The Chevy Camaro ZL1 may look like the ultimate Hot Wheels car, but it’s also hot wheels for car thieves. It tops the latest Highway Loss Data Institute report of the most stolen cars in America, which says it’s 39 times more likely to be stolen than the average car. It’s nearly twice as likely to be stolen as the second-place car, the Acura TLX with all-wheel drive. Other versions of the Camaro shouldn’t feel left out, as they take third place on the list.
The Camaro is a notable exception in the top 20, being the only sports car on a list dominated by trucks and SUVs. Comparable top-end Ford Mustangs, Dodge Charger Hellcats, and even Corvettes don’t make the top 20 at all. What is it about the Camaro in general, and the ZL1 in particular, that makes it so desirable to thieves? It’s not just the 650-horsepower 6.2-liter LT4 V8, or because this car once sent a Jalopnik writer to jail for speeding. HLDI believes it’s because of a security vulnerability that makes the Camaro easier to steal than other cars.
“In the case of Camaro ZL1, it is very desirable to thieves, and, on top of it, there’s a vulnerability that makes them relatively easy to steal,” Matt Moore, chief insurance operations officer at HLDI, told CBS News. “Due to the vulnerability, with the right knowledge and right bits of technology, someone who can gain access to the inside of one of these Camaros can steal it relatively easily.”
Trading security for convenience
Keyless entry is a nice modern convenience, but it has also made cars easier to steal. Thieves can intercept key fob codes, clone them, and use them to get inside a car. Once there, they can plug into the OBD2 port, tap into a headlight wire, or even use Bluetooth speakers to turn on the ignition and steal the car.
Chevrolet is already offering owners of 2020 through 2024 Camaros a free software update to improve security, likely to patch the exploit that thieves are using. HLDI says a similar approach has led to a 46% reduction in Hyundai and Kia thefts after a dramatic increase. In this case, a software upgrade added an immobilizer function that these cars lacked when built.
According to HLDI, thefts of 2016 and newer Camaros spiked in 2023 and continued to rise through 2024. Keyless entry was introduced in 2016, so Camaros likely became much easier to steal when thieves figured out how to hack the system. The ZL1’s goodies make it a prime target, but the same keyless entry system may be used on all Camaros, which would explain why non-ZL1 models are also popular with thieves. It’s worth noting that nine of HLDI’s top 20 stolen vehicles are GM products, mainly versions of the Chevy Silverado, GMC Sierra, and Cadillac Escalade. Late-model Camaro owners should make an appointment with a dealer to get the free software update and hopefully make these cars harder to steal.