The Lexus ES 300 has taken the crown of "most ticketed vehicle" from the Subaru WRX.
Subaru WRX owners know a few things for certain once they slide behind the wheel of their all-wheel drive pocket rockets: they’ll enjoy great handling, a powerful engine and get more traffic tickets than all of their non-WRX-driving friends.
Until now.
There’s a new king of the civil infraction hill! The Lexus ES 300.
The entry-level Japanese luxury sedan not only ascended to the throne, the WRX was banished to 12th place on the most recent list from Insurance.com. At the opposite end of the spectrum, is the Buick Encore.
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The Subaru WRX is putting the title of "most ticketed car" in its rearview mirror.
The website pulled data from February 2014 through February 2016 to make its determination. While it would seem that sportier cars getting the most tickets and luxury cars would be getting the fewest, the website claims it’s not so simple.
“It’s the driver that gets tickets, not the car,” says Penny Gusner, consumer analyst for Insurance.com. “But it is interesting to see what vehicle makes and models attract drivers who are prone to traffic violations.”
Gusner’s feelings about who is behind the wheel being the biggest factor in getting a ticket may be true, the top 10 list after the ES 300 is a collection of “enablers,” including:
- Nissan 350Z
- Dodge Charger SE/SXT
- Volkswagen Jetta GL
- Chevrolet Monte Carlo LS/LT
- Mazda 3S
- Volkswagen GTI
- Dodge Stratus SXT
- Acura 3.0
- Toyota Tacoma
Small crossover, small chance of getting a ticket. The Buick Encore was the least ticketed vehicle in the U.S. in the last two years.
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While the most frequently ticketed vehicles include a variety of economy and luxury cars, the cars with the lowest percentage of tickets are generally more expensive vehicles, such as the aforementioned Encore, plus:
- Lexus IS 350
- Acura ILX
- Cadillac ATS
- Chevrolet Express
- Cadillac Escalade
- GMC Savana
- Audi A3 2-Series
- BMW 320i
- Land Rover Range Rover
“It’s notable that cars on most tickets list also appear to have an above-average number of insurance claims,” said Gusner.
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Twenty-three percent of surveyed drivers at the top of the ticket list filed an insurance claim during the survey period, while only 19% of all other cars made insurance claims within that timeframe.