After almost 10 years on the market, Cadillac's recently overhauled $56,000 Escalade SUV is hotter than ever, with first-quarter sales up 36 percent over last year. And of course that the hot Escalade is a big challenge for the thieves. The Escalade's rate of insurance theft claims is higher than that of any other luxury car — by far — according to recently released data from the Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI).

The HLDI tracks per-car theft losses and reports loss results in relative terms. A car with an HLDI theft loss score of 100 has average theft losses. Anything above 100 is higher than average. The HLDI theft loss scores for six of the seven most stolen luxury cars on our list range from 209 to 431 — and the HLDI says each of these cars has "substantially worse than average" theft loss results.

Every 25.5 seconds, a vehicle is stolen in the U.S., according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau. Vehicle theft is the costliest property crime in America, costing consumers more than $8.6 billion annually.

Top 7 Luxury cars that are most likely to be stolen:

• 1. Cadillac Escalade EXT: Theft loss rate - 1,728 ($55,045)
• 2. BMW 7-Series: Theft loss rate - 431 ($78,900)
• 3 (tie). Land Rover Range Rover SUV: Theft loss rate - 351 ($77,250)
• 3 (tie). Lincoln Navigator: Theft loss rate - 351 ($46,575)
• 4. Lexus GS Sedan: Theft loss rate - 243 ($44,150)
• 5. Mercedes-Benz S-Class: Theft loss rate - 227 ($86,535)
• 6. Mercedes-Benz SL-Class: Theft loss rate - 209 ($95,575)