If you had to guess what kind of vehicle is most likely to tickets, what would you choose? A flashy sports car like Ford’s Mustang or the Porsche 911? A “pocket rocket” like the VW GTI that attracts a younger buyer? Guess again.
According to ISO’s Quality Planning Corporation‘ s recent study, The Hummer H2/H3 actually leads the pack. Why? That’s the subject of great debate. Is it that Hummers attract a buyer who’s independent and “type A”? Does the stance of the vehicle itself change the way drivers interact with traffic and roads? Who knows. But Hummers are over 450% more likely to be ticketed than the average vehicle.
Rounding out the top 10 are three Scion models, the Toyota Solara and Matrix, all of which appeal primarily to younger drivers, and a couple of the higher powered Mercedes models. Another surprise is the Subaru Outback Station Wagon, over 2.5 times more likely to be ticketed than the average vehicle.
So which vehicles are the least likely to be ticketed? Well, some are not surprising: three Buicks and an Olds make the bottom 10. Interestingly, some other SUVs and a few pickups make the “least ticketed” list: Chevy’s Suburban, Tahoe and CK pickup, and the GMC Sierra. Each of these is less than half as likely to get a ticket as the average vehicle. The absolute least likely: another surprise – theJaguar XJ sedan.
The study compared a vehicle’s violation count per 100,000 miles driven for a one year period from 2007 to 2008.