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| The Basics | Car thieves' top 10 targets
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The gigantic Cadillac Escalade is the preferred ride of athletes and celebrities -- and of criminals, too. It's stolen at the highest rate of any vehicle in the U.S.
By MSN Money staff
The Cadillac Escalade, a chrome-bedecked sport-utility vehicle that weighs as much as two Honda Civics, gets 12 mpg and costs $51,000, has the highest theft rate of all 2000-2002 passenger vehicles, an insurance industry group says.
The Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI) says the Escalade is stolen at a rate four times higher than average. In addition, the big truck also tops the list on the dollar value of losses to theft, costing insurers $167 for every Escalade on the road. The average for all cars is $15.
"The Escalade has both the highest theft claim frequency and the worst overall theft losses -- 10 times the average for all vehicles -- indicating it's a top target for thieves," says Kim Hazelbaker, HLDI senior vice president. "The Escalade's theft losses are the highest even though it's equipped with a standard antitheft ignition immobilizer. These immobilizers have reduced thefts of other vehicles, but we don't know why they don't seem to be effective for the Escalade."
Five other sport-utilities made the list of top theft targets, including the Escalade's equally flashy rival, the Lincoln Navigator. The car stolen at the highest rate was the Dodge Stratus.
The car you buy makes a huge difference in how much you pay for insurance. For instance, in San Diego, according to the California Department of Insurance, a 25-year-old male can get liability and collision auto insurance on a midsize sedan for about $2,000. For the same male, the average annual insurance bill for an SUV such as a Mitsubishi Montero Sport increases to $2,800, or 40% higher.
HLDI says its results are the only reported theft results based on the number of insured vehicles. Other studies don't take into account how many of each vehicle are insured, so the most popular vehicles on the road tend to top these organizations' lists of most-stolen vehicles (which are typically topped by the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry, the two most popular autos on the market). In contrast, HLDI identifies vehicles with the worst theft losses by counting the number of claims by make and model relative to the number of each make and model insured, indicating which vehicles are more likely to be targets.
Through July 2003, Cadillac had sold about 30,000 Escalades. By contrast, Honda sold eight times as many Accords.
HLDI is an affiliate of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, which is funded by insurers.
| Passenger vehicles with highest theft claim frequencies, 2000-02 models | | Make/series | Size/type | Frequency* |
Cadillac Escalade 4WD | Large SUV | 10.3 | | Dodge Stratus | Midsize 4-door car | 8.7 | | Mitsubishi Mirage | Small 2-door car | 7.2 | | Jeep Wrangler 4WD | Small SUV | 7.2 | | Lincoln Navigator 2WD | Large SUV | 6.6 | | Dodge Intrepid | Large 4-door car | 5.8 | | Lincoln Navigator 4WD | Large SUV | 5.7 | | Dodge Ram 1500 series | Large pickup | 5.6 | | Ford Expedition 2WD | Large SUV | 5.6 | | Chrysler Sebring | 4-door car | 5.5 | | | Average for all cars | 2.6 |
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Source: Highway Loss Data Institute
*claims per 1,000 insured vehicle years
Overall theft losses (stated as average loss payments per insured vehicle year) reflect both how often claims are made for particular vehicles and the cost of the claims. The Escalade tops the list of vehicles with the worst overall theft losses.
| Passenger vehicles with highest overall insurance theft losses, 2000-02 models | | Make/series | Size/type | Average loss payment* | | Cadillac Escalade 4WD | Large SUV | $167 | | Chevrolet Corvette convertible | Small 2-door sports car | $75 | | Lincoln Navigator 4WD | Large SUV | $71 | | BMW X5 4WD | Midsize SUV | $67 | | BMW 3 series convertible | Midsize 2-door luxury car | $63 | | Lincoln Navigator 2WD | Large SUV | $62 | | Lexus LX series 4WD | Large SUV | $61 | | Chevrolet Corvette | Small 2-door sports car | $59 | | Lexus IS 300 | Midsize 4-door luxury car | $59 | | Audi A4/S4 Quattro | Midsize 4-door car | $55 | | | Average for all cars | $15 |
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Source: Highway Loss Data Institute
*per insured vehicle year
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