Vehicle theft in California dropped nearly 25% in 2025
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Jul 28, 2026

Vehicle theft in California dropped nearly 25% in 2025

Vehicle thefts fall statewide for the second year in a row as CHP continues targeted enforcement and prevention efforts

What you need to know: Governor Newsom announced that vehicle theft declined by nearly 25% in 2025. California's reduction in vehicle theft reflects a broader decline in crime, with robberies, property crime, and violent crime dropping by double digits and homicide rates reaching a historic low.

SACRAMENTO — Today, Governor Gavin Newsom announced that vehicle thefts fell statewide for the second consecutive year, declining by nearly 25% in 2025. The progress the state has made in reducing vehicle thefts by nearly a quarter builds on California's double-digit reductions in property crime, violent crime, and robbery. Under Governor Newsom's leadership, the California Highway Patrol (CHP) is working with local law enforcement agencies to combat organized vehicle theft and other crime through targeted enforcement and public awareness.

Californians should not have to worry about whether their car will still be there when they come back. Crime is down across California, and vehicle theft is declining because our law enforcement officers are dismantling theft rings, recovering stolen vehicles, and bringing offenders to justice. We will continue to support the men and women holding criminals accountable and driving crime down.

Governor Gavin Newsom

"Vehicle theft is not a victimless crime. It fuels organized criminal activity and creates hardship for families across California," said CHP Commissioner Sean Duryee. "The CHP remains committed to holding offenders accountable, recovering stolen vehicles and working with our law enforcement partners to make our communities safer."

Vehicle thefts continue to decline

Last year, CHP recovered nearly 18,000 vehicles. In 2025, 84% of all stolen vehicles were recovered by law enforcement in California, totaling 111,661 recovered vehicles. Recovery rates were even higher for specific vehicle types, with 92.5% of stolen automobiles and 89.3% of stolen personal trucks and SUVs recovered. More than half of the recovered vehicles were returned to their owners in drivable condition.

From July 18th on Facebook: CHP Merced recovers a car and truck

Coordinated enforcement produces results

Amid significant state investments in public safety and increased operations to help local law enforcement reduce criminal activity, the state recorded its first year-over-year decrease in vehicle thefts since 2019. Beginning in 2024, Governor Gavin Newsom deployed CHP officers to work alongside local law enforcement agencies through regional crime suppression operations, originally in Bakersfield, San Bernardino, and Oakland, then expanding regionally in 2025 to further increase public safety.

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Several counties where CHP crime suppression teams were deployed also experienced significant declines in vehicle thefts last year, including:
  • Alameda: 12,277 vehicle thefts, down 36.1% from 2024.
  • Kern: 4,258 vehicle thefts, down 31.4% from 2024.
  • San Bernardino: 7,759 vehicle thefts, down 23.3% from 2024.
  • San Diego: 8,023 vehicle thefts, down 25.7% from 2024.
  • Sacramento: 5,061 vehicle thefts, down 23% from 2024.

Crime continues to decline statewide

These results build on the success the state is seeing in public safety. Recently, the Department of Justice released data showing significant drops in reported crime between 2024 and 2025:
  • Homicide rate decreased 18.6%, with reported homicides falling from 1,666 to 1,374.
  • Robbery rate decreased 19.9%.
  • Property crime rate decreased 14.3%.
  • Motor vehicle theft rate decreased 25.8%, the largest percentage decline among major crime categories.
  • Violent crime rate decreased 10.2%.

California's homicide rate now stands at 3.5 per 100,000 residents, the lowest rate recorded since statewide reporting began nearly six decades ago.

Since Governor Gavin Newsom took office in 2019, crime rates are down across the board , with homicide down 20%, robbery down 31%, property crime down 24%, motor vehicle theft down 19%, and violent crime down 3%.

Investments that are delivering results

California has made historic investments to improve public safety by supporting local law enforcement, combating organized retail crime and auto theft, strengthening gun safety laws, expanding crime prevention programs, improving technology and investigative capacity, and investing in community-based violence intervention efforts.

These investments have helped deliver measurable progress across the state while supporting local partners working every day to keep Californians safe.

All of the reports are available here. The underlying data associated with the annual reports is available on OpenJustice here.

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