Cadillac Escalade Tops Auto Theft List

Just the Facts:

• Cadillac Escalade tops the list of most stolen vehicles, according to Highway Loss Data Institute.
• Ford F-250, Infiniti G37 and Dodge Charger are also high on the list.
• HLDI is an affiliate of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

ARLINGTON, Virginia — The Cadillac Escalade isn't just a favorite of car thieves — insurance claims tend to be sky-high, too, according to the Highway Loss Data Institute.

Thus, the Escalade continues to top HLDI's theft-loss list, followed by the Ford F-250, the Infiniti G37, V8 versions of the Dodge Charger and the Chevrolet Corvette Z06.

HLDI is an affiliate of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, a lobbying arm of the U.S. insurance industry. It measures the rate at which people file insurance claims for auto theft, as well as the size of payments for claims — a more complicated formula than those used by the FBI, the National Insurance Crime Bureau and other organizations that typically measure just the overall number of vehicles stolen and so tend to skew toward such high-volume models as the Honda Accord and the Toyota Camry. HLDI said it rates vehicles with the worst theft losses by counting the number of insurance claims by make and model relative to the number of each make and model insured.

HLDI's latest data, released Tuesday, tallies and ranks theft-loss rates for passenger vehicles one to three years old. Because its data cover both the rate of insurance claims and the size of payments, it's no surprise that the vehicle segments that tend to rise to the top are large, expensive SUVs. But theft-loss rates for heavy-duty pickups, such as the F-250, are rising, too.

"Investigators tell us big work trucks like the Ford F-250/350, Chevrolet Silverado 1500, and Dodge Ram 2500 are attractive not only because of the vehicles themselves, but also because of the tools and cargo they carry," says HLDI Senior Vice President Kim Hazelbaker, who notes that HLDI data take into account theft of a vehicle as well as vehicle content.

Vehicles with the lowest loss rates include the Volvo S80, Saturn Vue, Nissan Murano and Toyota Prius.

The vehicle segment with the lowest loss rate? Two-door minicars, according to HLDI.

Inside Line says: Imagine a would-be car thief checking out a Charger and wondering, "That thing got a Hemi?" — Paul Lienert, Correspondent