Hot! The Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 Is The Most-Stolen Car — Here’s Why
The Chevrolet Camaro has been out of production since 2023, but it remains in demand … with thieves.
The Camaro ZL1 had the highest theft rate of any 2022 to 2024 model year vehicle in the latest Insurance institute for Highway Safety/Highway Loss Data Institute (IIHS/HLDI) study.
The top-of-the-line 650 hp model’s thefts per 1,000 cars was 39 times higher than average, while the rest of the Camaro lineup combined for third at 13 times the average rate. Sandwiched between them was the Acura TLX with all-wheel-drive at 21 times average.
“Muscle cars have often topped this list, as thieves are attracted to vehicles with high horsepower,” Matt Moore, IIHS/HLDI chief insurance operations officer, said in a news release. “That also helps explain why the more expensive, more powerful ZL1 is stolen so much more often than the standard Camaro.”
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But a big part of the reason the Camaros were so high on the list was a technical one. According to the report, 2016-2024 model year Camaros with keyless ignitions were susceptible to having their key fobs cloned by plugging a device into the on board diagnostics port, even if the fob wasn’t present.
Chevrolet offered a software upgrade to address the issue, but not before news of the method spread widely in 2023, which is when the organization first saw a spike in the theft rate that got as high as 14 times worse than that for 2010-2025 Camaros.
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The GMC Sierra 2500 crew cab 4WD was fourth on the overall list at 10 times worse than average and followed by the front-wheel-drive Acura TLX at eight times worse. The Chevrolet Silverado 3500 crew cab 4WD, Chevrolet Silverado 3500 crew cab 4WD, Dodge Durango 4WD, Land Rover Range Rover and Ram 1500 crew cab short-wheelbase 4WD rounded out the top 10.
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As far as least-stolen vehicles are concerned, the Tesla Model 3 all-wheel-drive, Tesla Model Y all-wheel drive and Tesla Model 3 two-wheel-drive were least likely to be stolen. The organization notes that electric cars are more likely to be parked in secure locations. Electric vehicles are often also more difficult for a thief to start due to their more complex architecture and connectivity and many, like the Teslas, have robust built-in security systems and even cameras as a deterrent.