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If the auto insurance premiums on that Cadillac Escalade you're considering end up giving you sticker shock, don't say I didn't warn you.

For the ninth year in a row, the Cadillac Escalade tops the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's list of most stolen cars, trucks and SUVs. According to the IIHS survey, which tracks theft losses of models from the previous two years, the Escalade is more than six times as likely to be stolen as the average vehicle, and cost insurance companies 10 times as much as the average model in losses.

In fact, pickup trucks and large SUVs dominate the IIHS theft rankings, taking up eight of the top 10 spots:

1. Cadillac Escalade (4 versions).
2. Ford F-250 crew 4WD.
3. Chevrolet Silverado 1500 crew.
4. Ford F-450 crew 4WD.
5. GMC Sierra 1500 crew.
6. Chrysler 300 large car.
7. Ford F-350 crew 4WD.
8. Chevrolet Avalanche 150.
9. GMC Yukon.
10. Chrysler 300 HEMI.

While the IIHS report finds thefts of trucks and SUVs has declined substantially thanks to ignition immobilizers that prevent them from being hot-wired, thieves still preferred them.

Thieves were less enthusiastic about sedans, hatchbacks and crossovers, which took all of the spots on the IIHS' least-stolen vehicle list:

1. Audi A6 4WD.
2. Mercury Mariner (2009-10).
3. Chevrolet Equinox (2010).
4. Volkswagen CC (2009-10).
5. Chevrolet Equinox 4WD (2010).
6. Lexus RX 350 (2010).
7. Saturn VUE.
8. Chevrolet Aveo (2009-10).
9. BMW 5 series 4WD.
10. Mini Cooper Clubman.

If you're wondering why this list differs so radically from the National Insurance Crime Bureau list I highlighted a while back, IIHS has an answer:

HLDI's theft numbers differ from reports by other organizations because they are based on the number of insured vehicles on the road. In contrast, information published by the National Insurance Crime Bureau simply lists the most frequently stolen vehicles. As a result, the list usually reflects the most commonly driven vehicles, not how likely a vehicle is to be targeted.

What do you think? Why do thieves favor pickups and large SUVs over sedans and crossovers?