Pickups popular with thieves in Alberta

It’s almost a cliché: Albertans love pickup trucks — and so do auto thieves in the province.

That’s according to the list of the top 10 stolen autos of 2021 from Équité Association, a non-profit that uses analytics and investigations to help insurers fight fraud.

Alberta’s list overwhelmingly features pickups — domestic trucks to be specific.

The only vehicle on Alberta’s top 10 stolen vehicle list that is not a truck is the Dodge Journey, which was the 10th-most stolen vehicle in the province last year:

1. Ford F350 Series 1997-2007
2. Dodge Ram 1500 Series 2009-2018
3. Chevrolet/GMC Silverado/Sierra 2500 Series1999-2006
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

Auto thefts are on the rise right across the country, especially in large urban centres.

2:33 Stolen box truck crashes into Calgary building, injuring 3 employees

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

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

But if you drive something thieves are not fond of, don’t celebrate just yet.

When auto thefts go up, all drivers could be facing an increase in premiums, regardless of make and model.

Shmuel says that’s because the insurance industry needs to be able to pay for the increased number of claims.

As for why pickup trucks are so popular, there are likely a number of factors.

In the case of some of the older vehicles like the F350s, it could be they are just easier to take because of the locking and ignition technology available at the time of manufacturing.

1:02 7 people sent to hospital after stolen vehicle crashes on Yellowhead Trail

It’s also likely due to the volume of trucks we have in Alberta. The more there are, the more likely they are to be stolen.

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

Nationwide the most stolen vehicle was the Honda CRV.