2024 Sees Drop in Auto Theft Rates, yet Levels Remain Historically High

A Corvette recovered by the Ontario Provincial Police as part of Project Titanium, an investigation into a criminal network involved in violent auto thefts and home invasions. OPP/Handout photo

Auto theft has fallen in Canada during the first six months of 2024, but incidents remain well above those seen in years past, according to recent data released by the Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC).

There were 17,647 auto theft claims in the first six months of this year, compared with 21,907 in the same period in 2023, the agency said in its report. The 19 percent drop is the first time claims have decreased in the past decade, although they are still above 2021 levels when theft rates began escalating rapidly.