The Cadillac Escalade is the car most likely to get stolen, according to data released this week from the Highway Loss Data Institute, an affiliate of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Following the Cadillac Escalade, the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution and Dodge Ram 1500 Quad Cab pickup top the list of car thieves' favorite. The ranking is based on an analysis of theft insurance claims for vehicles sold between 2003 and 2005. To come up with a likelihood of any model getting stolen, the HLDI measures how many claims are filed against how many vehicles are insured. For 2003 to 2005, the average model had 2.6 claims filed for every 1,000 insured vehicle years. By comparison, the Escalade – which has topped the ranking for the fourth year in a row – had 13.2 claims per thousand. General Motors upgraded the antitheft system in the 2007 model, but the HLDI said it was too soon to tell if the system would improve the Escalade's theft rates. The least popular cars among thieves are the Ford Taurus station wagon, the Pontiac Vibe AWD, the Buick LeSabre and the Buick Park Avenue. · Highest Losses from Theft – rate of claims per 1,000 – Avg. Payment
Cadillac Escalade: 13.2, $17,913
Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution: 11.9, $10,326
Dodge Ram 1500 quad cab: 11.1, $10,088
Ford F-250/350 Supercrew 4WD (2005 only): 8.9, $17,702
Chrysler Sebring (2004-05): 8.5, $5,077
Average: 2.6, $8,605