Top 10 stolen-car models, s your car popular for the wrong reasons? It could be if you drive a Dodge Charger, which tops the latest list of most stolen new cars from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
Autos continue to be hot properties among thieves, with 379,677 of them pilfered last year according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
Fortunately, NHTSA says increased use of parts marking, anti-theft devices and technology like coded keys, along with heighted public awareness and improved law enforcement have helped reduce this number steadily since 2001, with vehicle thefts now at their lowest rate since 1967.
Still, the FBI figures one car was pinched last year for every 555 members of the U.S. population, to the tune of around $4.5 billion in annual losses.
Ironically, your car might actually be less of a target if your tastes and budget run large, as NHTSA’s data shows thieves have become more practical in their vehicular tastes. While 2009’s most-stolen new-car list (based on the number of thefts reported per 1,000 vehicles built) was well populated with top-shelf luxury models and sports cars like the Audi S8, Ford Mustang GT, BMW M5, Honda S2000 and the Mercedes-Benz CL, the 2010 rogues’ gallery is comprised mainly of more-affordable rides.
NHTSA’s list is based on vehicle theft data provided by the FBI’s National Crime Information Center, which is compiled from approximately 23,000 criminal justice agencies and other law enforcement authorities throughout the U.S. We’ve culled a list of the 20 most-stolen new cars, along with their theft rates relative to production, in the accompanying slide show.
Of course the most-stolen cars each year in terms of sheer numbers still tend to be older mainstream models like mid-to-late 1990’s Honda Accords and Civics, Toyota Camrys and Ford F-150 pickups that are typically dismantled and sold off for parts by unscrupulous vendors. On the other hand, it’s more of a popularity contest when it comes to brand-new vehicles, which are usually pilfered with the intention of being re-sold intact, albeit with phony identification numbers and/or laundered titles.
It could be that crooks believed affordable new cars would be more easily fenced during 2010 than costly exotics and top-shelf luxury models, given the then-flaccid state of the economy, as only two high-end cars – the Mercedes-Benz CL and BMW 7 Series – were ranked among NHTSA’s top 20.
In fact, many of the costliest factory-fresh models enjoyed zero thefts during 2010 according to NHTSA’s report. These include highly desirable (and, obviously, well-secured) rides like the Bentley Azure and Brooklands, Bugatti Veyron, BMW M3, M5 and M6, Dodge Viper, Porsche Boxster or Cayman and the entire Aston Martin, Ferrari, Lamborghini and Rolls-Royce lineups.
Curiously, NHTSA’s data shows that nobody bothered to steal a brand new Smart ForTwo during 2010 either, but we’d chalk that one up to thieves inadvertently overlooking these bite-sized coupes on crowded city streets.
Autos continue to be hot properties among thieves, with 379,677 of them pilfered last year according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
Fortunately, NHTSA says increased use of parts marking, anti-theft devices and technology like coded keys, along with heighted public awareness and improved law enforcement have helped reduce this number steadily since 2001, with vehicle thefts now at their lowest rate since 1967.
Still, the FBI figures one car was pinched last year for every 555 members of the U.S. population, to the tune of around $4.5 billion in annual losses.
Ironically, your car might actually be less of a target if your tastes and budget run large, as NHTSA’s data shows thieves have become more practical in their vehicular tastes. While 2009’s most-stolen new-car list (based on the number of thefts reported per 1,000 vehicles built) was well populated with top-shelf luxury models and sports cars like the Audi S8, Ford Mustang GT, BMW M5, Honda S2000 and the Mercedes-Benz CL, the 2010 rogues’ gallery is comprised mainly of more-affordable rides.
NHTSA’s list is based on vehicle theft data provided by the FBI’s National Crime Information Center, which is compiled from approximately 23,000 criminal justice agencies and other law enforcement authorities throughout the U.S. We’ve culled a list of the 20 most-stolen new cars, along with their theft rates relative to production, in the accompanying slide show.
Of course the most-stolen cars each year in terms of sheer numbers still tend to be older mainstream models like mid-to-late 1990’s Honda Accords and Civics, Toyota Camrys and Ford F-150 pickups that are typically dismantled and sold off for parts by unscrupulous vendors. On the other hand, it’s more of a popularity contest when it comes to brand-new vehicles, which are usually pilfered with the intention of being re-sold intact, albeit with phony identification numbers and/or laundered titles.
It could be that crooks believed affordable new cars would be more easily fenced during 2010 than costly exotics and top-shelf luxury models, given the then-flaccid state of the economy, as only two high-end cars – the Mercedes-Benz CL and BMW 7 Series – were ranked among NHTSA’s top 20.
In fact, many of the costliest factory-fresh models enjoyed zero thefts during 2010 according to NHTSA’s report. These include highly desirable (and, obviously, well-secured) rides like the Bentley Azure and Brooklands, Bugatti Veyron, BMW M3, M5 and M6, Dodge Viper, Porsche Boxster or Cayman and the entire Aston Martin, Ferrari, Lamborghini and Rolls-Royce lineups.
Curiously, NHTSA’s data shows that nobody bothered to steal a brand new Smart ForTwo during 2010 either, but we’d chalk that one up to thieves inadvertently overlooking these bite-sized coupes on crowded city streets.
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