 584
Honda Accord, 354
Honda Civic (and CRX), 343
Dodge Ram 1500 (pickup), 229
Ford F-250, 217
GMC Sierra, 193
Ford F-150, 171
Honda CRV, 162
Chevrolet Impala, 161
Chevrolet C/K 1500, 159
Ford F-350, 151
Ford Fusion, 140
Toyota Camry, 132
Hyundai Sonata, 128
Hyundai Elantra, 126
Contributing: Amy Renee Leiker with The Eagle
Has a vehicle make and model you own been stolen?
Search the database below to see vehicles reported stolen to the Wichita Police Department since late 2019. You can search using any or all of the fields below. To see all thefts, simply click “search.” The database includes December 2019 to February 2024. If you see a blank field, it means police did not know or provide the data. Some vehicles do not have a make, model or year listed because police did not provide that data.
You can find the Wichita police beat you live or work in using the department’s “Find My Wichita Police Beat” search tool, located at the bottom of each patrol bureau’s webpage. Or click here and scroll down.
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