Overview
- State figures released in late July 2026 show about 133,372 vehicles were stolen in 2025 compared with 176,230 in 2024 and that law enforcement recovered 111,661 of those vehicles, an 84% recovery rate.
- Officials say the decline follows CHP regional crime-suppression deployments that began in 2024 and were expanded in 2025, with the CHP directly recovering nearly 18,000 stolen vehicles.
- County-level data show uneven gains with San Diego down about 25.7%, Riverside down 21% to 6,012 thefts, and Alameda down 36.1%, illustrating where targeted operations had the biggest effect.
- Law enforcement reports that SUVs and light pickup trucks made up the largest share of thefts, the composite value of stolen vehicles in 2025 is estimated at $1.2 billion, and more than half of recovered cars were returned in drivable condition.
- State officials say they will continue funding suppression teams, technology upgrades, and community interventions and the underlying DOJ data and full reports are available on the OpenJustice portal, with official statements framing causation rather than independent proof.