Kias and Hyundais among the most stolen cars in San Antonio, SAPD chief says

Although San Antonio’s overall crime rate is down slightly from a year ago, car thefts — especially those involving Kias and Hyundais — have skyrocketed, Police Chief William McManus told members of city council on Tuesday.

Authorities recorded 4,292 vehicle thefts between January 2022 and March 2023, a 59.14% increase, according to SAPD crime statistics cited by McManus at the meeting of council’s public safety committee. An array of factors, including a popular TikTok trend in which young car thieves target Kias and Hyandais, is contributing the problem, the chief explained.

Thefts involving the two Asian manufacturers’ vehicles has become such a problem that some of the nation’s largest insurers, including Progressive and State Farm, have recently begun refusing to insure them, according to CNN.

According to McManus’ statistics, the following makes and models were stolen most often in San Antonio from January of last year through the present:

1. Hyundai Elantra
2. Ford F Series
3. Kia Optima
4. Hyundai Sonata
5. Dodge Ram Series
6. Kia Soul
7. Chevrolet Silverado Series
8. Kia Forte
9. Kia Rio
10. Kia Sportage

“There’s a lot of contributing factors why people are stealing vehicles,” McManus said. “One, to take them down to Mexico and sell them. Two, is to commit other crimes.”

Although car thefts continue to soar in San Antonio, the overall crime rate dropped around 2%, according to the chief. Even so, homicide, kidnapping and vandalism rose 6.82%, 51.2% and 9.8%, respectively, according to SAPD crime data.

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This article appears in Apr 19 – May 2, 2023.