If you needed another reminder that California is a land of extremes, buckle up.<\/p>\n
A new national study found the Golden State is home to both the worst city in America for vehicle thefts and two of the safest places to park your car overnight. Depending on where you live, your biggest concern is either someone stealing your ride or forgetting where you parked it.<\/p>\n
According to a new analysis by American Trucks<\/a>, Oakland claimed the unenviable title of the No. 1 city in the nation for vehicle thefts, while Irvine and Thousand Oaks landed among the 10 safest large cities in the country.<\/p>\n A new study found California is home to both the safest city to park your car, and the the worst city for vehicle thefts. Getty Images\/iStockphoto<\/p>\n Irvine was rated in the top 10 safest. Getty Images<\/p>\n The study examined FBI National Incident-Based Reporting System data alongside US Census population estimates for 281 cities with at least 100,000 residents, ranking them by reported motor vehicle thefts per 100,000 people.<\/p>\n Oakland wasn\u2019t just at the top of the list, it practically lapped the competition.<\/p>\n The city recorded 6,431 cars stolen<\/a> in 2025, translating to nearly 1,459 thefts per 100,000 residents. That\u2019s almost 28 times higher than Irvine\u2019s theft rate, creating one of the starkest contrasts anywhere in the country.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\tSign up for the California Morning Report newsletter\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCalifornia’s top news, sports and entertainment delivered to your inbox every day.\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\tThanks for signing up!\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n California also dominated another category, though not exactly one state leaders are likely to brag about.<\/p>\n Five California cities landed in the nation\u2019s top 20 for vehicle theft rates, more than any other state. Along with Oakland, the list included Inglewood, Antioch, Richmond\u00a0and Hayward.<\/p>\n Oakland was rated the number one city in the country for vehicle thefts. Gado via Getty Images<\/p>\n The list didn\u2019t stop there. Twelve California cities cracked the national top 50, including Long Beach, Downey, Lancaster, Vallejo, San Bernardino, San Jose\u00a0and Los Angeles.<\/p>\n At the other end of the spectrum, however, California proved it isn\u2019t all bad news for car owners.<\/p>\n Irvine ranked as the ninth safest city<\/a> in America for vehicle thefts at No. 273 overall, while Thousand Oaks came in right behind it at No. 272. Carlsbad and Murrieta also placed among the state\u2019s safest communities.<\/p>\n Five California cities landed in the nation\u2019s top 20 for vehicle theft rates, more than any other state. Getty Images<\/p>\n Nationwide, an estimated 659,880 vehicles were stolen in 2025, which is roughly one every 48 seconds. While that\u2019s still enough to make anyone double-check they locked the doors, it\u2019s a significant improvement from the 2023 peak of more than 1 million stolen vehicles, representing a 35% decline.<\/p>\n Still, California continues to shoulder an outsized share of the problem.<\/p>\n The state accounted for nearly 137,000 stolen vehicles in 2025, representing about 21% of all vehicle thefts reported nationwide.<\/p>\n The takeaway? In California, your ZIP code may matter almost as much as whether you remembered to lock your car doors.\u00a0<\/p>\n Download The California Post App, follow us on social, and subscribe to our newsletters <\/p>\n California Post News: Facebook<\/a>, Instagram<\/a>, TikTok<\/a>, X<\/a>, YouTube<\/a>, WhatsApp<\/a>, LinkedIn<\/a> \t\t\t\t\t\t
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