New Research Shows Which Car Models Face Highest Theft Risk, Number Stolen Yearly

• A new report has claimed that Hyundai Sonata is the most theft-vulnerable car with the highest rate of 157 thefts per 10K vehicles
• The report published by a US-based firm also said that Japanese manufacturers demonstrate superior theft prevention
• Honda models show the lowest vulnerability rates among top-selling vehicles in the world in the report

A recent study by Conboy Law Injury & Medical Malpractice Lawyers a US-based legal firm has revealed the most theft-prone vehicle models.

Safety features remain one of the top priorities for anyone trying to buy a car.

Conboy in its study said it analysed annual vehicle theft reports and manufacturer sales records for 25 popular models to reach its conclusion.

It added that the study focused on key metrics, including annual theft numbers, all-time sales volumes, theft rates, and risk percentages.

Giving a further breakdown of its methodology it said that a theft-vulnerability rate was calculated for each car, representing each model's theft numbers per 10,000 sales.

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Vehicles were also ranked from highest to lowest vulnerability based on these theft vulnerability scores.

List of cars vulnerable to theft

According to the report, the Hyundai Sonata takes the top spot with a theft-vulnerability rate of 157, making it the most at-risk model in the study.

With an annual theft number of 42.8k, it is the highest recorded and highlights a significant challenge in theft prevention for this popular car.

Hyundai Elantra ranks second with a theft-vulnerability rate of 154, following closely behind the Sonata. While leading the absolute theft numbers with 48K incidents compared to Sonata's 42K, its slightly larger sales volume of 3.1 million creates a lower vulnerability score.

Kia Soul takes the third spot, showing a theft frequency of 142. Despite its lower sales numbers compared to the Hyundai models, the Kia Soul's vulnerability remains high, with 21K thefts annually.

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Coming in fourth, the Kia Sportage has a theft number of 132 per 10k cars sold. With 15.7K thefts reported annually, it is one of the most targeted vehicles in the SUV category, also given its relatively small sales number at 1.1 million.

Kia Forte secures the fifth position with a theft occurrence of 124. With over 16K annual theft incidents across 1.3 million vehicles sold, the model has marginally better anti-theft measures than its Sportage sibling. The Forte rounds out the Korean manufacturers' dominance of the high-risk positions, maintaining a theft rate more than three times the industry average.

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In sixth place, Chevrolet Pick-Up experiences 48 thefts per 10,000 automobile sales. Despite matching Elantra's theft frequency at over 48K incidents, it also has the biggest sales volume of over 10 million units, which results in significantly lower theft potential.

The Jeep Grand Cherokee lands in seventh position, showing a theft rate of 39. With 13K annual thefts distributed across its substantial base of 3.38 million vehicles, the Grand Cherokee demonstrates better theft resistance than the Korean models dominating the top spots.

The Dodge Charger places eighth in the rankings, with a theft vulnerability rate of 38. Interestingly, while performance vehicles often attract theft attention, the Charger records the lowest absolute theft numbers in the top 10, with just 6K incidents. Against its sales volume of 1.63 million units, these numbers reflect strong theft deterrence that matches the Grand Cherokee's performance.

In the ninth position sits the Honda Accord with a theft frequency of 36 for 10k units sold, marking the beginning of Japanese manufacturers' showing in theft prevention. The model faces over 20K annual thefts, yet its sales of 5.77 million units help maintain a low vulnerability rate.

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The Honda Civic completes the top 10 with a theft rate of 35.3. Its annual theft count of 19K units, spread across a substantial 5.63 million sales volume, results in a strong security performance.

A spokesperson from Conboy Law Injury & Medical Malpractice Lawyers commented on the study:

“The automotive industry's approach to vehicle security reveals a striking disparity in manufacturer priorities and real-world vulnerabilities.

"Some brands have mastered the implementation of anti-theft technology, while others lag significantly behind, regardless of their market positioning or price points."

Car imports drop in Nigeria

Earlier, Legit.ng reported that Car imports into Nigeria have shrunk in 2024 amid multiple challenges, including naira devaluation and high inflation.

The multiple challenges pushed costs of vehicle imports up, and according to the foreign trade report recently released by the National Bureau of Statistics, the total value of passenger car imports fell from N1.47 trillion in 2023 to N1.26tn in 2024, a 14.3% drop.

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This is a sharp deviation from the previous year’s report when vehicle imports doubled between 2022 and 2023.

Source: Legit.ng