Reported car thefts plummet in Denver
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Denver looks poised to end the year with its lowest number of reported stolen vehicles in the past six years.
The big picture: The city recorded a 63% drop between 2022 — when Denver nearly led the nation in reported car thefts — and 2025, per an Axios Denver analysis from data compiled by the Denver Police Department.
Why it matters: It means more than 8,500 fewer cars were reported stolen this year compared with 2022, the height of the thefts — a staggering drop for a crisis that just a few years ago caused daily headaches for local drivers.
Caveat: The numbers are current as of November 2025, the most recently available complete figures.
State of play: Following 2022's peak, Denver police took multiple steps to curb the spike, including launching the Denver Auto Theft Team, which sought to recover stolen cars, the department tells us.
- The seven-person team uses undercover operations to identify auto theft rings and to find repeat offenders.
- DPD also initiated a tracking system in 2023, allowing owners of stolen cars to give the department access to their GPS locations.
Friction point: While Denver police tout the Flock camera system for helping with car theft investigations, the system has sparked intense public backlash over concerns about mass surveillance.
By the numbers: The department made 250 arrests related to auto thefts and recovered 144 stolen cars along with suspected thieves, and 115 unoccupied vehicles were recovered as of Dec. 2, per DPD.
Between the lines: Reported thefts at Denver International Airport fell dramatically, with 76 cars reported stolen as of early November, compared with 734 in 2023 and 288 in 2024, per Denverite.
- DPD's data includes the airport.
Zoom in: Hyundai and Kia models accounted for nearly 20% of all reported stolen vehicles last year, per Colorado State Patrol's most recently available numbers.
The bottom line: While auto thefts are trending downward, don't let your guard down.
- Always lock your car, never approach or confront a person attempting to steal your vehicle, and contact police immediately if your car is stolen.