Theft Prone Cars and Insurance Premiums

Which cars are most stolen do you think? You will probably be very surprised with the answers provided based on statistical data. You probably think that if you were to steal a car it would be something worth stealing. You would most likely go for your favorite make and model. However, an auto thief wouldn’t really think like you in many ways.

First of all, they wouldn’t want to be keeping the car for long to care about its interior, exterior and how they would look cool in it. Most stolen vehicles are chopped up within a few hours of being taken that it is immaterial how they look. It is a business for them and they would look at the easiest ways of making money. If they wanted hard work they would get a job.

Every year around one million automobiles are stolen in the United States of America, according to National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB). The total cost of these vehicles is around six billion dollars. According to FBI’s Uniform Crime Report a car is stolen every thirty second. Some of these autos have high security features and they still cannot stop thieves. 

How Do Auto Thefts Affect Your Car Insurance Rates?

This figure doesn’t include the costs of chasing after criminals, catching, putting them through trials and keeping them locked up. Also, it doesn’t include the costs to every motorist with a car insurance policy due to increased cost of insuring automobiles. Vehicle insurers have to recover the costs of claims somehow.

“Someone has got to pay for the losses suffered by the auto insurance industry and it is usually the policyholders” says CheapAutoInsurance.net. Companies usually find a way to pass the losses to their policyholders. If your car is one of those makes and models that are favored by thieves your auto insurance rates are going to go up a little bit more. And you wouldn’t be penalized as much when you have a car with high security features like immobilizer, alarm and tracking device.

Which Are the Most Stolen Cars and Why?

Every year NICB reports their findings and these are the most stolen vehicles in 2012 with the number of reported thefts nationwide in the U.S;

1. Honda Accord: 58,596
2. Honda Civic: 47,037
3. Ford Pickup (full-size): 26,770
4. Chevrolet Pickup (full-size): 23,745
5. Toyota Camry: 16,251
6. Dodge Caravan: 11,799
7. Dodge Pickup (full-size): 11,755
8. Acura Integra: 9,555
9. Nissan Altima: 9,169
10. Nissan Maxima: 6,947

I am sure you were expecting different cars in the list like Lamborghini, Porsche or BMW. You have to remember that the list is based on number of cars stolen and not buy their value. Furthermore, there are so much more Hondas on the roads than Ferraris. Another reason why Honda continuously tops this list is because certain models are easy to break in. And their parts are valuable and easy to sell due to number of Honda automobiles in circulation and need repairs.

What Is Your Best Defense Against Auto Theft?
Sure, it helps to have the latest security features installed in your vehicle. This definitely deters the thieves. When they have cars that are much easier targets they would go for them. They don’t want to get caught after all. That is why you would get auto insurance discounts when you have good security and park your car in the garage overnight.


Common sense is still the best defense in many aspects. Thousands of motorists leave their car keys on the ignition and some leave the vehicle running. If you are not paying attention thieves will take advantage of it and go for your automobile. You should always take basic precautions like locking your doors and parking your car in a visible location instead of a dark corner.