In the past, laminated glass was usually installed in the windshield, with side and rear windows being tempered only.
The difference is that tempered glass is per-stressed so that when it cracks, it shatters into many tiny and dull pieces. Laminated is the same thing, but with layers of plastic sandwiched with layers of tempered glass. Laminated glass will still shatter, but will be held together by the plastic layers.
In an emergency, small improvised, or purpose built tools meant to shatter tempered glass will be useless if the glass is laminated.
Tempered glass windows offer better theft protection which is why they are increasingly used.
Laminated*
They’re used for noise insulation not theft. In theft it’s just a minor inconvenience. Shatter the window with a rock, then punch the floppy laminated shards in.
No, more often, it’s smash the laminated window, get confused and then smash another window. If the 2nd window isn’t laminated, they’re in, if it is laminated too, then they smash your quarter glass since they’re basically never laminated.