America’s 5 Most-Stolen Vehicles

Posted by Benji Riggins on September 1, 2010 under Interesting Info | Be the First to Comment

It’s tough being a thief. So much booty to carry around, so many cops to evade. Needless to say, trying to pick the right vehicle for the job while keeping in mind it’s resale value on the black market is almost as challenging as stealing one.

The Highway Loss Data Institute of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has released it’s annual list of cars and trucks with the highest claim rates per 1,000 units for theft, covering vehicles that are 1 to 3 years old. If you own one of these, you may want to invest in a good alarm, or let your dog sleep in it.

#5 Chevrolet Avalanche
Chevy’s real-life transformer – the cabin can be opened up to extend the pickup bed inside – may not be the company’s best seller, with only 16,000 sold in 2009, but it’s popular among the sticky fingers crowd with 7.4 per thousand getting ripped-off.

Source: Chevrolet

#4 Dodge Charger
If you were a criminal is there anything else you would drive? The Charger was designed to look menacing, and claims are made on 7.4 per 1,000 of them, while models with the high-performance HEMI V8 engine rank 7th on this list with 7.1 per 1,000. No surprise, it makes a great getaway car. Unfortunately, law enforcement has figured this out, which is why Dodge also makes a police version.

Source: Dodge

#3 Chevrolet Silverado
Just take a look around, the Silverado is one of the most common vehicles on the road. Theft claims are made on 8 out of every 1,000 of the crew cab models. That’s a lot of crime.

Source: Chevrolet

#2 Ford F250 Crew Cab 4X4
You’ve almost got to give someone credit for trying to steal a monster like the heavy duty Ford F250, unfortunately, a lot of people are successful doing it.

Source: Ford

#1 Cadillac Escalade
The Cadillac Escalade almost single-handedly defined the world bling, as applied to automobiles, so it’s no surprise its at the top of this list. Claims are made on no less than 10 of these for every 1,000 on the road, with an average payout of $11,934. And that’s with standard engine immobilizers. According to the HDLI’s Senior Vice President, Kim Hazelbaker,”thieves can still put them on flatbeds and haul them away.”

Makes you wonder how many of those are stolen each year.

Source: Cadillac