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US muscle-car brand Dodge has taken the top two spots for the highest number of thefts in the US from 2020 to 2022.
07:0007 October 2023
The Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat is the most stolen car in the United States, according to a new report that found the US muscle car is 60 times more likely to be stolen than any other vehicle on the road.
Data from theHighway Loss Data Institute(HLDI) – a US non-profit research organisation –revealed there were 6128 Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat theft claims from 2020 through to the end of 2022, reported by online publication TheDrive.com.
According to theHLDI, for every 1000 insured 2020 to 2022 Charger SRT Hellcat models, there were 25 vehicle theft claims – up from an estimated 18 claims for 2019 to 2021 models.
In comparison, the most stolen 2017 to 2019 model, the Infiniti Q60, had two thefts per 1000 insured vehicles.
"If you own a Hellcat, you better check your driveway. These numbers are unbelievable," HLDI senior vice president Matt Moore said in a media statement, referring to the alarming rate of the Charger SRT Hellcat theft in the US.
While the Charger SRT Hellcat sits at number one by a wide margin, second place was claimed by the Dodge Charger HEMI variant equipped with the brand's supercharged V8 engine – which reported 2197 theft claims over the same period.
For Dodge Charger and Dodge Challenger owners, keeping a vigilant eye on their cars isn't anything new.
These two specific Dodge models with their powerful V8 engines have consistently been featured among the top five most stolen cars since 2011 – but the rate of theft is a cause of concern, say authorities.
Meanwhile, Hyundai and Kia thefts have risen drastically in the US in recent years and made it into the Top 20 due to thieves discovering certain models lack electronic immobilisers – security technology used by car manufacturers to prevent the engine from starting without the matching key.
At the other end of the scale, six of the 20 least stolen cars in the US over the same period were all electric, with the Tesla Model 3 and Tesla Model Y reporting three claims per 100 cars.
According to the US report, electric vehicles are stolen less frequently, and thenon-profit research organisation speculates this could be in part due to electric cars being left in well-lit car parks and relatively secure areas for charging – and their constant WI-FI connectivity that makes them easier to pinpoint.
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Ethan Cardinal graduated with a Journalism degree in 2020 from La Trobe University and has been working in the fashion industry as a freelance writer prior to joining Drive in 2023. Ethan greatly enjoys investigating and reporting on the cross sections between automotive, lifestyle and culture. Ethan relishes the opportunity to explore how deep cars are intertwined within different industries and how they could affect both casual readers and car enthusiasts.
