The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and the Highway Loss Data Institute recently released the list of the top 10 most stolen vehicles for 2008. SUVs and trucks figured prominently in the list. However, it is interesting to note that the most stolen vehicles are not necessarily the flashier models on the road.
Car robbers tend to target vehicles that can be sold for parts, easily blend in with traffic or are popular in foreign markets where the cars can be disposed off easily. SUVs and trucks also spend more time parked in driveways or out in the street making them more accessible to thieves. To compile this list, the IIHS looked at insurance-claim reports to determine theft-frequency rates.
The 2007 Cadillac Escalade ESV topped the most stolen list having the highest theft-claim frequency of any vehicle. In fact, it is 15 times more likely to get stolen than the least-stolen car which is the luxurious Mercades E Class sedan. �The Escalade has been the star of the show with car thieves for the better part of the decade,� says Russ Rader, an IIHS spokesperson. �It has pop-culture appeal, and thieves are attracted to it.�
Along with the E Class, other cars that have low theft-claim frequency reports are the Buick Rainer and the Subaru Forester. Here are the top 10 most stolen cars of 2008: