Least Stolen Cars In US
What are the least stolen vehicles that thieves avoid? That’s what we’re going to find out.
Although auto theft has been getting worse and worse, there are some vehicles with incredibly low theft rates that thieves seem to stay away from.
We’re going to find out why that is and why thievesf seem to hate them so much. If you want to know what are the most stolen vehicles and how to prevent car theft, Check Here.
Subaru Ascent :
let’s get started with the first vehicle on the least stolen list, and that vehicle is the Subaru Ascent.
According to the Highway Lost Data Institute, out of just over 312,000 insured units, the Ascent only had 19 theft claims, which is incredibly low.
Mercedes GLE :
The next vehicle on the list is the Mercedes GLE. Out of just over 63,000 insured units, there were only four theft claims for the GLE.
That’s actually quite interesting to see because usually Usually, luxury vehicles have a very high risk for theft, but not in this case.
Nissan Leaf :
After the GLE, the next vehicle on the list is the Nissan Leaf. Out of just under 33,000 insured units, the LEAF only had two theft claims.
So next to no one, basically, seems to be interested in stealing this particular electric car.
Land Rover Defender :
The next vehicle on the list is the Land Rover Defender. Very similar to the Leaf, out of just under 33,000 insured units, the Defender only had had two theft claims.
This one is also rather interesting because Land Rover also happens to make one of the most stolen vehicles in North America, which is the Range Rover.
It’s quite unusual how one Land Rover can be so sought after by thieves, and The other one is pretty much theft-proof, but there it is.
Lexus UX250H
The next least stolen vehicle on the list is the Lexus UX250H. Out of nearly 40,000 insured units, the UX only had two theft claims.
Again, another interesting to see, considering that the Lexus Rx 350 is the total opposite, being one of the most stolen vehicles of the year.
So what some of these examples seem to highlight so far is that it’s not always necessarily the anti-theft technology that’s used in a vehicle that determines whether a vehicle has a high theft rate or not.
Both Lexus models, just like both Landrover models, have very similar anti-theft features, and yet the theft rates are completely different between one to the next.
Sometimes, it really is just a matter of what thieves tend to gravitate towards. With luxury vehicles, it is usually models that are very desirable to export and sell for high profits in other countries.
Now, getting back to the list, the next group of vehicles all happen to come from the same manufacturer, and that manufacturer is General Motors.
General Motors six vehicles
Interestingly, GM has six vehicles on the least stolen list.
➜ These include the Buick Encore, with four theft claims out of 63,000 insured units,
➜ the Chevy Traverse, with 10 theft claims out of 200,000 insured units, the Buick Envision, with three theft claims out of 60,000 insured units,
➜ the Cadillac XT5, which only had two theft claims out of 53,000 insured units,
➜ the Chevy Trailblazer with only three theft claims out of 73,000 insured units,
➜ finally, the GMC Acadia with four theft claims out of 122,000 insured units.
Now, we do need to be careful with this one and not assume that all General Motors vehicles are automatically theft-proof because that is absolutely not the case.
Gm does have a few vehicles with really high theft claims. Vehicles, including their full-size trucks like the GMC Sierra and the Chevy Silverado, and the full-size SUVs like the GMC Yukon and the Cadillac Escalade.
Again, these gravitate towards these models for their high profitability when reselling them overseas, whereas the other models on this least stolen list just happen to have no appeal to these.
Volvo :
The next group of vehicles on the least stolen list also happen to come from just one manufacturer, and that manufacturer is Volvo.
Interestingly, almost every one of Volvo’s SUVs was on the least stolen list.
These include the XC60 with only two claims out of 31,000 insured units, the smaller XC40 with only three theft claims out of 80,000 insured units, and the number one least stolen Volvo is the large three-row XC90, with only three claims out of 108,000 insured units.
So Volvo doesn’t seem to be on the theft radar whatsoever. However, which means that if you want to buy a luxury vehicle with a very low risk of being stolen, Volvo seems to be the one to go for.
Some other vehicles on this list, Volvo does also make use of excellent anti-theft technology.
If a thief manages to break in, for example, the owner will receive a message on their phone, and a push notification will be sent to the Volvo Cars app.
If it is indeed a case of theft, Volvo will start tracking the car, contact local authorities, and provide a live position. Pretty neat stuff and clearly, pretty effective.
Tesla :
Finally, that brings us to the last group of vehicles on the list, which also happened to come from just one manufacturer, and this group far surpassed any other car manufacturer or vehicle by far, and that automaker is Tesla.
Every single Tesla that’s made is on the least stolen list, which is quite the achievement.
The Tesla Model S had only four theft claims out of 58,000 insured units, which is quite impressive, but it gets even better than that.
The Tesla Model X only had two theft claims out of 54,000 insured units.
Again, quite the achievement, especially for an expensive luxury SUV, which is normally a high-risk category for theft.
Tesla Model Y :
Then we have the second least stolen vehicle of the entire Highway Loss Data Institute study, which is the Tesla Model Y.
Out of an incredible 373,000 insured units, the Model Y only had five theft claims, which is incredible.
Model 3 :
Then we have the number one least stolen vehicle of all, which, of course, would be the Model 3.
The Model 3 only had three theft claims out of 256,000 insured vehicles.
What really makes the numbers for the Model Y and the Model 3 truly incredible and really stand out is just how incredibly low the theft claim numbers are relative to how many of these vehicles are on the roads.
These are the two best-selling electric vehicles in North America, and in the case of the Model Y, the best-selling vehicle around the world, period.
As far as EVs are concerned, these two are really the ones to beat.
So why exactly are these Teslas so incredibly unpopular with thieves and why are they so hard to steal? Well, Tesla offers multiple layers of security, starting with Century Mode.
This uses the vehicle’s cameras and sensors, and if the car detects when hovering around the vehicle from outside.
It will display Recording in Progress on the large infotainment screen. Sentry Mode is a rather clever feature, and that’s often enough in itself to deter thieves.
But if that doesn’t work and a thief is somehow able to break in using a relay attack, they still have to get through the next feature, which is pin to drive.
Just like a smartphone, a Tesla requires a security pin to activate. And even if they bypass that feature, they still have to deal with GPS tracking.
To most thieves, a Tesla is just not worth the hassle because there are so many barriers and hurdles to get through.
And not only that, but Teslas are just not desirable to steal because they don’t really have a lot of resale value to steal and ship to other countries to resell for a huge profit, which is the case for a lot of other luxury vehicles.
In fact, this is true for most electric vehicles. Remember, Tesla wasn’t the only brand to have EVs on the list.
There was also the Nissan Leaf, and EVs from other manufacturers also seem to have very low theft rates.
They’re just not that popular yet in the countries where stolen vehicles are often shipped to, which helps prevent them from being stolen in the first place.
There is one other vehicle type, however, that is absolutely theft proof that the study failed to mention, but I’m going to share it with you right now, and that is any vehicle that has a manual gearbox.
If you want to avoid trouble from thieves, buy yourself a vehicle with a shift it yourself manual Gearbox.
It may not be a very popular choice in North America anymore, and the number of vehicles that are even offered with a manual is incredibly small.
But it is a surefire way to prevent theft because most thieves are just not able to drive a manual car. So score one huge point for manuals.
Of course, if that’s not a realistic option for you and you’re not interested in buying any of the cars on this list, there are other things that you can do to prevent your car from being stolen.