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Tesla’s Model S and Model X are nearly 90% less likely to be stolen in the United States

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6 years ago

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Tesla’s electric cars seem to be building a reputation as vehicles that thieves actively avoid. According to the Highway Loss Data Institute, which recently published its list of vehicles that are most likely to get stolen in the United States, the Tesla Model S and Model X are almost 90% less likely to get stolen than the average car. 

Highway Loss Data Institute vice president Matt Moore stated that vehicle theft is a matter of opportunity and market value. This is among the reasons why this year, the Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat, which has a price of around $64,000, topped the list of most-stolen vehicles in the market. Being premium electric cars, the Tesla Model S and Model X certainly meet the criteria of price, but the way they are used by their owners make them pretty tough to steal. 

Moore notes that when electric vehicles are not in use, they are usually parked in a garage, or at least close to their owners’ homes, so that they can be plugged in overnight. This practice is common among electric car owners, and it allows each car to leave every day with a “full tank” of power. “Vehicle theft is a crime of opportunity, and electric cars parked in locked garages where they are recharging certainly makes it harder for a thief,” he explained.

Tesla’s electric cars are also equipped with a suite of security features that are actively designed to prevent thefts. Among these are PIN to Drive, which requires a four-digit verification code that must be entered before a vehicle could be driven; Sentry Mode, which monitors a vehicle’s surroundings and engages a series of visual and audible alarms once a break-in is attempted; and Intrusion Sensors, an optional accessory that intermittently pulses ultrasonic waves throughout the cabin and triggers an alarm if the signal is disturbed.

Apart from these security features, data from the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s National Crime Information Center have shown that Teslas that actually do get stolen are usually recovered. Between 2011 and May 2018, the National Crime Information Center tracked 115 Tesla thefts, and among this number, an impressive 112 were recovered. An example of this could be seen in a remarkable story involving an attempted theft of a Model S that ended up being involved in a dramatic transatlantic theft and rescue. During the entire duration of the vehicle’s journey all the way to its retrieval, the Model S’ owner was able to monitor the car’s exact location through GPS. 

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The HLDI notes that ultimately, how often a car or truck is stolen will impact how much owners of the vehicle will pay for auto insurance. Thus, vehicles like the Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat, for example, will likely carry a higher insurance premium, particularly when they are being driven in areas where the rate of auto thefts are high. This should bode well for owners of Tesla’s electric cars, as some insurance providers still quote high premiums for the company’s vehicles. 

Teslas and muscle cars aside, car thefts across the United States have been at a decline in recent years, with the National Insurance Crime Bureau reporting 773,139 vehicles being stolen in 2017, down 53% from 1991, when car thefts across the country peaked at 1.66 million vehicles.

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Simon is an experienced automotive reporter with a passion for electric cars and clean energy. Fascinated by the world envisioned by Elon Musk, he hopes to make it to Mars (at least as a tourist) someday. For stories or tips--or even to just say a simple hello--send a message to his email, simon@teslarati.com or his handle on X, @ResidentSponge.

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Elon Musk

Tesla schedules Roadster unveiling event, and you won’t believe when it is

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4 hours ago

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November 6, 2025

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Tesla has tentatively scheduled its unveiling event for the Roadster’s next-generation iteration, and you will not believe the date the company picked for it.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk said during the 2025 Annual Shareholders Meeting that the company is aiming for an April 1 demo event.

Yes, April Fools’ Day.

Tesla originally aimed for its “most epic demo” to take place at the end of this year. However, the writing on the wall as 2025 winds down seemed to indicate the company was not quite ready to show off everything it plans to implement into the Roadster.

Its capabilities have been teased quite heavily throughout most of the year, but the biggest hints came last week when Musk appeared on the Joe Rogan Experience Podcast.

He said:

“Whether it’s good or bad, it will be unforgettable. My friend Peter Thiel once reflected that the future was supposed to have flying cars, but we don’t have flying cars. I think if Peter wants a flying car, he should be able to buy one…I think it has a shot at being the most memorable product unveil ever. [It will be unveiled] hopefully before the end of the year. You know, we need to make sure that it works. This is some crazy technology in this car. Let’s just put it this way: if you took all the James Bond cars and combined them, it’s crazier than that.”

The Roadster has been somewhat of a letdown, at least in its newest version, thus far. Tesla has routinely delayed the project, putting those who put lofty down payments on the car in a weird limbo, lost at what to do.

One notable pre-orderer cancelled his reservation last week and got in a spat with Musk about it.

Now that there is a definitive date for the Roadster unveiling, Musk and Co. should have a more definitive cutoff date for features and capabilities. Chief Designer Franz von Holzhausen said earlier this year that when they showed Musk what they had done with the Roadster, the CEO encouraged them to do even more with it.

This delayed things further.

Musk also said he believes production would begin between 12 and 18 months after the unveiling, putting it out sometime in 2027.

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Elon Musk

Tesla (TSLA) shareholders officially approve Elon Musk’s 2025 performance award

To earn his landmark pay package, Musk would be required to lift Tesla’s market capitalization from about $1.1 trillion today to $8.5 trillion over the next decade.

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6 hours ago

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November 6, 2025

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Justin Pacheco, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) CEO Elon Musk has officially approved his 2025 Performance Award, a landmark pay package that could make him the world’s first trillionaire and make Tesla the most valuable company in the world by a mile. 

The 2025 CEO Performance Award was officially approved by Tesla shareholders at the 2025 Annual Shareholder Meeting.

Elon Musk‘s landmark pay package

As per Tesla, more than 75% of the shareholders approved Elon Musk’s 2025 CEO Performance Award. It was then unsurprising that the approval of Elon Musk’s pay plan received overwhelming applause from the event’s attendees.

The CEO took to the stage with much enthusiasm, welcoming every shareholder to the event and dancing briefly on stage. Optimus also danced on stage smoothly, demonstrating its improved movements to much appause.

Elon Musk’s 10-year targets

To earn his 2025 CEO Performance Award, Musk would be required to grow Tesla’s market capitalization from about $1.1 trillion today to $8.5 trillion over the next decade. At that level, Tesla would surpass every major public company in existence. The compensation plan also requires Tesla’s operating profit to grow from $17 billion last year to $400 billion annually. 

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Apart from leading Tesla to become the world’s biggest company in history, Musk is also required to hit several product targets for the electric vehicle maker. These include the delivery of 20 million Tesla vehicles cumulatively, 10 million active FSD subscriptions, 1 million Tesla bots delivered, and 1 million Robotaxis in operation.

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Elon Musk

Tesla 2025 Annual Shareholder Meeting: How to watch

Published

8 hours ago

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November 6, 2025

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Credit: @YunTaTsai1 | X

The 2025 Tesla Annual Shareholder Meeting from Gigafactory Texas is set to kick off at 4 p.m. EDT, 3 p.m. CDT.

The company will be having its typical presentation for the event, where CEO Elon Musk, along with other executives will discuss things like future products, the outlook of its self-driving development, potential releases for next year, and some current events within the company.

However, this year’s Shareholder Meeting has slightly more implications than others, as Investors and Shareholders have spent the last several months petitioning and supporting one of the proposals on the docket that could be the deciding factor in Musk staying or leaving Tesla.

Elon Musk’s new pay plan ties trillionaire status to Tesla’s $8.5 trillion valuation

Proposal four outlines a new compensation package for Musk that could give him $1 trillion in shares if he is able to complete a variety of lofty goals related to production, self-driving, and other important company projects.

Musk has said that he is truly after more influence on company decisions, especially as the Tesla Optimus program is ramping up and becoming a more relevant part of the company’s story.

The CEO said during the Q3 Earnings Call that he would not feel comfortable developing an “army of robots” if he did not have a comfortable amount of influence in some of the decisions. He could be voted our or out-influenced by what he calls “activist shareholders.”

One of those investors came after his past pay package, which was approved by shareholders not once, but twice. Musk still was not able to obtain the pay because of a Delaware Chancery Court ruling.

Nevertheless, this is one of the last ditch efforts Tesla is making to get Musk the compensation that he wants.

The meeting is set to kick off at 3 p.m. local time in Austin. You can watch it via the livestream on X:

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