We’ve all felt it. And whether you describe it as ‘Keeping Up with the Joneses’ or as a ‘hive-mind mentality, the simple truth is that much of our life is shaped by a desire to fit in. It starts when we’re kids, wanting the cool shoes, clothes or haircut that we covet from others. It continues through college selections, jobs, home buying, and even our tendency to leverage our children’s accomplishments as some sort of competitive resume builder. In some way or another, we’re all guilty of one-upmanship and of jealousy, and car-buying is one place where it becomes most prevalent.
Pulling up in a new car, truck, crossover or SUV is a legitimate symbol of status. Immediately, your new vehicle is sized up by others, to determine which of you bests the other in terms of fuel economy, horsepower, torque, amenities or maybe even towing and payload. This applies to used cars as well, since its still ‘new-to-you.’ Then, as the weeks turn to months, the impact fades away. Someone else is pulling up in a new vehicle and drawing the ire of others. But don’t worry, there are plenty of people who still covet your vehicle. In fact, they might like it so much that they just might try and steal it.
Any time spent researching the most popular cars in a geography will inevitably have some overlap with the most commonly stolen vehicles in that geography. And contrary to popular misconception, new cars aren’t the most frequently victimized. A used vehicle is far more likely to be targeted due to the demand for parts, and the lesser likelihood of built-in security and or GPS tracking.
That said, here is a list of the 10 Most Popular Vehicles in the United States, based on an audit of drivers across all 50 United States.
- Ford F-Series
- Chevrolet Silverado
- RAM Trucks
- Toyota RAV4
- Nissan Rogue
- Hond CR-V
- Toyota Camry
- Chevrolet Equinox
- Honda Civic
- Toyota Corolla
Stats from 2018
Did your car make the list? If so, you should be especially conscious of theft-risk, regardless of the vehicle age or mileage. With over 1,000,000 cars stolen every year, it’s helpful to understand some of the tricks that can be used to steal a car. Fair warning, this can get pretty depressing:
We hope you never have to deal with the threat or consequence of car theft, but you can never be too safe. Hopefully, the only drama you need to experience with your car is getting the stinky from some other parent in the middle school pick-up line.
