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The year’s most stolen cars have once again been laid bare by the Highway Loss Data Institute – with three Dodge muscle cars and two Kias both making the top ten. The study, carried out by the Virginia-based agency each year, breaks down the frequency of theft claims from motorists by car make – and subsequently awards each a number per 100 insured drivers. With this methodology, the institute found theft claims for the Charger SRT Hellcat – a four-door muscle car – to be more than 60 times more frequent than the 100 average, at 6,128 claims a year.
The runner-up, meanwhile – the more robust Dodge Charger HEMI – was stolen at a rate more than 20 times the aforementioned average, the report found, while a midsize luxury Infiniti earned the dubious distinction of third-most seized. Rounding out the top five were the iconic Dodge Challenger and Land Rover’s Range Rover, which were stolen at rates roughly seven and six times the 100 mark. Elsewhere in the top ten were two other KIA SUVs, as well as the sport version of the same Land Rover and Honda’s own top-selling SUV.
In tenth was the BMW X6 4WD – another luxury make priced at around $70,000 – followed by two more Kias, a strange occurrence experts have attributed to a dangerous TikTok trend especially targeting Hyundai-Kia vehicles. The challenge – which surfaced last year and urged young teens to steal certain cars off the street using a USB cord – pertained only to makes and models from the years 2010-2021, whereas Highway Loss’s study looked solely at cars from 2020 to 2022.
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Aside from thrusting four Kia makes into the top 20, the phenomenon led to an 85 percent increase in car theft of Hyundais and Kias from the previous year, and contributed to a recently confirmed spike in auto theft in 2022 by the FBI. Aired in the bureau’s annual crime report on Monday, the increase was quantified at 20 percent, consisting of some 721,852 car thefts last year compared to 601,453 the year before. The FBI’s crime statistics further showed how violent incidents are in the midst of an unforeseen dip after a surge during the pandemic – though auto thefts remain stubbornly high.
Nonetheless, Charger and Challenger models – known for their large, powerful engines – have for years been a common choice for thieves looking for either a quick joyride or buck: both making the top five most stolen lists since model year 2011. More than a decade later, the frequency of theft claims for the often souped-up neck-breakers has increased at an astounding rate – likely due to their recent prevalence in TV and film, as well as being a common choice of often-online influencers.
The presence of the Kias so high up on the list, as mentioned, could also be explained by trends wrought by the internet, and the fact they use a mechanical key and not a key fob and push-button to start – features almost always seen in the country’s least stolen cars, which were also revealed by the institute. That said, for most-stolen, luxury vehicles still ruled the realm – with usual suspects made by BMW, Infiniti, and Land Rover again appearing toward the top of the rankings.
Also in running for most stolen were three large pickups with powerful engines – Ford’s F-250 and 3-50 and the Ram 3500 4WD – and the tried-and-true CRV, Honda’s best-selling SUV that has been on motorways since the early 2000s. The vehicle’s four-wheel drive models were stolen at a rate four-times the national average, the report found, while its regular version ranked 20th after being stolen at a rate more than two-and-a-half times the 100 average. Other popular options, like Honda’s midsized Accord, also appeared in the top 20, with the sedan securing sixteenth place – recording a claim frequency just over 300.
Another non-flashy mid-sized option in the Nissan Maxima ranked 19th – putting a pin in a sample set that was as far-flung as it was revealing. It shines a light on which cars the relatively recent spate of thefts cited by the FBI are affecting, said HLDI Senior Vice President Matt Moore – who went on to warn owners of the number-one most stolen make, the 2020-22 Hellcat, to be wary ‘If you own a Hellcat, you better check your driveway,’ he said ‘These numbers are unbelievable.’ Read the full story:
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