Toronto, Ontario – Auto thefts declined close to 20 percent in the first half of 2024, a new report from the Équité Association, the national body representing Canadian property and casualty insurers.
According to the report on auto theft trends for the first half of 2025 revealed a 19.1 percent national decrease in the theft of private passenger vehicles, compared to the first half of 2024.
“Auto theft returning to pre-crisis levels demonstrates the effectiveness of Équité’s unified voice on behalf of our members,” said Terri O’Brien, president and chief executive officer of Équité Association in the company’s press release. “Minimizing the impact of auto theft on honest, hardworking Canadians was a key goal of the insurance industry, and the report data shows we are making meaningful progress towards that goal.”
Ontario and Quebec, the provinces that previously experienced the highest auto theft rates from 2021 to 2023, are reported to have the most significant decreases in auto theft rates, with Ontario experiencing a 25.9 percent decrease and Quebec experiencing a 22.2 percent decrease.
Équité first identified auto theft as a national crisis in 2023, according to its report. The anti-theft measures put in place by Ontario’s Major Auto Theft Prosecution Response Team, provincial Ministries of Transportation and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police have proven to be successful due to the national decrease in auto theft. However, 44 percent of vehicles stolen this year remain uncovered, and Équité investigators note that criminals have shifted towards stealing vehicles destined for chop shops and re-VINs, according to the report.
The total amount of stolen vehicles for the first half of 2025 in Canada is 23,094, approaching pre-crisis levels of 20,313 in the first half of 2021. National stolen vehicle recoveries in the first half of 2025 are at 56.5 percent, a 3.4 percentage increase from the first half of 2024 and just shy of the pre-crisis percentage of 57.2 percent in the first half of 2021.
Western Canada is the only region where stolen vehicle recovery rates are not increasing. Équité investigators are monitoring criminals who are now expanding domestic chop shops to international markets and targeting Alberta for international export of stolen vehicles, as stated in the report.
