Tesla electric cars are building a reputation as vehicles that thieves should not try to steal. In a report by the Highway Loss Data Institute, it reveals that Tesla vehicles are among those that are less likely to get stolen in the US. In fact, the report shows that there is only a 10 percent chance that the Tesla Model S and Tesla Model X could be stolen.
According to Matt Moore vice president of Highway Loss Data Institute, vehicle theft is both a matter of market value and opportunity. It is also one of the major reasons why the $64,000 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat ranks first on the list of the most-stolen vehicles in the market today. Although Tesla Model X and Tesla Model S meet the price criteria, the way they are utilized by their owners make them very difficult to steal, especially in the US.
Additionally, Moore notes that when electric vehicles like Tesla Model X and Tesla Model S are not in use, they are parked in a garage or at the very least close to the home of the owner so they can be charged overnight. This practice is very common among owners of electric vehicles, which enables them to drive their electric cars will full power every day. The vice president also shares that vehicle theft is usually a crime of opportunity and electric vehicles parked in locked garages where they are usually recharging are the most difficult to steal.
Apart from those, Tesla Model X and Tesla Model S are equipped with a plethora of security features that are intended to prevent car theft. This includes PIN to Drive, which will entail a four-digit verification code that owners or users must key in to drive the vehicle. Tesla vehicles also have the Sentry Mode which tracks the surroundings of the vehicle and activates a series of auditory and visual alarms whenever a break-in is attempted.
Other security features of Tesla Model X and Tesla Model S includes Intrusion Sensors. These sensors are optional accessories that uninterruptedly release ultrasonic waves throughout the cabin and activate the alarm whenever the signal is interrupted. Apart from the data from the Highway Loss Data Institute, the National Crime Information Center of the Federal Bureau of Investigation reveals that Tesla Model S and Tesla Model X that were stolen are typically recovered.
The department reported 115 Tesla vehicles stolen between 2011 and 2018 and 112 units were already recovered as of this writing. There was an incident where the Tesla vehicle owner easily tracked his stolen Tesla Model S through the use of GPS.
