Three separate studies reveal the vehicles most stolen in the United States.
The Acura Integra is very popular among car thieves, taking six of the top ten places on the 2005 stolen vehicle report by CCC Information Services Inc. Integra is also in the NICB "Hot Wheels" study.
Even with the high cost of fuel, the Cadillac Escalade had the highest theft claim rate overall, according to the HLDI, and was one of the most stolen SUVs, according to the CCC 2005 stolen vehicle report.
The Highway Loss Data Institute says the theft rate of pickups in 2005 was nearly twice as high as for cars or SUVs, with this Dodge Ram 1500 Quad Cab leading the trend.
Audi S4
Cadillac Escalade
Cadillac Escalade EXT
Chevrolet Silverado 1500
Chrysler Sebring
Dodge Caravan
Dodge Ram 1500
Ford F-150
Ford F-250 Super Duty
Ford F-350 Super Duty
Honda Accord
Honda Civic
Jaguar XJ Series
Mitsubishi Lancer
Nissan Sentra
Toyota Camry
The 1995 Honda Civic topped the NICB list as the most stolen vehicle during 2004, according to the "Hot Wheels" study from the National Insurance Crime Bureau.
The 1989 Toyota Camry also is a favorite among car thieves, according to the NICB list of America's most stolen vehicles.
According to the HLDI, the Ford Taurus has the lowest theft claim rate of any 2003-2005 models in the U.S.
The 2001 BMW M Roadster received the dubious honor of being listed as the most stolen vehicle of 2005, according to the most recent stolen vehicle report from CCC Information Services Inc. (CCC). CCC is a technology provider to the automotive claims and repair industry.
The CCC report found that slightly more than one out of every two hundred registered 2001 M Roadsters were stolen last year. Following closely behind were the 1998 Acura Integra in second place and 2004 Mercury Marauder in third.
The 2005 stolen vehicle report from CCC Information Services Inc. is based on the rate of theft for a vehicle as a percentage of the total number registered. CCC analyzes total loss claims received from more than 350 property and casualty insurers in North America and compares the number of vehicles stolen and not recovered against vehicle registration volume information provided by R.L. Polk & Co., to determine the rate of theft.
CCC changed the method of determining the most stolen vehicles two years ago, basing the report on the theft rate rather than the number of thefts, which had skewed the report toward the most popular models.
Not included in the study are vehicles stolen for joyrides or otherwise recovered and returned to their owners. CCC included only vehicles stolen and deemed a total loss, or never recovered. A vehicle is considered a total loss when the cost to repair it approaches or exceeds the value of the vehicle.
"We can't say exactly why they were stolen, but some details point to interesting trends contained within the list of the top 25 most stolen cars of 2005," said Mary Jo Prigge, CCC's president of operations. "For instance, our data suggest some cars are stolen for the value of their parts, which may explain why we often see a 'clustering' effect with same make and model vehicles from sequential model years."
"The data also point to a high proportion of stolen cars that are built for speed, such as the BMW M Roadster, the Audi S4, the supercharged Jaguar XJR and the Mercury Marauder, all of which appear on the top 25 most stolen vehicles list in 2005," Prigge added.
Surprisingly, the cost of fuel has not affected the popularity of the large SUV among car thieves. The full-size SUV segment remains the most stolen segment, including such vehicles as the Cadillac Escalade and the Land Rover Range Rover.
Hummers have also been popular among thieves—the brand was the most stolen make of vehicle in 2005, followed by Acura, Land Rover, Honda and Suzuki.
The CCC reports the ten most stolen vehicles for 2005 are as follows:
2001 BMW M Roadster
1998 Acura Integra
2004 Mercury Marauder
1999 Acura Integra
1995 Acura Integra
2002 Audi S4
1996 Acura Integra
1997 Acura Integra
2001 Acura Integra
2000 Jaguar XJR
The study is based on total loss claims received from more than 350 property and casualty insurers in North America and compares the number of vehicles stolen and not recovered against vehicle registration volume information provided by R.L. Polk & Co., to determine the rate of theft.
Most Stolen: Highway Loss Data Institute
The luxurious Cadillac Escalade SUV topped the list of the most recent study by the Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI), which looks at the insurance theft losses reported for one- to three-year-old vehicles, or 2003-2005 models.
The Escalade, Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution and Dodge Ram 1500 Quad Cab—the top three on HLDI's list— have theft claim rates four to five times higher than the average for all cars. The Ford F-250/Ford F-350 pickup trucks and the Chrysler Sebring round out the top five.
This is the fourth year in a row that the Escalade has topped the list of vehicles most likely to have a theft claim. In fact, Cadillac Escalade EXT luxury pickup truck shows overall theft losses that are 16 times higher than the average.
"The overall results show the Escalade has not only the highest rate of claims but also very expensive claims when they are filed," says Kim Hazelbaker, HLDI senior vice president. "In fact, almost one-quarter of theft claims for the Escalade are for $40,000 or more, indicating that thieves often are stealing the whole vehicles and not just their parts."
Surprisingly, the Escalade's theft losses have been the highest in recent years even though this vehicle is equipped with a standard anti-theft ignition immobilizer which is designed to prevent the vehicle from being started without the proper key. Cadillac redesigned the Escalade for 2007 and upgraded its anti-theft system; however it's too soon to know if the new model will have a lower theft rate than the previous ones.
The high-performance Lancer Evolution is new this year to the list of vehicles with the highest theft losses. Investigators say this model may be attracting the attention of thieves because its parts can be used to customize standard Lancers.
However, there are vehicles that are at the opposite end of the spectrum. The HLDI reports that the Ford Taurus showed the fewest theft claims, with the Pontiac Vibe 4WD, Buick LeSabre, Buick Park Avenue and Toyota Sienna 4WD with slightly higher claim rates.
According to the HLDI, overall theft losses, stated as average loss payments per insured vehicle year, reflect both how often theft claims are filed for a particular vehicle and the cost of the claims. Since 1980 theft claim frequencies have declined while average insurance payments per theft claim have increased. However, these trends have leveled off in recent years. The result is that since the mid-1990s overall theft losses have declined by about 25 percent.
HLDI Highest Theft Claim Rate for 2003-2005 model year vehicles
Cadillac Escalade
Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution
Dodge Ram 1500 Quad Cab
Ford F-250 SuperCrew 4WD/Ford F-350 SuperCrew 4WD
Chrysler Sebring
HLDI Lowest Theft Claim Rate for 2003-2005 model year vehicles
Ford Taurus
Pontiac Vibe 4WD
Buick LeSabre
Buick Park Avenue
Toyota Sienna 4WD
Most Stolen: National Insurance Crime Bureau
The popular 1995 Honda Civic was the top pick among thieves during the 2004 calendar year, according to the "Hot Wheels" report released in November 2005 by the (NICB).
In 2004, 1,237,114 motor vehicles were reported stolen which is a decrease of 23,357 vehicles from 2003. Overall in the U.S., car theft was down by almost two percent.
"The slight decrease in auto theft is a positive sign. Now all of us in the fight against vehicle theft and insurance fraud must ensure that we continue the momentum and bring this national crime problem under control," said Robert M. Bryant, president and chief executive officer of the NICB.
The most recent NICB report listed the 1989 Toyota Camry as the second most stolen vehicle, followed by the 1991 Honda Accord.
In fourth position, the 1994 Dodge Caravan was the highest-listed minivan as well as the most stolen domestic automobile. The Caravan was followed by three pickup trucks: the 1994 Chevrolet C/K 1500, the 1997 Ford F-150 and the 2003 Dodge Ram, respectively.
The NICB encourages everyone to follow what it calls a "layered approach" to auto theft protection by employing simple, low-cost suggestions to make vehicles less attractive to thieves. The four layers include Common Sense, Warning Device, Immobilizing Device, and Tracking Device.
The least expensive form of defense, common sense simply means using the standard safety features of a vehicle by locking the car and taking the keys. The second layer is a warning device or alarm on the vehicle.
The third layer takes suggests some sort of immobilizing device, such as a fuel cutoff or smart key that prevents the vehicle from being driven, and the fourth layer consists of a tracking device allowing law enforcement officers to track and recover a vehicle if stolen.
The NICB study is based on information reported to the National Crime Information Center, and it's one of three reports that list the most stolen cars in America.
The NICB top ten list—the number in parentheses is the model year most stolen:
Honda Civic (1995)
Toyota Camry (1989)
Honda Accord (1991)
Dodge Caravan (1994)
Chevrolet C/K 1500 (1994)
Ford F-150 (1997)
Dodge Ram Pickup (2003)
Acura Integra (1990)
Toyota Pickup (1988)
Nissan Sentra (1991)
How the Studies Differ
HLDI results are based on the number of insured vehicles. Information on theft losses published by the National Insurance Crime Bureau doesn't take into account how many of each vehicle are insured, so the most popular vehicles on the road tend to top this organizations' lists of most stolen vehicles. In contrast, HLDI and CCC Information Services identify vehicles with the worst theft losses by counting the number of claims by make and model relative to the number of each make and model insured or registered, indicating which vehicles are most likely to be targets.
Thieves Follow Market Trends
Thieves still prefer cars over SUVs or pickups—although large SUVs are becoming more common on the lists. In two separate studies, one from CCC and the other from the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB), at least seven of the ten most commonly stolen vehicles in the United States are cars, with the Acura Integra, Toyota Camry, Honda Civic and Honda Accord prominent on the lists. However, both studies show an increase in SUV theft.
