The Most and Least Stolen Vehicles In America

If you own a Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat or Dodge Charger HEMI, you probably already know what we're about to tell you. You own one of the two most stolen vehicles in America, according to the Highway Loss Data Institute (HDLI).

The two Dodge muscle cars once again top the HDLI's list of the most-stolen vehicles for model years 2020-22.  Also making the top 20 list: four Kia models, following a viral video trend that targeted Kia-Hyundai vehicles.

Most-Stolen Vehicles

Charger/Challenger

According to the HLDI’s latest whole-vehicle theft report:

• Charger SRT Hellcat theft claims were more than 60 times more frequent than the average for all 2020-22 models, relative to their numbers on the road.  
• Charger HEMI theft claims were more than 20 times higher than average.

Researchers say that Charger and Challenger models have long been a top target of thieves, featured among the top five most-stolen vehicles since model year 2011. This year researchers say 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 2020-2022 Models

Luxury vehicles: BMW, INFINITI, Land Rover, Ford/Ram Pickups

Other frequently stolen 2020-22 models include luxury vehicles made by BMW, INFINITI and Land Rover and three large pickups with powerful engines.

Two variants of the Infiniti Q50 appear among the most-stolen vehicles. Researcher say the Q50 has been a perennial feature on the most-stolen vehicle list since model year 2014 for reasons that remain a mystery.

The three large pickups on the list are the Ford F-250, Ford F-350 and Ram 3500.

Non-Luxury vehicles: Honda, Kia, Nissan

Relatively inexpensive models from Honda, Kia and Nissan round out the list. As we've reported previously, Hyundai and Kia thefts have spiked in recent years after car thieves learned how easy they were to steal since many of them lacked electronic immobilizers. (In August, a federal judge denied to approve a proposed class-action settlement in the case.)

Least-Stolen Vehicles

Electric Vehicles

Electric vehicles are typically stolen less frequently than other models, researchers say, something that's mirrored in the rankings. Six of the 20 models with the fewest claims for whole vehicle theft are electric vehicles. Researchers suggest they may be less likely to be stolen since they're often parked overnight in well-lit and comparatively secure areas for charging.

GM

General Motors also has another six of the 20 models with the fewest claims.

Volvo

Several high-end Volvo models also rank among the least-often stolen 2020-22 models.

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

HDLI Theft Report

The HLDI says its 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 says it 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.

HDLI says the benefit of looking at claims per insured vehicle year is that is allows consumers to compare the relative risk of each vehicle. Other lists report raw numbers of thefts which HDLI researchers say results in a list dominated by the most common vehicles on the road.  

To read the full theft report click here →