The 3 Most Stolen New Cars
Lisa Steuer McArdle
· 3 min read
The Insurance Information Institute (III) released some facts and statistics on
auto theft
, including information about stolen new cars and which models are most frequently targeted.In addition, while new models are at risk for being stolen, the III noted that thieves also target older models because most of the time these cars have little to no
anti-theft devices
installed. Let’s take a closer look at the data, including the most frequently stolen new cars, as well as ways you can keep your car safe.
The most stolen new cars
According to the
III
, the Ford F-Series line of trucks was the most frequently stolen new car of 2019, which is the most recent year with available data. There were 1,767 thefts of new Ford F-Series that year. Following the Ford F-Series on the list of stolen new cars for 2019 were Ram’s line of trucks, which had 1,546 thefts, and the Jeep Cherokee/Grand Cherokee, which had 1,110 thefts.
When looking at all models, the Ford F-Series also topped the list of most cars stolen for 2019. It was followed by the Honda Civic and Chevrolet’s line of full-size Silverados.
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The most stolen older cars
The III also reported that most of the time, older model cars are more likely to be stolen because they lack anti-theft systems that are available with today’s cars.
For instance, the Honda Civic was reportedly the most frequently stolen passenger vehicle of 2017, with a total of 45,062 stolen vehicles.
Also, most of the models stolen were older—there were 6,707 thefts of the 1998 model, and only 388 thefts of the 2017 model that year.
How to protect your car from being stolen
It’s getting tougher to combat car theft because thieves are constantly figuring out new ways to steal cars. However, the good news is that anti-theft technology is also evolving as time goes on.
In fact, vehicle thefts have been in a downward trend since 1991. The National Insurance Crime Bureau credits anti-theft programs and technology in part for the decrease.
In the past, cars came with alarm systems, but today these systems aren’t considered to be very effective. That’s why many new vehicles don’t come with car alarms anymore.
Today, anti-theft devices that typically come with new cars include:
- A remote lock system, which allows you to lock and unlock your car from your phone.
- A transponder key that will not let you drive unless you have your key with you.
In addition, there are anti-theft devices you can install on your car to help protect against car theft, or help locate your car in the event that it does get stolen:
- Steering wheel locks, brake locks, and car wheel clamps will prevent thieves from being able to drive your car.
- A kill switch can disable your car’s electrical system during an attempted theft.
- A GPS tracking device can track down your car with your phone.
- Tracking subscriptions, like Onstar, can track your car’s current location and block its engine from starting.
- Vehicle recovery devices will send you an email or text if someone tries to drive your car without the keyfob and will also alert police computers using radio frequencies to track down and recover your car.
