Be careful in these provinces: Twice as many cars are stolen

Vehicle theft in Spain continues to be a significant challenge in the first half of 2025, with 15,596 thefts recorded, according to data from the Ministry of the Interior's Crime Report. Although the figure reflects a 4% decrease compared to the same period in 2024, the magnitude of the phenomenon demonstrates that it remains a significant problem .

The provinces of Madrid and Barcelona once again accounted for the majority of stolen vehicles, according to LoJack, a company specializing in the recovery of stolen vehicles. Together, they account for 40% of stolen vehicles, with 3,328 and 3,335 reported incidents, respectively. While thefts decreased by 7.3% in the Spanish capital, they increased by 0.4% in Barcelona.

Beyond this constant associated with the most populated areas, official data reflect realities and variations that warrant extreme attention from property owners and local and national authorities.

The province with the greatest increase compared to the previous year is Álava, which increased from 25 to 49 stolen vehicles (+96%), followed by Cáceres (+44.4%), Burgos (+40%), and La Rioja (+36.4%). Significant increases were also observed in Huesca (+31.6%) and Navarra (+29.2%), as well as in the Andalusian provinces of Seville (+15.6%) and Granada (+15.8%). Among the most notable decreases were Ávila (-68.4%), Zamora (-53.3%), and Teruel (-50%).

By Autonomous Community, the highest incidence was in Catalonia, with 4,105 thefts, followed by Madrid and Andalusia, with 3,328 and 2,930, respectively. In terms of increases, La Rioja (+36.4%), Navarre (+29.2%), and the Basque Country (+14.3%) were the most notable. Conversely, significant decreases were recorded in Cantabria (-38%), Melilla (-28.6%), and the Balearic Islands and Castile and León (both with -15.1%).

In municipalities with more than 20,000 inhabitants, there has been a significant increase in Dos Hermanas (Seville), which has increased from 23 to 83 units (+260.9%); in Algemesí (Valencian Community), from 3 to 31 (+933.3%); and in Talavera de la Reina (Toledo), from 8 to 35 (+337.5%).

"Vehicle theft figures remain alarming in the first half of 2025. We're talking about more than 15,000 vehicles stolen from their rightful owners, a trend that could see us surpass 30,000 again by the end of the year," explains José Ignacio Rubio , general manager of LoJack Iberia.

"Given this situation, we are analyzing the areas with the highest incidence in detail and strengthening collaboration with manufacturers and partners to optimize our tracking tools and technology. The goal is clear: to help our clients and collaborators avoid financial losses and downtime, which, in many cases, directly affects their work tools, in the case of leasing, rental cars, businesses, self-employed workers, and so on," he added.