Ford F-250 Tops List Of Favorite Target For Thieves
The Ford F-250 Super Duty pickup truck is now officially auto thieves’ favorite vehicle to hit. A new study of vehicle theft between 2010-2012 moves Ford’s truck ahead of the Cadillac Escalade, the former favorite since 2003.
The study’s findings come in a newly released report from the automotive insurance industry’s Highway Loss Data Institute, says USA Today. The HLDI examines claims and claim rates for vehicles in the US.
The F-250 Super Duty is a large truck with a four-wheel drive and a crew-cab, typically used by tradespeople or those who do heavy duty towing on a regular basis. In cities, standard-duty pickup trucks are more commonly used for lighter work.
Now, though, the Ford F-250 has been found to have a theft insurance claim of seven for every 1,000 trucks. This is very interesting when compared to the average for all vehicles which, by HLDI’s measure, is 1.2 claims per 1,000 vehicles, says LA Times.
The Highway Loss Data Institute’s results are based on a formula that takes into account various factors, including whether a certain model is more common on the road than others.
Though the Ford F-250 is number one, eight of the vehicles in HLDI’s top ten list of claim frequency are General Motors trucks and SUVs.
The report does not distinguish in their numbers whether the claims were made regarding something stolen from the car or if the entire vehicle was stolen. However, the amount of the claim can be a strong indicator.
Looking at it this way, with the average insurance claim on the $33,000 Ford F-250 coming to $7,060, most incidents seem to involve thieves breaking in and stealing from the truck rather than taking off with the whole vehicle.
The least popular vehicle with thieves was the Dodge Journey, with 0.4 claim made per 1,000.
Regarding the Ford F-250’s sudden popularity among thieves over the Cadillac Escalade, vice president of HLDI, Matt Moore, said that this was likely due to new security systems installed in recent Escalade models. 2010 and 2012 models of the Ford F-250 feature new security features, however, but they do not appear to be curbing thieves.
[Image via Wikimedia Commons]
