Another Reason to be Thankful For Owning a Prius

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What are the reasons people tend to buy hybrid vehicles? For some, it's a personal effort to be "greener" and help play a role in reducing carbon emissions worldwide. There's also that desire to be on the cusp of technology and to drive the newest and latest innovations that go into the entertainment features and design of a hybrid. For others, it's the fact that the Prius is built to handle long drives, with gas mileages that can travel ridiculous distances. Take for example this Prius C that went on a 437 mile trip with just a 9.5 gallon tank.

Well, you can now add another factor to the list of reasons why someone might choose a Prius. According to the National Crime Insurance Bureau, the Prius has a much lower theft rate than many other vehicles, despite being one of the most popular on the road. It also has one of the highest recovery rates, with 96.7% of Prius vehicles being returned to owners. Either thieves don't know what to do when they attempt to steal one, or they really just don't like super efficient vehicles (after all, if you're committing grand theft auto, you're probably not caring about how good of gas mileage you're getting. And let's be honest- a Prius is definitely not the fastest vehicle for going 0-60 out there!)

Perhaps there's a better reason. John Abounader, executive director of the International Association of Auto Theft Investigators, says in a Bloomberg interview that “It’s a one-model car; the parts on it won’t fit anything else but a Prius. If you use a Camry, for instance, the engine might fit in another car. On a Prius, the engine is so different because they’re hybrid.”

The average rate of theft for 2008-2010 model vehicles is one in 78. For Prius models, it's one in 606. If we do the math, that's approximately an eight times greater likelihood of having your vehicle stolen if it's not a Prius!