Vehicle theft in Ontario has dropped 25.9 per cent compared to a year ago as drivers learn to safeguard their vehicles and authorities work more closely together, the Équité Association insurance industry group says.
That’s even better than the 19.1 per cent national drop from a year ago, a newly released report from the group says.
“Canada is a safer place today than it was at the height of the auto theft crisis,” says Terri O’Brien, President and Chief Executive Officer of Équité Association, a private group funded by insurance agencies.
The report notes Quebec has seen a 22.2 per cent decrease in auto theft over the past year.
“Canadians have endured the significant impacts of vehicle crime, and while these first half of 2025 numbers are encouraging, the fight is far from over,” Bryan Gast of the group’s Investigative Services department said.
The drop in thefts across Canada is a dramatic turnaround from 2023, when Équité labelled auto theft a national crisis and advocated for greater information sharing between numerous federal and provincial government ministries, law enforcement, insurers and industry stakeholders.
“The trend is continuing downward after the peak of the crisis,” Gast said.
Équité has pushed for drivers to take measures like employing tracking devices and steering wheel locks on their vehicles, and parking in well lit areas or in driveways.
The report notes that criminals have also adapted.
Thieves now focus more on stealing vehicles destined for chop shops, where they are sometimes reconfigured and outfitted with new Vehicle Identification Numbers, hindering recovery efforts.
The Équité report says that 44 per cent of vehicles stolen so far this year remain unrecovered as criminals move toward selling vehicles to chop shops.
“As automotive and steel tariffs continue to create uncertainty, the market for used and aftermarket parts may become more lucrative,” the Équité report says.
“The national auto theft decrease (-19.1%) reflects the successes of Équité’s partnerships with law enforcement, RCMP, CBSA and INTERPOL, as well as the leadership and investments from PSC and provincial governments across Canada,” the report says.
“Evolving tactics to identify new funding sources in vehicle crime are emerging, according to Équité investigators,” the report states. “The prevalence of chop shops continues; however domestic chop shops are now expanding and shipping parts to international markets.”
