As NJ auto theft surges, these cars are LEAST likely to be stolen

It’s me, hi, I’m the problem, it’s me, auto theft.

It’s surging in New Jersey and as Gov. Murphy and legislators are trying to find a way out of it law enforcement really has its hands full. In Monmouth County a seven month investigation just led to criminal charges against five people who authorities say stole $3 million worth of vehicles.

The thefts were of more than 30 high-end cars like BMWs and Land Rovers, police say. Investigators claim the cars would be given fraudulent vehicle identification numbers so they could be retitled then sold online.

I passed an electronic road sign today that read: REMOVE YOUR KEY FOB, LOCK IT OR LOSE IT. Other than that sound advice, what more can you really do?

Well, I suppose you could decrease your chances of your car being stolen by driving a car that is statistically less on thieves' radar. That’s where this list comes in.

According to an article on hotcars.com these are among the makes and models least likely to be stolen.

Audi A8

Give some credit to Saudi’s anti-theft technology but it’s still surprising given the sheer number of Audis on the road that this vehicle is near the bottom of the stolen vehicle list.

Tesla Model S

Or to be honest pretty much any Tesla is going to be rarely showing up in a stolen vehicle police report. The anti-theft as well as the recovery technology is solid.

According to MarketWatch’s Quentin Fottrell,

“The recovery of stolen Teslas is notable in an industry where the overall recovery rate for stolen vehicles was just 58.4% in 2016. Tesla had a 100% recovery rate that year, thanks in part to its GPS tracking technology.”

BMW 5 Series

Among the Top 10 least stolen vehicles is the BMW 5 Series. Per 1,000 only 0.7 are stolen.

Volkswagen CC

They stopped making the Volkswagen Comfort Coupe in 2017 but preowned CCs are still selling big yet thieves don't seem to care. For every 1,000 only 0.6 are taken. Escalades for example are stolen 17 times more frequently.

Chevy Equinox

While Chevrolet's Malibus, Cruzes, Impalas and Silverados are frequently hit by thieves, for some reason their Equinox is rarely stolen. Weird since some argue it's a better model than some of those others.

Audi Q5

You would think a four wheel drive 252 horsepower luxury crossover SUV would be more tempting to thieves. Not so. It boasts a low theft percentage.

Mini Cooper Clubman

Thieves must have not seen the movie "The Bourne Identity" that showed off the Mini Cooper's amazing agility. It seems they don't often think of stealing one.

Saturn Vue

It could be because they stopped making it too many years ago. It could be because many said it drive like a boat. But the Saturn Vue made the list of seldom stolen cars.

Chevy Aveo

A recently ended model, Chevrolet's Aveo rivals their Equinox for rarely stolen cars.

Hyundai Elantra

Hyundai has been making this model forever and thieves have been leaving it alone forever. It's been around since 1990 but rarely is stolen.

Opinions expressed in the post above are those of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Jeff Deminski only.

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