Dodge muscle cars once again top HLDI’s list of most-stolen vehicles

Two Dodge muscle cars, the Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat and Dodge Charger HEMI, once again top the Highway Loss Data Institute’s list of the most-stolen vehicles for model years 2020-22. Meanwhile, a viral trend targeting Hyundai-Kia vehicles propelled four Kia models into the top 20.

Theft claims for the Charger SRT Hellcat were more than 60 times more frequent than the average for all 2020-22 models, relative to their numbers on the road, while theft claims for the Charger HEMI were more than 20 times higher than average, HLDI’s latest whole-vehicle theft report shows.

Charger and Challenger models with large, powerful engines have featured among the top five most-stolen vehicles since model year 2011, but the frequency of claims has increased at a stunning rate. For 2020-22 Charger SRT Hellcat models, there were 25 whole-vehicle theft claims per 1,000 insured vehicle years, up from about 18 for 2019-21 models. For comparison, the most-stolen 2017-19 model, the Infiniti Q60, had only 2 thefts per 1,000 insured vehicle years.

“If you own a Hellcat, you better check your driveway,” said HLDI Senior Vice President Matt Moore. “These numbers are unbelievable.”

Other frequently stolen 2020-22 models included luxury vehicles made by BMW, Infiniti and Land Rover and three large pickups with powerful engines. Relatively inexpensive models from Honda, Kia and Nissan round out the list. Thefts of Hyundai and Kia vehicles soared in recent years after thieves discovered that many of them lacked electronic immobilizers.

Six of the 20 models with the fewest claims for whole vehicle theft are electric vehicles, and six others are manufactured by General Motors. Typically, electric vehicles are stolen less frequently than other models. This may be because they are often parked overnight in well-lit and comparatively secure areas for charging.

Several high-end Volvo models also rank among the least-often stolen 2020-22 models, while two variants of the Infiniti Q50 appear among the most-stolen vehicles. The Q50 has been a perennial feature on the most-stolen vehicle list since model year 2014 for reasons that remain a mystery.

By looking at claims per insured vehicle year, HLDI’s theft reports allow people to compare the relative risk of each vehicle. In contrast, other most-stolen-vehicle lists report raw numbers of thefts and are therefore dominated by the most common vehicles on the road.

HLDI’s whole-vehicle theft report differs from its standard theft report, which looks at all theft claims, including those for stolen vehicle parts or for items taken from a vehicle.

To isolate whole-vehicle claims, HLDI compared the amounts paid for total losses under collision coverage, which is generally the residual value of the vehicle, to payments associated with each theft claim. Theft claims were considered to represent whole-vehicle thefts when the amount was around the same as would be expected for a total loss under collision coverage for the same vehicle of the same age.

As with all HLDI analyses, the results in the whole-vehicle theft report are adjusted to account for the effect of demographic and geographic factors.

Vehicles with the highest claim frequencies for whole-vehicle theft

2020-22 model years

Vehicles with the lowest claim frequencies for whole-vehicle theft

2020-22 model years

SOURCE: IIHS