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
