Blog Posts
Why are so many Texans searching for information about this vehicle?
In the land of trucks, why are so many Texans searching license plates for this sedan?
Clearly, pickup trucks — a frequent sight on roadways across the state — are king in Texas, a place where bigger often means better.
But those aren't the vehicles Texans have been seeking the most information about lately.
That honor belongs to the 2015 Nissan Altima.
That's the vehicle that turned up the most the past two years when Texans went online to search a license plate database — whether to find the owner, report a bad driver or any other reason.
Researchers say they don't know why that's the vehicle that turns up at the top of Texans' search lists.
But different makes and years of Ford and Chevy trucks also are found on the list of the 25 most-searched vehicles on FindByPlate.com, a website that lets motorists search license plate numbers and report bad drivers.
In the past two years, there were 170,260 searches of Texas license plates on FindByPlate.com, data from the company shows.
Best selling/most stolen
This comes as Ford’s F-Series of trucks retains its title as America’s best selling vehicle, according to Kelley Blue Book’s most recent list.
“The top spot on this year's list of best-selling vehicles was again locked down by the same vehicle that won last year,” according to Kelley Blue Book. “And the year before. And the year before that.”
Granted, Ford trucks may not always hold that title, as “the Ford vs. Chevy wars are heating up,” according to the KBB report about the 25 best-selling cars of 2017.
The second-best-selling car last year was the Chevrolet Silverado; the third-best-selling was the Ram truck. Rounding out the top five best-selling vehicles: Toyota RAV4 and the Nissan Rogue.
Another distinct title for Ford and Chevrolet pickup trucks is that they were stolen more than any other vehicle in Texas in 2016, the most recent data available, according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau's most recent Hot Wheels report.
Also on the list of the top five stolen vehicles in Texas: the 2004 Dodge pickup, 1996 Honda Accord and 2000 Honda Civic.
One thing to note — the ninth-most stolen vehicle in Texas in 2016 was the 2015 Nissan Altima.
Most searched
When someone searches a license plate on FindByPlate.com, he or she can pull up any information the website has about the vehicle attached to that plate.
It might be just general information about that make and model, such as the number of doors and air bags, the engine model, the manufacturer, the transmission style or body type. But it also will show information people have submitted about that vehicle, perhaps pictures or videos or comments.
Someone recently, for instance, posted a report on a 2014 Chevrolet Camaro SS that was involved in a high speed chase through Houston this month. The report included photos of the chase, information about the vehicle and links to videos that showed the chase.
Here’s a look at the top 25 vehicles that show up during FindByPlate.com searches.
1. 2015 Nissan Altima
2. 2013 Ford F-150
3. 2015 Ford F-150
4. 2007 Chevrolet Tahoe
5. 2014 Chevrolet Silverado
6. 2014 Ford F-150
7. 2015 Chevrolet Silverado
8. 2007 Ford F-150
9. 2006 Ford F-150
10. 2010 Ford F-150
11. 2005 Ford F-150
12. 2013 Nissan Altima
13. 2007 Chevrolet Silverado
14. 2014 Toyota Camry
15. 2008 Chevrolet Silverado
16. 2008 Ford F-150
17. 2003 Chevrolet Silverado
18. 2004 Chevrolet Silverado
19. 2014 Ford Mustang
20. 2000 Ford Mustang
21. 2001 Ford F-150
22. 2004 Ford F-150
23. 2014 Ford Focus
24. 2017 Toyota Camry
25. 2017 Toyota Corolla
