Auto theft in Canada remains a serious and costly problem, with losses climbing sharply over the past decade even as recent data shows a short-term decline, according to new figures released by the Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC).
National auto theft claims losses reached more than $360 million in the first half of 2025, down 34 per cent from the same period in 2024 but still triple the amount recorded 10 years ago. In the first half of 2015, losses totalled just over $120 million. Claims counts tell a similar story: 12,887 theft claims were reported in the first six months of 2025, compared to 8,567 in 2015, a 50 per cent increase over the decade.
“Canada’s auto theft rates have soared in the last 10 years, placing pressure on drivers’ insurance premiums, compromising public safety and causing Canadians concern and trauma,” said Liam McGuinty, vice-president of federal affairs at IBC.
He noted that while recent legislative measures to strengthen border security and toughen bail and sentencing laws for repeat and violent offenders are showing signs of success, more action is needed.
IBC urged the federal government to accelerate implementation of the National Action Plan on Combatting Auto Theft. A key component is modernizing Canadian Motor Vehicle Safety Standards to make vehicles harder to steal. McGuinty said outdated standards have contributed to the rise in thefts by leaving vehicles vulnerable to increasingly sophisticated criminal tactics.
The bureau also called on Ottawa to fulfill its commitment to strengthen the Canada Border Services Agency’s ability to prevent stolen vehicles from leaving the country and to expand the Interprovincial Record Exchange to improve data-sharing with provincial registries. Closing registration loopholes and enhancing enforcement at ports are critical steps, IBC says, to disrupt organized crime networks that profit from stolen vehicles.
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