In 1966, the term “muscle car” officially entered the language.
The dictionary says the term applies to “a group of American-made two-door sports coupes with powerful engines designed for high-performance driving,” but, c’mon, man, that doesn’t begin to describe the mind-blasting experience of roaring down the road in one of these babies.
Muscle cars are beloved by legions of auto enthusiasts. Even President Joe Biden, one the biggest boosters of electric vehicles on the planet, confessed that “I know I’m not supposed to like muscle cars, but I like muscle cars.”
And therein, unfortunately, lies the problem. It seems that certain types of muscle cars are also popular with thieves.
‘Better check your driveway’
Two Dodge muscle cars, the Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat and Dodge Charger HEMI, once again top the Highway Loss Data Institute’s list of the most-stolen vehicles for model years 2020-22. In addition, a viral trend targeting Hyundai-Kia vehicles propelled four Kia models into the top 20.
Earlier this year, a number of cities across the country sued Hyundai (HYMLF) – Get Free Report and Kia, charging that the lack of anti-theft technology in some of their vehicles was behind a “vehicular crime wave” inspired by a TikTok challenge.
The Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat, a large four-door car, had the highest relative whole vehicle theft claim frequency at over 60 times the all-passenger-vehicle average, the group said, while theft claims for the Charger HEMI were more than 20 times higher than average.
“If you own a Hellcat, you better check your driveway,” HLDI Senior Vice President Matt Moore said in a statement. “These numbers are unbelievable.”
Charger and Challenger models with large, powerful engines have featured among the top five most-stolen vehicles since model year 2011, but the frequency of claims has increased at a stunning rate, the report said. For 2020-22 Charger SRT Hellcat models, there were 25 whole-vehicle theft claims per 1,000 insured vehicle years, up from about 18 for 2019-21 models.
In contrast, the most-stolen 2017-19 model, the Infiniti Q60, had only two thefts per 1,000 insured vehicle years. A spokesperson for Stellantis (STLA) – Get Free Report, which owns Dodge, said the “vehicles meet or exceed all applicable federal motor vehicle safety regulations and benefit from industry-standard vehicle-security technology.”
EVs stolen less frequently
“Further, we engage in continuous product improvement, evidenced by our introduction of Key Programming Lockdown, which combats ignition-fob duplication,” said Eric Mayne. “This feature covers multiple model years and is available now, free of charge, from certified dealers.”
“Notwithstanding, we urge all motorists to take due care in securing their vehicles,” he said.
Other frequently stolen 2020-22 models included luxury vehicles made by BMW (BMWYY) – Get Free Report, Infiniti and Land Rover and three large pickups with powerful engines. Relatively inexpensive models from Honda (HMC) – Get Free Report, Kia and Nissan (NSANY) – Get Free Report round out the list. Meanwhile, the Tesla (TSLA) – Get Free Report Model 3 electric four-door 4WD, a midsize luxury car, and the Tesla Model Y electric four-door 4WD, a midsize luxury SUV, had the lowest relative whole vehicle theft claim frequencies at only 3% of the all- passenger-vehicle average.
In fact, six of the 20 models with the fewest claims for whole vehicle theft are electric vehicles, and six others are manufactured by General Motors (GM) – Get Free Report. Electric vehicles are typically stolen less frequently than other models, the report said, possibly because they are often parked overnight in well-lit and comparatively secure areas for charging. Several high-end Volvo (VLVLY) – Get Free Report models also rank among the least-often stolen 2020-22 models, while two variants of Nissan’s Infiniti Q50 appear among the most-stolen vehicles.
“The Q50 has been a perennial feature on the most-stolen vehicle list since model year 2014 for reasons that remain a mystery,” the institute said.