“If you own a Hellcat, you better check your driveway,” said Highway Loss Data Institute Senior Vice President Matt Moore. “These numbers are unbelievable.”
A new report released Thursday by the Highway Loss Data Institute found that two Dodge “muscle cars” — the Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat and Dodge Charger HEMI — ranked as the most stolen vehicles in the last three years.
The data was compiled from vehicle theft claims made to insurance companies across the U.S.
According to the data, Hellcats were more than 60 times the national average for all of 2020 to 2022 to be reported stolen (6,128 relative claim frequency). The HEMI models were more than 25 times the average to be reported stolen (2,197 relative claim frequency).
For every 1,000 vehicle theft claims made, 2020 to 2022 models of the Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat recorded 25 — up from 18 for 2019 to 2021 models.
Other highly coveted vehicle comes in smaller, relatively cheaper packages, such as Kia automobiles.
“Over the course of the last two or three years, through propagation of information on social media, they’ve become very popular theft targets. And they are very vulnerable because they don’t have standard immobilizers,” Moore told WTOP.
Thefts of Kia vehicles soared in the past few years as thieves discovered most of them lack electronic anti-theft immobilizers.
In the District and Maryland, officials have called on federal authorities to order a massive recall of Hyundai and Kia vehicles, saying their vulnerability to being stolen has created a safety crisis. D.C. police have even offered free wheel locks to drivers of 2011 to 2021 Kia models.
“If you’re in the market for a vehicle, and you live in an area where vehicle theft is a problem, you might want to consider avoiding one of these vehicles,” Moore said. “If you already own one of these vehicles, there’s some things you can do to reduce the likelihood of having a vehicle theft claim.”
Moore called D.C. a “hot spot for vehicle theft” and recommends drivers park in a well-lit location, remember to take their keys, lock doors and never leave valuables in plain sight.
He added that a possible reason why high-value cars are getting stolen at alarming rates is that they’re being “stolen for export, so they can be sold out of country.”
WTOP’s Sandra Jones contributed to this report.
