Quintana Roo’s Car Theft Crisis: 49% Unrecovered

Chetumal, QR — The Mexican Association of Insurance Institutions (AMIS) reported that 550 insured vehicles were stolen in Quintana Roo during the period from September 2024 to August 2025, of which 49 percent have not been recovered.

According to data from AMIS, of the 550 stolen units—comprising cars, motorcycles, vans, and cargo trucks—only 283 were successfully recovered, leaving 267 unaccounted for.

A Six-Year Trend

Historical reports show the number of insured vehicles stolen annually in the state over the last six years:

• 2019-2020: 554
• 2020-2021: 587
• 2021-2022: 622
• 2022-2023: 697
• 2023-2024: 656
• 2024-2025: 550

For the 2024-2025 period, the monthly breakdown of stolen vehicles is as follows:

• September: 42
• October: 50
• November: 65
• December: 42
• January: 35
• February: 52
• March: 46
• April: 45
• May: 48
• June: 35
• July: 56
• August: 37

Violence in Vehicle Theft

Regarding the use of violence, AMIS indicated that 23.64 percent of the robberies involved a violent act. This marks a significant decrease from the 33.03 percent registered in the 2019-2020 period.

While not specified by state, the vehicle brands with the highest theft rates are Nissan, Kenworth, Bajaj, General Motors, Honda, Freightliner, International, Toyota, and Volkswagen. For motorcycles, the preferred brand is Italika.

Brands with Highest Percentage of Violence

The brands with the highest incidence of violence during thefts were identified as:

• Toyota: 86.9%
• Ford: 76.2%
• Kia: 71.4%
• Volkswagen: 71.1%

Of the total 550 thefts in Quintana Roo, 48.7 percent were cars, 41.1 percent were motorcycles, and 10 percent were heavy vehicles and pickup trucks.

National Context

Nationally, the theft of insured vehicles reached 59,248 units. The states with the highest numbers were the State of Mexico (14,599), Jalisco (6,789), and Mexico City (5,509).

It is important to note that these figures only include insured vehicles. According to the Executive Secretariat of the National Public Security System (SESNSP), from January to August 2025, an additional 1,831 uninsured stolen units were reported.

The AMIS report confirms that protection through insurance remains a key factor in the recovery of stolen units, reinforcing the importance of maintaining up-to-date vehicle insurance coverage across the country.