Toronto leads a list of Ontario’s costliest cities for auto theft, with claims hitting more than $114 million in 2025, a staggering 253 per cent increase since 2017, according to new data from the Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC).
While total claim costs across Ontario have dipped slightly from last year’s record highs, Toronto, Brampton and Mississauga — three of the province’s most populous cities — continue to dominate the list of most expensive auto theft claims, the formal requests drivers file for insurance compensation.
Brampton and Mississauga followed Toronto with $43.2 million and $31.6 million in claims, respectively, both reporting increases well above 200 per cent over the last eight years.
Other major cities in the province are seeing similar trends. Ottawa surged into fourth place on the list, while Hamilton jumped four spots to fifth, reflecting a sharp rise in incidents even as the overall provincial cost of auto theft claims fell to $485 million in 2025 from $723 million in 2024.
According to IBC’s data, small and mid-sized communities have seen the steepest jumps. Bowmanville-Clarington, Ont., for example, recorded a staggering 1,261 per cent increase in auto theft claims costs since 2017, the highest rise in the province.
Whitchurch-Stouffville and Peterborough rounded out the top three for the largest percentage increases, all posting growth rates that higher than those of more populated cities.
Amanda Dean, vice-president for the Ontario and Atlantic divisions at IBC, acknowledged in the report the progress made by governments, law enforcement and insurers to address surging auto theft in recent years, but warned that “there is still more work to be done by all stakeholders. Ending auto theft requires a sustained, co-ordinated and whole‑of‑society approach.”
IBC said it relied on data from the General Insurance Statistical Agency and Équité Association, an the investigative arm of the Canadian insurance industry, to determine its rankings.
Auto recovery rate in Ontario
According to data published by Équité Association in its 2025 Auto Theft Trend Report released in February, recovery rates in Toronto and the rest of Ontario continue to trail the national average, with only about half of stolen vehicles making it back to their owners.
While national recovery rates went up slightly to 59 per cent, Ontario’s rate remains at 51 per cent, underscoring the persistent challenge of auto theft in the province.
A total of 7,363 auto thefts were recorded in Toronto in 2025, according to the Toronto police open data portal, representing a 23.8 per cent decrease from the previous year.
Organized crime keeps adapting
Organized crime groups continue to play a central role in Toronto’s auto theft crisis, adapting their tactics to outmanoeuvre law enforcement and exploit new opportunities, said Bryan Gast, national vice-president of Intelligence and Investigations at Équité Association.
Gast said that for these groups, auto theft is a “high reward, low risk” crime — one that funds a range of illicit activities, from drug and gun trafficking to international operations.
Gast explained that criminals target the Greater Toronto Area for its population density, affluence and relative easy access to getting vehicles to the Port of Montreal, where many of the stolen cars are shipped overseas. Gast points out that population growth has compounded the problem, providing more targets for criminals.
Organized crime groups are increasingly expanding their reach into smaller communities as well, he said.
“It’s not just a Toronto problem, these criminals have adapted. They are looking for opportunity wherever it exists,” Gast said.
He stressed that, despite recent declines in auto theft numbers, the issue remains a public safety concern that demands ongoing vigilance and co-operation among police, insurers, and all levels of government.
“Even though the numbers are down, we still have a significant auto theft problem in Canada, and especially in Ontario and Quebec,” he said. “We can’t take our foot off the gas.”
