Study

Camaro, Mustang, Challenger are America's most stolen sporty cars

2011 Chevrolet Camaro SS Convertible
2011 Chevrolet Camaro SS Convertible
View 15 Photos
Of all the bragging rights that volley back and forth between Mustang and Camaro owners, there is one category that most owners probably don't want to be tops in: theft. The National Insurance Crime Bureau released a top 10 list for thefts of sporty cars for the 2010 to 2012 model years between January 2009 and December 2012, and it found that the Camaro was the most stolen with 1,509 reported thefts.

The Mustang was the second-most popular vehicle for thieves in this class with 980 thefts, while the Dodge Challenger came in third (as it always seems to do in such comparisons...) with 782 thefts. These modern-day muscle cars accounted for around 87 percent of sporty vehicles, but while they were at the top in terms of overall thefts, more expensive, premium cars on the list – Porsche Panamera, Chevy Corvette, BMW 6 Series and Porsche 911 – had a better chance of not being recovered after they were stolen. About 12 percent of midsize sporty vehicles and close to 15 percent of compact sporty vehicles stolen were not recovered, but more than 30 percent of the premium sporty vehicles that were stolen were never seen again.

As for specific regions, LA, Atlanta and Miami rank as the top three areas for the thefts of stolen sports cars, but the top three cities for unrecovered stolen vehicles are New York, LA and Detroit. Scroll down for a summarized version of the report showing the top 10 stolen sports cars, but also be sure to check out the full NICB report with more in-depth data.
Show full PR text
NICB: Camaro, Mustang and Challenger Are Most Stolen "Sporty" Vehicles

New Report Covers 2010 – 2012 Model Year Vehicles

DES PLAINES, Ill., Oct. 30, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The National Insurance Crime Bureau today released the latest in its catalog of refreshed vehicle theft reports, this one on the "Sporty" classification. The report is based on National Crime Information Center (NCIC) vehicle theft records for the period January 1, 2009 through December 31, 2012 and limited to 2010, 2011 and 2012, model-year vehicles.

Sporty vehicles are broken down into three classes: premium, mid-sized and compact, each class containing several makes and models as defined by Automotive News(1). This report looks at Sporty thefts by class, as well as the top 10 theft makes and models.

During this reporting period, a total of 3,780 Sporty vehicles were reported stolen in the United States. By far, the mid-sized class had the most theft activity with 3,271 thefts, or 87 percent of the Sporty total. Within that class, the Chevrolet Camaro had the most theft reports (1,509), followed by the Ford Mustang (980) and the Dodge Challenger (782). Indeed those three vehicles had the highest theft figures of the entire report. Rounding out the top five most stolen Sporty vehicles were the Porsche Panamera (103) and the Audi A5/S5 (101).

Here is a chart of the top 10 makes and models:

Sporty Vehicle Thefts by Make & Model

Make

Model

Sporty class

Thefts

Chevrolet

Camaro

Mid-Sized

1,509

Ford

Mustang

Mid-Sized

980

Dodge

Challenger

Mid-Sized

782

Porsche

Panamera

Premium

103

Audi

A5/S5

Compact

101

Chevrolet

Corvette

Premium

69

Nissan

370Z

Compact

47

BMW

6 Series

Premium

45

Porsche

911

Premium

24

Volkswagen

Eos

Compact

23


The state where the most Sporty thefts occurred was California (764), followed by Florida (443), Texas (381), Georgia (257) and Michigan (187).

When reviewed by Core-Based Statistical Areas (CBSA), Sporty thefts were most reported from the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana, CA area (291). Next was the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta, GA area (226) followed by Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach, FL area (208). The New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island, NY-NJ-PA area (198) and the Detroit-Warren-Livonia, MI area (179) round out the top five CBSAs.

(1) Click here to see a complete list of Automotive News' Sporty vehicles.

Anyone with information concerning insurance fraud or vehicle theft can report it anonymously by calling toll-free 800-TEL-NICB (800-835-6422), texting keyword "fraud" to TIP411 (847411) or submitting a form on our website. Or, download the NICB Fraud Tips app on your iPhone or Android device.

About the National Insurance Crime Bureau: headquartered in Des Plaines, Ill., the NICB is the nation's leading not-for-profit organization exclusively dedicated to preventing, detecting and defeating insurance fraud and vehicle theft through data analytics, investigations, training, legislative advocacy and public awareness. The NICB is supported by more than 1,100 property and casualty insurance companies and self-insured organizations. NICB member companies wrote $350 billion in insurance premiums in 2012, or more than 78 percent of the nation's property/casualty insurance. That includes more than 93 percent ($160 billion) of the nation's personal auto insurance.

Share This Photo X