Don’t Like Car Theft? Buy A Tesla

If you don’t like having your car stolen, you might want to consider buying a Tesla or another electric car. Thieves tend to pass over EVs in favor of internal combustion engine rides, especially muscle cars, and we have the data to back that up.

GM has a plant to feminize the Chevy Camaro.

That data comes from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) through its Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI). The organization concluded muscle cars, pickup trucks, and other ICE vehicles with plenty of power are most likely to be stolen.

However, out of the 20 least likely to be stolen cars, eight are EVs and two are plug-in hybrids. That’s right, if you don’t want to buy a Tesla or another electric car, you could instead get that dream Toyota Prius you definitely always wanted.

Why car thieves pass over EVs in favor of vehicles with a gas-burning engine is another topic entirely.

Some are saying electric cars are so unpopular, even criminals don’t want to steal them. There might be some truth to that. After all, the black market is still a market subject to demands. When in general people aren’t interested in owning something, it loses value and thus becomes less attractive to thieves.

But there’s also the argument that muscle cars appeal to the criminal element because of their overall bravado. There might be truth to that as well. But they also appeal to quite a few people who aren’t criminals.

Another factor to consider: because EVs have to be plugged in at night, they’re often parked inside a garage or at least near a domicile. Thieves are less likely to go after vehicles that are secured that way. Plus, they know Teslas have onboard cameras which will record them trying to break in.

What’s more, people who own EVs and plug-in hybrids tend to be more affluent and live in areas where car theft is less common. That could have something to do with why they’re stolen less often.

Read the entire IIHS HLDI study results for yourself here.

Image via Tesla

Join our Newsletter, subscribe to our YouTube page, and follow us on Facebook.