California recorded its second straight year of declining vehicle thefts last year, the California Highway Patrol is reporting.
According to the CHP’s, thieves stole roughly 133,000 vehicles in California in 2025, which represents a 25% decrease from the 176,230 vehicles stolen during the previous year.
Most of the stolen vehicles last year were recovered (84%), and more than half of those recovered vehicles were returned to their owners in drivable condition, according to the CHP.
Related: Report: Arizona Vehicle Thefts Continued to Decline in First Half of Year
The decline in vehicle thefts in California began in 2024, when the state recorded its first year-over-year decrease in vehicle thefts since 2019.
The CHP credits the decline in an initiative in which Gov. Gavin Newsom deployed CHP officers to work with local law enforcement agencies in regional crime suppression operations. Targeted enforcements in Bakersfield, San Bernardino and Oakland helped contribute to reductions in vehicle thefts, according to the CHP.
Newsom expanded CHP crime-suppression operations in 2025 by deploying additional teams to high-crime areas across California. According to the CHP, counties where CHP crime suppression teams were deployed also experienced big declines in vehicle thefts last year, including:
- Alameda: Vehicle thefts down 36.1%
- Kern: Vehicle thefts down 31.4%
- San Bernardino: Vehicle thefts down 23.3%
- San Diego: Vehicle thefts down 25.7%
- Sacramento: Vehicle thefts down 23%
Topics Trends California Auto Fraud
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