Thieves who sell stolen catalytic converters for the precious metals inside have settled on a surprisingly familiar set of vehicles. Insurance and vehicle-history data from Carfax and the National Insurance Crime Bureau point to pickups, sedans and SUVs that fill ordinary driveways. These twelve models show where the trouble has concentrated and what the sources can and cannot say about why.
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1. Ford F-Series: Pickup Tops the Theft List
Carfax placed the Ford F-Series first nationally for stolen catalytic converters, based on a Carfax ranking reported by KBB. The ranking is by order only, since no per-model theft count was published alongside it.
High ground clearance and sheer numbers on the road plausibly leave the trucks easy to reach, but the data supports only the placement itself, not the reason behind it. Even so, the placement matters because any list built from theft data that puts a truck line first signals how widespread the problem is among everyday work and family vehicles.
2. Honda Accord: Sedan in Second Place
The Honda Accord took second place on Carfax’s national ranking of vehicles whose converters are stolen most often. It sits directly behind the Ford F-Series in that list.
Few cars are as common as the Accord, and a large pool of identical parts across many model years may help explain why it appears so high on the list. Readers shopping for a used sedan should treat the placement as a prompt to ask about the vehicle’s theft history rather than as a reason to avoid the model.
3. Toyota Prius: Hybrid Draws Double Attention
The Toyota Prius landed third on Carfax’s ranking, and it also came first on the NICB’s separate California list. The two lists were compiled by different organizations using separate data.
Hybrids carry catalytic converters that contain precious metals, which gives the Prius a reputation as a recurring target, though the sources give no per-vehicle count. The dual standing, first in California and third nationally, makes the Prius the clearest example in the package of a model that thieves favor in more than one place.
4. Honda CR-V: Compact SUV on the List
The Honda CR-V rounds out the top four, listed as fourth on Carfax’s ranking of the most-targeted vehicles. Carfax compiled the order from theft data covering the 2022 calendar year.
With the Accord also in the top four, Honda holds two of the leading spots, a pairing that points to the brand’s popularity as much as any particular weakness. Its inclusion also shows the problem reaches compact crossovers, not just trucks, which sit higher off the ground and are often assumed to be the easiest to crawl beneath.
5. Honda Element: Boxy Wagon in California
The Honda Element was named on the NICB’s California list of vehicles most targeted for catalytic converter theft over a three-year stretch. The state data came from the National Insurance Crime Bureau.
The NICB lists models in order of appearance rather than stated rank, so the Element’s position on the page carries no meaning beyond being included. Its appearance is notable mostly because the Element is an older design, which suggests that aging vehicles remain attractive once their converters are the main prize.
6. Toyota Tundra: Full-Size Truck in the Spotlight
The Toyota Tundra turns up on the NICB’s most-targeted list for California, one of several Toyota trucks and SUVs the bureau flagged. Thieves in the state repeatedly went after these vehicles.
Because the list is unranked, the Tundra cannot be said to rank above or below its neighbors, only that it was among those most frequently hit. Owners of full-size trucks in the state are the ones the list most directly concerns, though the NICB page offers no per-model counts to size the risk.
7. Toyota Sequoia: Large SUV Shares the Spotlight
The Toyota Sequoia is another entry on the NICB’s California list, placing a full-size SUV alongside the pickups. The bureau’s California review covered a three-year window.
Three Toyota truck-based models appearing together suggests a pattern tied to the brand’s high-riding designs, though the NICB does not spell out a cause. Its presence, even without a rank, confirms that the trouble extends beyond pickups to larger family vehicles built on similar underpinnings.
8. Toyota Tacoma: Midsize Pickup Makes the Cut
The Toyota Tacoma completes the group of Toyotas on the NICB’s California list of most-targeted vehicles. It is the smallest of the trucks flagged there.
With the Tacoma included, Toyota accounts for the bulk of the entries on the California page, a concentration that stands out against the other makes listed. Buyers comparing midsize trucks may find the entry useful context, although the sources do not provide any figures on how often the Tacoma specifically is hit.
9. Jeep Patriot: Compact SUV Popular With Thieves
The Jeep Patriot ranked third on a Carfax list reported by Fox 2 covering 2007-2017 models, and second in the Midwest. Regional breakdowns pushed the Patriot higher than the national view alone.
The gap between national and Midwest placement shows that theft patterns vary by region, so a model can matter more in one area than its overall standing suggests. Owners in the region have more reason than most to consider protective measures, especially since the model’s older examples are inexpensive and plentiful on used lots.
10. Chrysler 200: Sedan Rarely Seen on Such Lists
The Chrysler 200 came ninth on Carfax’s US list for 2011-2017 models and third in the Midwest. Detroit-area reporting highlighted the regional ranking.
A midsize sedan built by a Detroit automaker appearing near the top locally hints that thieves target what is plentiful in a given area. The model years in question are now aging examples that sell for modest prices, a profile that fits the wider pattern, though the sources do not state a motive.
11. Chevrolet Equinox: Chevrolet Crossover Makes the Cut
The Chevrolet Equinox ranked sixth on Carfax’s national list for 2005-2021 models. That span covers more than a decade of production and several redesigns.
A window that wide means many thousands of used examples remain on the road, which keeps the Equinox a steady presence in theft statistics. The list does not break the span into individual generations, so no single model year can be singled out as the most vulnerable within it.
12. Toyota Camry: Family Sedan Closes Out the List
The Toyota Camry placed eighth on Carfax’s US ranking, spanning model years from 1987 through 2019. No other entry on the list covers a longer stretch of production.
Decades of nearly interchangeable parts and strong resale demand make the Camry a familiar sight in theft reports, even with a lower rank than its neighbors. That longevity matters because the Camry is sold in huge numbers, which means many older examples remain on the road and available to thieves in nearly every city.
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