Most (and Least) Stolen Cars in the US

I cannot imagine a worse feeling than parking your car and coming back to an empty space.  Overall, car theft in the United States declined almost 9% in 2007. (National Insurance Crime Bureau, NICB) The preliminary 2008 crime data released by the FBI in January 2009 indicate that 2008 will be the fifth consecutive year of declines in motor vehicle theft. The NICB says that motor vehicle theft fell 12.6 percent from 2007 to 2008, the largest single-year percentage decrease since 1999. This downward trend is very good news for insurance companies, and ultimately, for all of us.  Hopefully this trend is translating into lower premiums for our comprehensive coverage.  But cars are still being swiped.

To limit your chances of suffering the violation and hassle of having your car stolen, besides installing alarms and steering wheel locks, you can start by avoiding some of the hottest targets for thieves.  While for many years the top ten list of popular cars among grand theft auto professionals remained fairly consistent, interestingly, 2008 saw a shift.  Through 2007, here is what the list looked like beginning with the top most stolen vehicle.  (This was fairly typical for the past decade.)

1. Honda Civic (1995)
2. Honda Accord (1991)
3. Toyota Camry (1989)
4. Ford F-150 (1997)
5. Chevrolet C/K 1500 (1994)
6. Acura Integra (1994)
7. Dodge Ram Pickup (2004)
8. Nissan Sentra (1994)
9. Toyota Pickup (1988)
10.Toyota Corolla (2007)

Besides the three American pick-up trucks, the rest are mostly older, Japanese-made cars.

For 2008, Forbes Magazine reports that the top 10 has changed rather dramatically.  They are now making off with the SUV types, the big ones, although one of the top most that reached the list is a total outsider to the rest of the top ten, a lonely Honda convertible, (incidentally, one of my favorite cars).  They don’t seem to be interested in decade-old Hondas and Toyotas anymore; it was the year of the huge, recently manufactured truck.  Here’s your 2008 top 10:

1. Cadillac Escalade ESV (2007)
2. Ford F-250 SuperCrew (2005-2007)
3. Cadillac Escalade (2007)
4. Dodge Charger (2006-2007)
5. Ford F-350 SuperCrew (2005-2007)
6. Hummer H2 SUT (2005-2007)
7. Dodge Magnum (2005-2007)
8. Hummer H2 (2005-2007)
9. Dodge Durango (2005-2007)
10. Honda S2000 Convertible (all)

Many vehicles are stolen to sell their parts overseas. Why would these vehicles be stolen when they’re not really sold overseas, or at least in any significant volume (except the Ford trucks)?  One theory is that perhaps people are committing insurance fraud by claiming that they’re stolen when they’re really just burned in a field or driven into a lake. That might just happen when someone’s eyes were bigger than their paycheck and they can no longer afford the hefty car payment on a $60,000 Hummer or Escalade, or their home construction business is suffering and they can’t afford that heavy-duty pickup.

I can understand the little Honda S2000—it sure is tempting when someone parks it with the top down and the keys daringly dangling from the ignition.  But a Hummer? Who wants those parts?  Perhaps there is something to the auto insurance fraud theory with this downturn in the economy.  It should be interesting to see what happens over the next couple of years.

It’s too late; I already own an Escalade!
If you already own one of these gas-guzzling thief magnets, the NICB recommends you follow a layered approach to auto theft prevention.

• Use common sense: Employ locks, anti-theft devices that are standard on all vehicles.  Lock your car and take your keys.
• Add a warning device: Having and using a visible or audible warning device is another item that can ensure a car remains where you parked it.
• Consider an immobilizing device: “Kill switches”, fuel cut-offs and smart keys are among the devices that are both high and low tech, but extremely effective.  Generally, if a car won’t start, it won’t get stolen.
• Try an after-the-fact tracking device: Some use global positioning systems (GPS) to track a vehicle.  Others use radio frequency technology and help law enforcement track and recover it quickly.
• How about NICB’s VINCheck feature: NICB offers a consumer protection service that includes information on vehicles that have been declared “total losses” by participating NICB member insurance companies, unrecovered stolen vehicle data and flood vehicle data.

In case you were wondering…
The top 10 least stolen vehicles in 2008, (and they are the 2005-2007 models of each) were:

1.    Mercedes E Class
2.    Buick Rainier
3.    Subaru Forester
4.    Buick Terraza
5.    VW New Beetle
6.    Ford Focus
7.    Volvo V70
8.    Toyota Prius
9.    Saturn Relay
10.    Ford Freestyle

So, there’s your used, …er, pre-owned car shopping list.