As car theft finally decelerates in Canada after a surge in recent years, the country’s top 10 stolen vehicles for 2023 have been revealed – and they’re mostly SUVs.
The Toyota Highlander topped the list, with 3,413 thefts reported, according to the non-profit Équité Association. The Highlanders most commonly stolen were 2021 models.
“The Toyota Highlander is a popular model in Canada, which is globally serviceable and has a high resale value both domestically and internationally,” Équité said in news release Tuesday.
“It also shares similarities with nearly all of the vehicles on the national list, where the vehicles are 2019 or newer models, and have vulnerabilities that come with keyless ignitions, particularly as these vehicles do not come equipped with anti-theft devices aligned to the ULC 338 Anti-theft Standards.”
The Dodge Ram 1500 Series truck came in second place with 3,078 thefts across the country last year, followed by the Lexus RX Series, which was stolen 3,037 times.
The Honda CR-V, which was ranked Canada’s top stolen vehicle for two consecutive years, was bumped down to the fourth spot with 2,988 thefts. Another Toyota SUV – RAV4 – rounded out the top five.
Here is the complete list of the Canada’s top 10 stolen vehicles for 2023 (with the model year most often stolen):
- Toyota Highlander (2021)
- Dodge Ram 1500 Series (2022)
- Lexus RX Series (2022)
- Honda CR-V (2021)
- Toyota RAV4 (2021)
- Honda Civic (2019)
- Jeep Wrangler (2021)
- Land Rover Range Rover Series (2020)
- Chevrolet/GMC Suburburn/Yukon/Tahoe Series (2023)
- Chevrolet/GMC Silverado/Sierra 1500 Series (2006)
Bryan Gast, vice president of investigative services at Équité Association, told Global News that the top 10 is really driven by what organized crime groups are after, and that’s SUVs and pickup trucks, although it varies from province to province.
“What’s being stolen in Ontario and Quebec largely are being stolen for export and we’re seeing the SUVs and the pickup trucks, all of which are newer vehicles, and they all have keyless entry, so (there are) vulnerabilities around that,” he said.
Drivers that own cars that have a higher risk of theft have to pay the price with a surcharge on their insurance, said Elliot Silverstein, director of government relations with CAA Insurance.
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“That’s why we’re really calling on manufacturers and have been for a couple of years now to get vehicles in order because customers have to pay extra because of these challenges in our vehicles,” he told Global News in an interview.
Toyota Canada said it was “very concerned about the disproportionately high rate of auto theft” in the country and is taking steps to prevent it.
“We’ve adopted a multi-tiered approach to reducing the likelihood of our vehicles being stolen, and we’re adapting technology at a rapid pace – throughout the lifecycle of the vehicle – to quickly respond to new theft methods and tools,” Philippe Crow, a spokesperson for Toyota Canada, told Global News in an emailed statement.
“This approach includes the redesign of vehicles to harden access to critical systems and components, the deployment of new connected services like our stolen vehicle locator system, and the addition of new onboard technologies to combat electronic attacks on vehicles.”
Ken Chiu, a Honda Canada spokesperson, said that the automaker continuously reviews and assesses its vehicle technology to stay ahead of criminals.
“We have, and continue to work with external organizations including, Canadian Border Services, federal and provincial governments, local and national police departments and insurance bureaus to combat auto theft across the industry.”
Between 2021 and 2023, auto theft rose by 48.2 per cent in Ontario, 57.9 per cent in Quebec, 34 per cent in Atlantic Canada and 5.5 per cent in Alberta, according to Équité.
But there has been progress since then, with a 17 per cent national decline in vehicle theft the first half of 2024, as reported by the non-profit in July.
That decrease was similar to the numbers gathered by the Insurance Bureau of Canada that noted a drop of about 19 per cent in the first six months of the year.
The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) also intercepted more than 1,900 stolen vehicles in railways and ports in that time period, Transport Minister Anita Anand said last month.
Équité said in its July report that the promising trend of car theft decline can be attributed to the collaborative efforts of the federal and provincial governments, law enforcement agencies, the CBSA and the insurance industry.
Increased investments, public awareness and information-sharing have helped reverse the trend of auto theft, according to the report.
Conservative Deputy Leader Melissa Lantsman criticized Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for the rise in auto theft seen during his leadership, blaming what she called were his “disastrous catch and release bail policies.”
“At every step they have made it easier for repeat offenders to rob Canadians of their cars and leave them only with higher insurance rates,” Lantsman said in an emailed statement to Global News on Tuesday.
Over the past year, the federal government, along with law enforcement agencies, border officials and other industry stakeholders, have stepped up efforts to curb vehicle theft in the country.
A national summit on combating auto theft was held in Ottawa in February to address the problem.
The federal government unveiled an action plan in May, including measures and funding announced in the weeks after the summit was held.
It also featured changes to the Criminal Code, such as stiffer penalties and new offences targeting car thieves and the devices they use, that were included in the latest federal budget.
Gast said more needs to be done to combat auto theft, including making a vehicle harder to steal in the first place and updating Canada’s vehicle security standards.
“Right now, our standard is extremely low and outdated,” he said.
“It’s something that Canada needs to look at to modernize that standard to make sure that the vehicle itself is harder to steal.”
Beyond that, there are a number of ways that car owners can deter thieves, experts say, such as using a steering wheel lock, parking in the garage if you have one and keeping doors locked.
“Consumers need to do their part,” Silverstein said. “It all requires us to work together. But if we don’t, this issue is going to continue to persist and really, it’s impacting consumers from coast-to-coast and the question becomes, when is the breaking point?”
— with files from Global News’ Kyle Benning
