A new analysis from the National Insurance Crime Bureau showed recreational vehicle thefts fell 20% in 2025, but that headline number tells only part of the story that matters to brokers.
Buried in the recovery data is a set of statistics that make a stronger case for comprehensive coverage on motorcycles, ATVs, snowmobiles and watercraft than the theft decline alone would suggest, along with a specific underwriting gap around ATVs that brokers should be flagging with clients now.
About 59,000 recreational vehicles, totaling 58,957, were reported stolen to law enforcement in 2025, a 20% decrease from 2024.
Despite the drop in thefts, approximately 63% of recreational vehicles stolen in 2025 remain unrecovered. For brokers, that is a more useful number than the theft decline itself.
Many clients carry minimal coverage on recreational vehicles, treating them as an afterthought relative to their auto or home policies, often skipping physical damage protection because they assume theft is unlikely or because the vehicle sits unused for part of the year.
A nearly two-thirds non-recovery rate is a concrete, current data point brokers can use in coverage reviews, particularly with clients who are underinsured on the assumption that recovery is likely if a theft does occur.
"Recreational vehicles are often valuable, easily portable, and stored in locations that make them attractive targets for thieves," said David Glawe, president and CEO of NICB. Glawe added that while the continued decrease in thefts is encouraging, the fact that nearly two-thirds of stolen recreational vehicles remain unrecovered shows why owners need to take proactive steps to protect their property and report a theft as soon as possible.
Motorcycles accounted for more than three-quarters of all recreational vehicle thefts reported in 2025, with 44,564 stolen and 41% eventually recovered, the highest recovery rate among the vehicle types NICB tracked.
ATVs told a very different story. Only 23% of the 11,050 ATVs reported stolen were recovered, the lowest recovery rate in the analysis.
That gap isn't random. ATVs can be disassembled and sold off in parts far more easily than a motorcycle, giving thieves a faster and lower-risk way to dispose of a stolen unit before it can be traced. ATVs also generally lack the factory-fitted GPS telematics and tracking systems increasingly standard on motorcycles and passenger vehicles, meaning law enforcement has fewer tools to locate one once it's gone. Titling and registration rules compound the problem: unlike motorcycles, ATVs are subject to a patchwork of state rules, and some states don't title ATVs at all, relying only on registration and a bill of sale, which makes ownership history and stolen-vehicle checks considerably harder to run consistently.
That combination matters for brokers working with farm operations, outdoor recreation businesses, dealerships or individual owners with ATV fleets. A recovery rate roughly half that of motorcycles is a reasonable basis for pushing harder on theft deterrence requirements at binding, specifically recommending aftermarket GPS trackers or immobilizers given the absence of factory telematics on most ATV models, and for setting realistic expectations with clients about valuation and total loss outcomes at renewal.
More than half of recreational vehicle recoveries occur within two weeks of a theft being reported. That statistic is not just a consumer safety tip. It is actionable guidance brokers can build directly into client onboarding and renewal conversations - instruct clients to report a theft to both law enforcement and their insurance carrier immediately, rather than attempting to locate the vehicle themselves first.
Prompt reporting allows identifying information to reach law enforcement before thieves have time to conceal their tracks, and a broker who communicates that timeline proactively is positioned to influence real claim outcomes, not just process claims after the fact.
The recreational vehicle data sits inside a broader, favorable trend. NICB has reported that more than 642,000 vehicles of all types were stolen in 2025, with 21% remaining unrecovered, following a 23.2% year-over-year decline in overall vehicle thefts between 2024 and 2025.
For brokers fielding client questions about why theft coverage still carries meaningful premium despite falling theft numbers, that broader context is useful: rates reflect a market that is improving but still carries real residual risk, since recovery odds remain low even as raw theft counts fall.
The theft decline is genuinely good news, but the recovery data is the more actionable story. A 63% non-recovery rate, a stark and explainable gap between motorcycle and ATV recovery odds, and a reporting window where more than half of recoveries happen within two weeks together make a legitimate, current case for brokers to revisit physical damage and theft coverage on recreational vehicle policies, including a specific recommendation on aftermarket tracking devices for ATV owners.
