Catalytic Converter Theft: The 10 Vehicles Thieves Target Most (2024)

It shouldn’t come as a surprise the best-selling vehicle in North America is the one that’s most commonly targeted by crooks stealing catalytic converters. With millions of Ford F-series pickup trucks on the road, there’s no shortage of them sitting in garages or driveways around the country. One purely logistical reason the F-series is a common target is the simple fact that it sits higher off the road than a typical vehicle. This means it’s quicker and easier for a thief to slide under an F-series and remove the catalytic converter.

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An extremely popular pickup truck is followed by an equally popular sedan. The Honda Accord has been one of the best-selling mid-size sedans for decades, not to mention a regular winner in our annual 10Best awards. While we’ve routinely complimented the Accord for its agile handling and fuel-efficient powertrain, thieves are more appreciative of the fact that stealing a catalytic converter takes only minutes when using a small reciprocating saw.

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The Toyota Prius is especially attractive when it comes to catalytic converter theft. This is partly due to the fact its gasoline-electric hybrid powertrain’s internal combustion engine doesn’t run as hot as it would without the powertrain’s associated electric motors. Ironically, given its Earth-friendly image, this means more precious metals were needed in the catalytic converters used to clean up the Prius’s cooler exhaust (this was lessened in the third-generation model). NICB notes that because a hybrid, such as the Prius, puts less wear on its catalytic converter, these vehicles’ cats remain especially valuable even after years of use.

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The Honda CR-V helped create the compact crossover SUV when it arrived for the 1997 model year. Despite the nameplate’s more than 25-year history, the public seems to still hold an affinity for the CR-V, which remains one of the best-selling SUVs today. Now, if only the CR-V were able to hold onto its catalytic converters as well as it has held onto its customer base. Alas, thieves love the CR-V for its reasonably easy-to-snag cat. While there are some products worth looking into that either help shield a car’s catalytic converter or bolt it more firmly to a vehicle (each with the intention of discouraging thievery), oftentimes the best advice is the simplest: park your car in a trusted and secured location.

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Ford Explorer owners may want to take extra precautions to keep their catalytic converters safe, as the mid-size SUV is a common spot catalytic converter thieves like to ... ahem ... explore.

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Call it the work van that time forgot, or a practical workhorse that continues to tackle difficult tasks thrown its way. The Ford E-series van (also known as the Econoline) has been around in some form or another since Kennedy sat in the Oval Office. It’s still here, though only in fleet-special cutaway chassis form and in E-350 or E-450 configurations. Speaking of cutaways, once a catalytic converter is stolen how much is it actually worth? The NICB says a typical catalytic converter can fetch anywhere from “$50 to $250” apiece. That might not sound like much, but consider that a quick-working thief needs a few short minutes to remove one—a hard day’s work stealing catalytic converters can yield thousands of dollars in illicit profit.

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During one of our early encounters with the then-new 2005 Chevrolet Equinox, we called it “a wonderfully people-friendly tall car packing a great list of standard equipment at an inviting price.” Over the years, the Equinox has continued to evolve, with the latest iteration of Chevy’s five-passenger SUV improving upon its forebear’s most consumer-friendly features. Apparently, those shopping for a roomy and reasonably priced compact SUV aren’t the only ones impressed by the Equinox. Its sixth-place ranking in this list gives the Chevy the dubious honor of residing one place ahead of one of its fiercest rivals the compact SUV segment.

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Pickup trucks like the Chevrolet Silverado are great when it comes to towing and hauling, or traversing rugged terrain. Like other pickups in this list, the go-anywhere capability and extra ground clearance afforded by the Silverado means it's easier for crooks to slither under this full-size pickup and remove its catalytic converter. For 1999, the long-running Chevrolet C/K truck lineup passed the torch to the newly-introduced Silverado. Over the years, the Silverado has been available with a wide range of four-cylinder, inline-six, V-6, and V-8 engines. That variety is great for truck buyers. It’s also no less enticing to catalytic converter thieves.

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Like the Ford F-series and Chevrolet Silverado, the Toyota Tacoma has two key flaws that attract it to would-be catalytic converter thieves: its ubiquity (it's consistently a best-seller in its segment) and its ride height, the latter of which only makes it easier to steal a Taco's catalytic converter.

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Chevrolet may have discontinued its Cruze after the 2019 model year due to its lagging popularity among car buyers, but the bow-tie brand's compact car remains popular among catalytic converter thieves.

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1. Ford F-series
2. Honda Accord
3. Toyota Prius
4. Honda CR-V
5. Ford Explorer
6. Ford Econoline/E-Series
7. Chevrolet Equinox
8. Chevrolet Silverado
9. Toyota Tacoma
10. Chevrolet Cruze

Depending on the type of vehicle you own, there are several anti-theft devices on the market.

DEVICES TO PROTECT YOUR CAR FROM CAT THEFT