Catalytic Converter Theft Is Climbing Again as Prius Owners Pay $2,700 to Replace Them

Catalytic converter theft, the crime that exploded during the pandemic and then eased off, is climbing again in 2026, and the bill for victims is brutal. A thief armed with a battery powered saw can cut the converter out from under a parked car in a couple of minutes, leaving the owner with a roaring engine and a repair quote that can top $2,700 on a Toyota Prius. With metal prices swinging and a federal crackdown still stuck in Congress, drivers are largely left to protect themselves. Here is why the thefts are rebounding, which cars are targeted, and the steps that actually lower your risk.

The frustrating part for owners is how little the stolen part is worth to the thief compared with what it costs to replace. A converter sold to an unscrupulous scrap buyer might fetch a few hundred dollars for the precious metals inside, yet replacing it sends the victim a bill running into the thousands. That imbalance is exactly what new laws are trying to break.

Why thefts are climbing again in 2026

Catalytic converters are targeted because of the precious metals inside them, including platinum, palladium, and especially rhodium, which scrub pollutants from exhaust. Those metals trade at prices that dwarf gold ounce for ounce, and the converter can be removed quickly with no need to break into the car. When metal prices rise, thefts rise with them.

That link is driving the 2026 rebound. The price of rhodium climbed sharply in early 2026, topping $11,000 an ounce in March before easing back to around $8,500 an ounce by May. As the payout per converter rose, so did the incentive to steal. Local figures tell the story: officials in Bellevue, Washington reported more converter thefts in the early part of 2026 than in all of 2025. Nationally, more than 137,000 converters were stolen in 2025, down from the 2023 peak but still a staggering number, and the early signs in 2026 point upward again.

The economics favor the thief. The tools are cheap, the act takes minutes, and a converter carries no obvious identifying marks once it leaves the vehicle, which makes stolen parts hard to trace and easy to sell. That combination is what has made the crime so stubborn.

Which cars are targeted and what replacement costs

One model stands out above all others. The Toyota Prius is the single most targeted car for catalytic converter theft. The second generation Prius is roughly 40 times more likely to be the subject of a theft claim than the average vehicle, and model years from about 2004 to 2009 are hit hardest. The reason is mechanical: because a hybrid’s gasoline engine starts and stops constantly and shares the workload with an electric motor, its converter runs cooler and the precious metals inside are less degraded, making them more valuable to a thief.

Beyond the Prius, thieves favor trucks and SUVs that sit high off the ground, giving easy access to slide underneath, along with other popular hybrids. Replacement is where the pain lands. For a late model Prius, a converter alone can run between roughly $2,346 and $2,413, and once you add labor, the all in cost of finding and installing a replacement commonly falls between $2,700 and $4,100, climbing toward the top of that range if you use an original equipment part from a Toyota dealer.

Insurance can soften the blow, but only if you carry the right coverage. Catalytic converter theft is covered under what insurers call other than collision coverage, not the basic liability that some drivers carry to meet state minimums. If you carry that coverage, a stolen converter claim is typically paid minus your deductible, though filing can affect your future premium. Drivers with liability only coverage are left to pay the full repair out of pocket.

The federal crackdown that has not arrived yet

Lawmakers have a plan, but it is moving slowly. The federal bill at the center of the effort is the Preventing Auto Recycling Theft Act, known as the PART Act, introduced in Congress as Senate Bill 2238. It would require new vehicles to have the vehicle identification number stamped onto the converter, so police can link a recovered part back to the car it came from, and it would fund a grant program letting repair shops and dealers mark existing converters with a car’s VIN at no cost to the owner. It would also tighten the rules around buying and selling used converters.

As of early 2026, the PART Act had advanced out of a congressional subcommittee and moved toward the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, but no nationwide federal law is yet in place. Dealer groups and the National Automobile Dealers Association have backed the legislation, arguing that VIN marking and a traceable supply chain are the most effective ways to choke off the resale market that makes the theft profitable.

In the absence of a federal law, states have stepped in. Many are implementing stricter rules in 2026 that require licensing for scrap dealers, demand documentation of the VIN for converter transactions, and set limits on how many converters an individual can sell without proof they were lawfully obtained. California has pursued its own crackdown with tighter anti theft rules. The patchwork helps, but it leaves protection uneven from state to state, which is why individual prevention still does the heavy lifting.

How to protect your car right now

Start with where you park. A thief wants a quick job in the dark, so parking in a locked garage whenever possible removes most of the opportunity. If you park outside, choose well lit, busy areas and, at home, position the car close to a building entrance or within view of a security camera or motion activated light. On the street, parking against a wall or between other vehicles makes it harder to slide underneath.

Physical deterrents work. A range of anti theft devices can be fitted around the converter, including steel shields, cages, and cable systems that clamp over the part and add cutting time a thief does not want to spend. Have your converter etched or painted with your VIN or license plate number, often offered free at police led community events, which makes the part traceable and far less attractive to a buyer. A bright high temperature paint also signals to scrap dealers that the part is marked.

Use the technology already in your car or driveway. A motion sensitive car alarm calibrated to detect vibration can scare off a thief mid cut, and a dashcam with parking mode or a home security camera can capture evidence that helps police. Check that your policy includes other than collision coverage if theft is a concern in your area, since that is the only way the repair is paid for you rather than by you.

If your converter is stolen, you will know immediately, because the car will be extremely loud when you start it. Do not keep driving it, since running without a converter can damage the engine and is illegal under emissions rules in most states. File a police report, contact your insurer if you carry that theft coverage, and have the replacement fitted along with an anti theft device so you are not hit twice. With thefts rising again and the federal fix still working through Congress, the cheapest catalytic converter is the one a thief decides is not worth the trouble.

It also helps to know what a fair repair looks like before you authorize one. After a theft, a shop will usually offer either an original equipment converter from the manufacturer or an aftermarket unit. The aftermarket part is cheaper but must be legal for your state, since California and a handful of states that follow its emissions rules require converters certified by the California Air Resources Board. Ask the shop to confirm the replacement meets your state standard and will pass an emissions test, get the quote in writing, and ask them to fit a shield or etch the new part at the same time. Pairing the replacement with a deterrent in one visit saves a second labor charge and lowers the odds you become a repeat victim, which is common because thieves often return to a car they know is unprotected.

Sources:

• https://www.moneygeek.com/living/driving/catalytic-converter-theft-cycle/
• https://www.autoblog.com/news/catalytic-converter-anti-theft-bill-united-states
• https://www.carfax.com/maintenance/catalytic-converter-theft
• https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/2238/text