Car Thefts Dropping, Even in Hotbed Provinces Ontario, Quebec: Report

A Corvette is 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. Handout photo

Car thefts have declined in the first half of 2025 compared to last year, even in Ontario and Quebec, which have experienced the highest auto theft rates, a recent report indicates.

Nationally, auto thefts decreased by 19.1 percent in the first half of 2025 compared to that of 2024. The provinces with the most significant decline in car thefts this year include Ontario, down 25.9 percent, and Quebec, down 22.2 percent, according to a July 28 report released by Équité Association, the national authority on insurance crime and fraud prevention.

“Canada is a safer place today than it was at the height of the auto theft crisis,” Équité President and CEO Terri O’Brien said in a July 28 statement. Canada’s vehicle theft crisis began in 2021 and reached a peak in 2023 when 34,338 vehicles were stolen in the first half of the year.

In the first half of 2025, there were 23,094 vehicles stolen, which the report says indicates a positive trend toward pre-crisis levels of 20,313 in the first half of 2021.

In Western Canada, auto thefts decreased by 9.4 percent during the first half of this year compared to that of last year, and Alberta specifically experienced a decline of 12.5 percent. Additionally, Atlantic Canada experienced 9 percent fewer car thefts so far this year.

Équité says this trend results from “collective investments, policies and awareness campaigns” through the organization’s partnership with various federal and provincial government ministries, law enforcement, insurers, and industry stakeholders, including RCMP, the Canadian Border Security Agency, and the International Criminal Police Organization.

However, Équité says there is a need for “continued vigilance” as its investigators have found criminals to be evolving their tactics and adapting to new auto theft methods.

Across the country, 56.5 percent of stolen vehicles were recovered in the first half of 2025, which is a 3.4 percentage point increase from 53.1 percent during the same period last year. Comparatively, 57.2 percent of stolen vehicles were recovered in the first half of 2021, while at the peak of the crisis in the first half of 2023, 50.9 percent of vehicles were recovered.

Recoveries have increased this year in every region except Western Canada, which declined by 1.4 percentage points. Équité investigators have found newer and more expensive vehicles targeted for export, with Alberta vehicles being recovered at the Port of Montreal.

Meanwhile, 43.5 percent of vehicles stolen across Canada this year remain “unrecovered.”

“Équité investigators have noted a shift towards criminals stealing vehicles destined for chop shops and re-VINs, hindering recoveries,” the report says. “As automotive and steel tariffs continue to create uncertainty, the market for used and after-market parts may become more lucrative.”

Équité’s Investigative Services Vice President Bryan Gast said in a July 28 statement that the auto theft numbers from the first half of this year are encouraging, but that “the fight is far from over.” He noted that Canadians have endured “significant impacts” from vehicle crime.