The Surprising Cars Thieves Can’t Resist And The Ones They Ignore

- The Chevy Camaro ZL1 has the highest auto theft rate in the US.
- ZL1s are 39 times more likely to be stolen, according to new data.
- Acura’s TLX is 21 times more likely to get pinched than average.
Remember a couple of years back when Hyundai and Kia owners were scared to take their cars out of the garage due to the skyrocketing theft rates? Those owners sleep easier these days thanks to beefed up onboard security, and the insurance industry has a new least-favorite car. It’s the Camaro ZL1, which is a staggering 39 times more likely than the average car in the US to be stolen, according to a new study.
Related: How Hyundai And Kia Sparked America’s Largest Drop In Car Thefts In 40 Years
The supercharged Chevy muscle car tops the list of cars with the highest theft rates by a wide margin. It’s so bad it makes even the second-place Acura TLX – 21 times more likely to get stolen – seem as safe as houses in comparison.
And the ZL1 wasn’t the only Camaro on the list from the Highway Loss Data Institute. The regular Camaro placed third with a 13x theft rate, the study’s authors noting that models built after the arrival of a push-button starter in 2016 are particularly prone to disappearing.
Why Muscle Cars Attract Thieves
“Muscle cars have often topped this list, as thieves are attracted to vehicles with high horsepower,” said Matt Moore, chief insurance operations officer at HLDI. “That also helps explain why the more expensive, more powerful ZL1 is stolen so much more often than the standard Camaro.”
But if the hp count provided the motive, thieves’ ability to clone Camaro keys provided the means. GMC’s Sierra 2500 crew cab is the worst offending truck on the list (10x the average rate) and piles further shame on GM’s anti-theft tech, and after another appearance by an Acura TLX (2WD, 8x), it’s back to The General again for the GMC Sierra 3500 (7.4x) and Chevy Silverado 3500 (6.4x).

GM’s Dominance In The Rankings
GM dominates the top 20, in fact, with nine vehicles on the board, including the Cadillac Escalade (20th place, 2.6x). Stellantis has five, but European premium brands do relatively well, BMW, Mercedes and Land Rover only meriting one black mark each for the X7, S-Class and Range Rover.
Individual Hyundai and Kia models don’t figure anywhere on the list of 20 now that the Korean automakers have added electronic immobilizers. The theft claims were 52 percent lower for cars with the upgrade, though around 40 percent of owners still haven’t had the fix and the brands’ vehicles are still five times more likely to get stolen than the average car.
No One Wants To Steal EVs
At the other end of the scale, Teslas dominated the list of 20 cars with the lowest claim frequencies, with the Model 3 coming out top due to a claim frequency 1/100th of the average. And they weren’t the only electrified vehicles in attendance. In total there were eight EVs on the table and four hybrids, proving that thieves prefer traditional ICE-powered cars.
VEHICLES WITH HIGHEST THEFT CLAIMS
# | Model | Claim frequency (100 = average) |
1 | Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 | 3,949 |
2 | Acura TLX 4WD | 2,138 |
3 | Chevrolet Camaro | 1,287 |
4 | GMC Sierra 2500 crew cab 4WD | 1,023 |
5 | Acura TLX 2WD | 805 |
6 | GMC Sierra 3500 crew cab 4WD | 742 |
7 | Chevrolet Silverado 3500 crew cab 4WD | 662 |
8 | Dodge Durango 4WD | 592 |
9 | Land Rover Range Rover | 540 |
10 | Ram 1500 crew cab short-wheelbase 4WD | 524 |
11 | Chevrolet Silverado 2500 crew cab 4WD | 402 |
12 | Ram 3500 crew cab long-wheelbase 4WD | 387 |
13 | Honda CR-V hybrid | 340 |
14 | GMC Sierra 1500 crew cab 2WD | 324 |
15 | Dodge Durango 2WD | 300 |
16 | GMC Sierra 1500 crew cab 4WD | 292 |
17 | BMW X7 | 277 |
18 | Mercedes-Benz S-Class | 267 |
19 | Jeep Gladiator crew cab | 264 |
IIHS/HLDI
VEHICLES WITH HIGHEST THEFT CLAIMS
# | Model | Claim frequency (100 = average) |
1 | Tesla Model 3 4WD | 1 |
2 | Tesla Model Y 4WD | 2 |
3 | Tesla Model 3 2WD | 2 |
4 | Toyota RAV4 Prime | 5 |
5 | Tesla Model S | 5 |
6 | Volvo XC90 | 6 |
7 | Volvo XC40 4WD | 7 |
8 | Ford Mustang Mach-E | 8 |
9 | Volkswagen ID.4 | 9 |
10 | Subaru Crosstrek | 9 |
11 | Lexus NX 350 | 9 |
12 | Ford Explorer | 10 |
13 | Infiniti QX60 | 11 |
14 | Kia EV6 | 11 |
15 | BMW iX | 11 |
16 | Mini Cooper | 12 |
17 | Toyota Venza hybrid | 12 |
18 | Mercedes-Benz GLC | 12 |
19 | Volvo XC90 PHEV | 13 |
20 | Hyundai Elantra hybrid | 13 |
H/T to Road & Track