The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has recently revealed concerning statistics concerning vehicle theft in the United States for model years 2020 to 2022. During this period, the Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat has earned the unfortunate distinction of being the most frequently stolen vehicle, surpassing the average for all 2020-2022 models by an astonishing 60-fold.
It’s worth noting that other variants of the Dodge Charger, particularly those equipped with Hemi V-8 engines, also face significant theft problems, ranking as the second most stolen vehicles with claims that are 20 times higher than the average. The closely related Dodge Challenger coupe comes in fourth place in terms of theft claims frequency.
High-performance versions of the Charger and Challenger have consistently held positions in the top five most-stolen vehicles since 2011, and this has raised concerns due to the notable increase in theft claims. For Charger Hellcats, theft claims have risen from 18 claims per 1,000 insured vehicles for model years 2019-2021 to 25 claims for model years 2020-2022.
The list of frequently stolen 2020-2022 models also includes Ford F-Series Super Duty and Ram 3500 pickup trucks, as well as various BMW, Infiniti, and Land Rover models. Hyundai and Kia models have experienced an uptick in thefts, mainly due to their lack of engine immobilizers.
Interestingly, electric vehicles (EVs) are targeted less frequently, likely because they are often parked in well-lit and secure areas for charging. Among EVs, dual-motor versions of the Tesla Model 3 had the lowest frequency of whole vehicle theft claims, followed by the Tesla Model Y. Other EVs, such as the single-motor Model 3, Tesla Model S, Model X, and Nissan Leaf, also ranked among the 20 least-stolen vehicles for model years 2020-2022, along with six other General Motors vehicles.
