Thieves have changed their tastes: which cars are being stolen in Russia in 2025
Statistics on vehicle thefts in Russia show an alarming trend: from January to August 2025 the number of car thefts increased by 6% compared with the same period last year. The geography of the crimes has also changed — whereas Moscow and Dagestan previously led, St. Petersburg and Krasnodar Krai have now joined the negative rankings.
The capital retains the unfortunate top spot — 28% of all thefts are recorded there. St. Petersburg is second (20%), Krasnodar Krai third (11%). Also at risk are Dagestan, Tatarstan, Kemerovo, Rostov, Bryansk, Ryazan, Tver and Yaroslavl regions, as well as Khabarovsk Krai.
Brand analysis shows a shift in criminals’ preferences:
Hyundai and Kia (17% each)
Lexus (14%)
LADA (11%)
Toyota and Mitsubishi (8% each)
Mercedes-Benz (5.7%)
A specific target has been the Lexus LX SUV — it accounts for 8% of all thefts. A notable trend is the growing popularity of Chinese brands among car thieves: their share rose from 3% to 8.5%, most often targeting Chery and LIXIANG.
Timing statistics reveal the pattern of offenders’ activity: 34% of thefts occur between 07:00 and 11:00, and another 26% between midnight and 06:00. At the same time, commercial vehicles hardly interest criminals — they account for only 2.8% of thefts, mainly Chinese FAW trucks.
Experts link the change in car thieves’ preferences to several factors: the availability of Korean cars on the secondary market, the ease of stealing them and high demand for spare parts. The rise in popularity of Chinese brands is explained by their growing presence on the Russian market, reports the portal volga.news.
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Thieves have changed their tastes: which cars are being stolen in Russia in 2025
Russian car thieves have shifted from premium imported cars to affordable Korean models. In the first eight months of 2025 the number of car thefts rose by 6%, and the three most targeted regions were Moscow, St. Petersburg and Krasnodar Krai.