Dodge muscle cars, 4 Kia models among most stolen vehicles

The Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat muscle car is more than 60 times as likely to be stolen as the average 2020-22 model year vehicle, topping all other vehicles in a study released today by the Highway Loss Data Institute.

Dodge Charger and Challenger models with large engines frequently top the group's annual list, but the rate at which the Charger SRT Hellcat is stolen is spiking. There were about 25 whole-vehicle theft claims per 1,000 vehicles for the 2020-22 model years, up from 18 for 2019-21 models.

"If you own a Hellcat, you better check your driveway," Matt Moore, Highway Loss Data Institute senior vice president, said in a news release. "These numbers are unbelievable."

The Charger SRT Hellcat was joined by another Dodge model, the Charger Hemi, at the top of the list of vehicles most likely to be stolen relative to their numbers on the road. The Charger Hemi is more than 20 times as likely to be stolen compared with the average vehicle, the study found.

The Infiniti Q50, Dodge Challenger and four-wheel-drive Land Rover Range Rover rounded out the top 5 vehicles most likely to be stolen. The Q50 has been a recurring name on the list since the 2014 model year "for reasons that remain a mystery," according to the institute.

Four Kia models — the Sportage, the four-wheel-drive Sportage, Rio and Forte — were among the 20 vehicles most likely to get stolen for the 2020-22 model years. The Sportage crossover was most likely among those models, finishing sixth across all vehicles.

The study comes as thefts of Kia and Hyundai vehicles have surged. A crime spree ignited last year after videos on social media showed how to easily hotwire the vehicles. Millions of Kia and Hyundai vehicles produced over the past decade lack engine immobilizers — a key anti-theft deterrent.

Six of the 20 models deemed least likely to be stolen were electric vehicles, including five Tesla models. Four-wheel-drive versions of Tesla Model 3 and Model Y topped the list of vehicles with the lowest claim frequency, with the Model X finishing fifth behind the Volvo XC90 and GMC Acadia.

EVs might be less frequent targets of theft because they are "often parked overnight in well-lit and comparatively secure areas for charging," the Highway Loss Data Institute said in a news release.

The study contained good news for owners of General Motors vehicles. No GM model appeared on the list of vehicles most likely to be stolen, while six — the GMC Acadia 4WD, Chevrolet Trailblazer 4WD, Buick Envision 4WD, Cadillac XT5, Chevrolet Traverse 4WD and Buick Encore GX 4WD — were among the least likely to be taken.