Pick-ups popular with thieves in Alberta

It’s almost a cliche. Albertans love vans. And so are car thieves in this province.

That’s according to the list of the top ten stolen cars of 2021 from Équité Association, a nonprofit organization that uses analytics and investigations to help insurers fight fraud.

Alberta’s list overwhelmingly includes vans, domestic trucks to be specific.

The only vehicle on Alberta’s top 10 list of stolen vehicles that isn’t a truck is the Dodge Journey, which was the tenth most stolen vehicle last year:

1. Ford F350 Series 1997-2007
2. Dodge Ram 1500 Series 2009-2018
3. Chevrolet/GMC Silverado/Sierra 2500 Series 1999-2006
4. Ford F150 Series 2009-2014
5. Chevrolet/GMC Silverado/Sierra 1500 Series 1999-2006
6. Ford F150 Series 2015-2020
7. Ford F250 Series 1997-2007
8. Chevrolet/GMC Silverado/Sierra 1500 Series 2007-2017
9. Dodge RAM 1500 Series 2019-2021
10. Dodge Journey 2009-2020

Car thefts are on the rise across the country, particularly in large urban centres.

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Those in the auto insurance industry say people who drive the most popular stolen vehicles can expect to pay more for insurance.

“Theoretically, if a vehicle is more likely to be stolen and that data gets out to the insurer, yes, it will increase the premium for drivers of that type of vehicle. Because what they’re essentially trying to do is predict the risk of a claim,” said John Shmuel of Rates.ca.

But if you’re driving something thieves don’t like, don’t celebrate just yet.

When car theft increases, all drivers may face an increase in premiums, regardless of make and model.

Shmuel says this is because the insurance industry needs to be able to pay for the increased number of claims.

As for why vans are so popular, there are probably a number of factors.

In the case of some of the older vehicles like the F350’s, they may just be easier to take due to the locking and ignition technology available at the time of manufacture.

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This is probably also due to the amount of trucks we have in Alberta. The more there is, the more likely it is to be stolen.

While trucks top the list in Alberta, it’s a different story nationally.

Nationwide, the Honda CRV was the most stolen vehicle.

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