Efforts to reduce auto theft continue to pay off — but the number of vehicles stolen in 2024 is still “unreasonably high,” the industry’s fraud prevention association announced today.
Nationally, auto theft fell 18.6% in 2024 compared to the previous year, Équité Association says in its newly released 2024 Auto Theft Trend Report.
A total of 57,359 private passenger vehicles were stolen across the country in 2024 — a decrease from previous historic highs of 70,475 in 2023, and 70,082 in 2022.
Équité says this positive trend is tied to collaborative efforts between federal and provincial governments and law enforcement in 2024 to combat auto thefts, which Équité says are largely orchestrated by organized crime.
“Organized crime is actively working to find vulnerabilities that allow them to launder money through insurance crimes, primarily to fund drug trafficking,” the association says. “Insurance crime, including auto theft, is a main funding mechanism for drug trafficking by organized crime in Canada.”
Momentum has improved since Équité’s half-year 2024 report, which found auto theft was trending down by 17% in the first six months of the year.
However, the problem continues to pose a safety threat to Canadians, says Équité.
“The next most impactful step for preventing auto theft is to make vehicles more difficult to steal in the first place,” the report reads. “Transport Canada is expected to release measures in 2025 that will potentially mandate auto manufacturers to modernize safety devices for auto theft prevention.”
The national recovery rate for stolen vehicles in 2024 is 59.3%, which means roughly 40% of stolen vehicles are never recovered.
Auto theft trends by province
Quebec saw the biggest regional drop in auto thefts, from 15,225 stolen vehicles in 2023 to 10,290 last year — a 32.4% decrease.
Ontario followed with a 17.4% slide — from 30,134 vehicles stolen in 2023, to 24,877 in 2024.
Low recovery rates for stolen cars in Ontario (50.8%) and Quebec (43.6%) indicate these vehicles are likely being exported overseas through ports, which makes them harder to recover. They’re also being dismantled and sold for parts, and re-VINed and used by criminals or sold domestically.
In these two provinces, the majority (more than 70%) of stolen vehicles were manufactured in 2017 or later, showing organized crime syndicates are focussed on stealing new and luxury vehicles to maximize profits in overseas markets.
SUVs were the most stolen vehicle type in Ontario (42%) and Quebec (55%).
In Western Canada — which includes British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba — vehicle thefts dropped 12.7% from the year before. Alberta alone saw a 10% decrease.
Combined, this accounts for 20,130 total thefts in 2024, compared to 23,055 in 2023.
Despite upward trends in vehicle thefts, recovery rates in the region worsened compared to previous years, which suggests an increase in the exportation and re-VINing of vehicles.
Western Canada saw a 77% recovery rate in 2024, compared to 85% in 2023 and 87% in 2022.
“Alberta has become a feeder province to register stolen and re-VINed vehicles to the rest of Canada,” Équité finds.
A full 42% of all stolen private passenger vehicles in Alberta were trucks, compared with 38% across the rest of Western Canada.
In terms of vehicle age, Alberta thefts are dispersed equally across model years. However, “there is now almost an even split in model years, with older trucks trending down, and thefts of newer vehicles trending up,” says Équité.
The Atlantic provinces saw virtually no change in auto theft trends in 2024 (2,062) compared to the year before (2,061).
The majority of thefts in Atlantic Canada (42%) were vehicles made between 2010 and 2016, with cars (comprising sedans, coupes, hatchbacks and wagons) being the most stolen vehicle type (39%).
The Port of Halifax has become a hotspot for fraudulently financed vehicle exportation attempts. “Fraudulent financing includes using a synthetic or stolen identity to purchase a vehicle,” says Équité.
Feature image by iStock.com/Flex Point Security
