Versions of the 2003-05 Cadillac Escalade, Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution, and Dodge Ram 1500 quad cab pickup have the highest rates of insurance theft claims according to a study published by the Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI), an affiliate of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. The three vehicles have claim rates four-to-five times the average for all vehicles.

This is the fourth year in a row that the Escalade has topped the list of vehicles most likely to have a theft claim. In fact, according to the report, four different versions of the Escalade (EXT, a specialty pickup, plus two- and four-wheel-drive versions of the short and long wheelbase Escalade) head the list of the worst overall insurance losses for theft among all passenger vehicles. The EXT has overall theft losses that are 16 times higher than the average.

“The overall results show the Escalade has not only the highest rate of claims but also very expensive claims when they are filed,” said Kim Hazelbaker, HLDI senior vice president. “In fact, almost one-quarter of theft claims for the Escalade are for $40,000 or more, indicating that thieves often are stealing the whole vehicles and not just their parts.”

The high-performance Lancer Evolution is new to the list of vehicles that have the highest theft losses. Investigators say this model may be attracting the attention of thieves because its parts can be used to customize standard Lancers.

Overall theft losses, or average loss payments per insured vehicle year, reflect both how often theft claims are filed for a particular vehicle and the cost of the claims. Since 1980, theft-claim frequencies have declined while average insurance payments per theft claim have increased. However, these trends have leveled off in recent years. The result is that since the mid-1990s overall theft losses have declined by about 25 percent.

Special Reports /

Three Automobiles Top Theft List

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