A new report from Équité Association found that auto theft, specifically private passenger vehicles, decreased 19.1 per cent in Canada compared to the same period in 2024.
Its First Half of 2025 Auto Theft Trend Report covers January to June and shows that Ontario was down 25.9 per cent, Quebec was down 22.2 per cent, and Western Canada was down 9.4 per cent. (Alberta saw a decrease of 12.5 per cent in auto thefts of this genre.) As for Atlantic Canada, the decrease in auto theft was 9 per cent.
“Canada is a safer place today than it was at the height of the auto theft crisis,” said Terri O’Brien, President and CEO of Équité Association, in a statement. He added that the National Action Plan on Combatting Auto Theft has been “instrumental in implementing comprehensive strategies to protect Canadians from the organized crime behind the auto theft crisis.”
The national recovery rate for the first half of the year was 56.5% — up from 53.1% during the same period in 2024. The Équité Association said this reflects a 3.4 percentage point increase. They also said national recoveries are moving closer to similar levels seen in pre-crisis times, with 56.5% in the first half of 2025, compared to 57.2% in the first half of 2021. “Recoveries are increasing in every region except Western Canada.”
Bryan Gast, National Vice President of Investigative Services at Équité Association, said that while these first half of 2025 numbers are encouraging, the fight is far from over.
“Équité recently participated on the UL Standards & Engagement Advisory Committee to collaboratively shape and publish the first harmonized Canada-US Standard for Vehicle Theft Deterrent Equipment and Systems,” said Gast in a statement. “The next step is to put this new standard into action to prevent vehicles from being stolen in the first place and reduce auto theft on both sides of the border.”
