Automotive theft rates are showing a downward trend in Canada.

The Équité Association, a non-profit organization supporting insurance companies, released its First Half of 2025 Auto Theft Trend Report on July 28.

The key highlight of the report is that national auto theft rates were down 19.1 per cent in the first half of 2025 compared to the same period in 2024. Ontario and Quebec also saw the biggest decreases.

“Canada is a safer place today than it was at the height of the auto theft crisis,” said Équité Association president and CEO Terri O’Brien in a news release.

“Auto theft returning to pre-crisis levels demonstrates the effectiveness of Équité’s unified voice on behalf of our members. Led by Public Safety Canada, with solution-focused recommendations from Équité, the National Action Plan on Combatting Auto Theft has been instrumental in implementing comprehensive strategies to protect Canadians from the organized crime behind the auto theft crisis. 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.”

Theft decreases by province

Ontario and Quebec saw the biggest decreases in theft rates.

Decreases were as follows:

• Ontario – down 25.9 per cent (9,600 thefts in H1 2025 versus 12,949 in H1 2024)
• Quebec – down 22.2 per cent (3,889 versus 5,000)
• Alberta – down 12.5 per cent (4,411 versus 5,042)
• Western Canada (including Alberta) – down 9.4 per cent (8,695 versus 9,600)
• Atlantic Canada – down 9 per cent (910 versus 1,000)

Nationally, there were were 23,094 thefts in the first half of 2025, compared to the 28,549 thefts in the first half of 2024.

More work to be done

The organization says the decrease is encouraging, but there is more work to be done still.

For example, criminal strategies are evolving, turning toward stealing vehicles to be sent to chop shops or to be re-VINned, which is making it harder to recover stolen vehicles.

“Équité recently participated on the UL Standards & Engagement Advisory Committee to collaboratively shape and publish the first harmonized Canada-U.S. Standard for Vehicle Theft Deterrent Equipment and Systems. The next step is to put this new standard into action to prevent vehicles from being stolen in the first place and reduce auto theft on both sides of the border.”

More information is available on the Équité Association website.

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