12 Car Parts & Accessories California Thieves Steal The Most

All thieves suck, but there's a special place in hell for car thieves. 

Let's be real: few first world problems are as bad or worse than having your car stolen. For a lot us, especially drivers with long commutes to and from work, our rides are like mini mobile homes—we pretty much live out of them.

It's hard to admit, but some of us...okay, us...spend more time in our car than we do at home. It's enough to make us toy with the idea of moving out of our apartment so we can stop paying rent and start making double-car payments...sigh.

ICYMI: a car was stolen every two minutes & 30 seconds in California in 2023

If that sounds like a joke, we assure you it isn't. Carjackings in the Golden State are enroute to being a proverbial dime-a-dozen these days, and the California Highway Patrol has the data to back it up.

In 2023, 202,802 vehicles were stolen, at an estimated total value of $1.8 billion. This is a 2.1 percent increase from the 2022 total for vehicle thefts statewide. The average rate of vehicle thefts in 2023 was approximately one vehicle every 2 minutes and 36 seconds with an average loss of $8,876 per stolen vehicle. -California Highway Patrol

It's nauseating to think that on any old Tuesday morning, when we're already running late for work, that we could get to our parking spot and our car wouldn't be there.

Thankfully our comprehensive car insurance policy would be our saving grace in that nightmare scenario. But our friends and neighbors with basic liability policies would be screwed.

For CHP's list of the most frequently stolen cars in California, click here.

Car thieves aren't just stealing cars, they're picking them apart for profit.

We hate to be the bearers of more bad news, but it's true. Car thieves on the hunt for easy money aren't huge fans of the hard work it can take to steal a whole car.

In recent years, they've shifted their focus to car parts and accessories that are easy to hock on the black market. And it doesn't matter if your car is old or new, everyone's a target in the eyes of a career car thief.

Scroll for the 12 most stolen car parts & accessories in California. 

Next: a look at the most stolen cars in Idaho & Washington state