Cars: list of top 10 lists

The Insurance Bureau of Canada estimates that auto theft cost insurance companies more than $500 million in 2007 - or about $35 on each car insurance policy in the country.

More than 146,000 vehicles were stolen in 2007. That represents a drop of 7.9 per cent from the year before.

Each year, the bureau releases lists of most-stolen and least-stolen vehicles. The bureau says auto thieves aren't just going after luxury cars. They'll snatch older cars — often to commit other crimes — because they lack anti-theft systems and are easy to grab.

Luxury vehicles are generally targeted by organized criminals for export.

Here are lists of the most — and least — stolen vehicles in Canada:

Crash test results

The American-based Insurance Institute for Highway Safety tests vehicles for how well they perform in 

crashes. The institute defines "crashworthiness" as how well a vehicle protects its occupants in a crash.

It rates vehicles as good, acceptable, marginal, or poor based on performance in high-speed front and side crash tests. It also takes into account how seat and head restrains protect against neck injuries when a vehicle is hit from behind.

In order to earn a "Top Safety Pick" award, a vehicle must earn good ratings in all three tests and offer electronic stability control, a crash-avoidance system that's designed to help you avoid losing control of your vehicle.

Here are the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's top safety choices in several categories:

Most fuel-efficient vehicles

Vehicle manufacturers submit fuel consumption ratings for their cars and trucks to Transport Canada. 

Each manufacturer must certify that their tests and calculations are carried out according to approved Transport Canada methods.

Tests involve running the vehicle through simulated city and highway conditions in a laboratory.

There's little chance that you will be able to duplicate the fuel consumption ratings you see on the sticker when you buy a new car. There are a number of reasons for this including weather, traffic and road conditions, and whether you are hard on the brakes as well as the gas pedal. You also don't drive your car in a laboratory.

Here are the top 10 fuel-efficient cars in Canada for the 2008 model year: