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Mercedes-Benz dubious honor: most stolen luxury car

Michael James

Mercedes-Benz has three of the top-10 most often cars stolent in U.S.

The Mercedes-Benz brand has an enduring appeal among high-end car buyers. But the German automaker’s status also now has a dubious component. It’s the most stolen luxury car in the United States.

According to a report by the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB), Mercedes-Benz had three of the top 10 most-stolen luxury models. The C-Class is the most-often stolen with 485 thefts from Jan. 1, 2009, through Dec. 31, 2012.

Mercedes-Benz has three of the top-10 most often cars stolent in U.S.
The Mercedes-Benz C class is the most stolen luxury car in the U.S.

The NICB divided the luxury-vehicle segment into three subclasses — compact, midsize and premium. There were 4,384 thefts total in the three segments.

By state, California has the most thefts (1,063), while South Dakota and Wyoming had the fewest with one each.

According to the NICB report, luxury vehicles “. . . are more likely to have been targeted by sophisticated organized theft rings which dismantle stolen vehicles for parts, vehicle identification number (VIN) and then switch them to resell to unsuspecting buyers, or export them to other countries.”

The top 10 most-stolen luxury vehicles, followed by the number of thefts:

1. Mercedes-Benz C-Class, 485; 2. BMW 3 Series, 471; 3. Infiniti G series, 405; 4. Mercedes-Benz E-Class, 381; 5. Cadillac CTS, 326; 6. BMW 5 Series, 256; 7. Lincoln MKZ, 226; 8. Acura TSX, 190; 9. Lexus IS, 177; 10. Mercedes-Benz S-Class, 163.

Article Last Updated: August 7, 2013.

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