‘Auto theft crisis’: A look at the most commonly stolen vehicles in Ontario

The Équité Association has released its annual list of the most commonly stolen vehicles, amid a jump in thefts and an ongoing “auto theft crisis.”

The not-for-profit organization, which works to eliminate insurance crime, said auto thefts in 2022 reached “historical highs,” with Ontario increasing by 48 per cent.

“Vehicles are being stolen by both domestic and international criminal organizations, with proceeds funding domestic drug trafficking, and international terrorism,” the organization said.

It released its top 10 most stolen vehicles in Canada for 2022 (also broken down regionally), with the Honda CR-V topping the list nationally for the second year in a row.

“Canadians expect to see a collaborative approach to combatting this urgent and continuing national auto theft crisis,” said Terri O’Brien, the president and CEO of the Équité Association.

“This problem will not be fixed in isolation; we need meaningful change and collaborative solutions adopted by auto manufacturers, all levels of government, and law enforcement.”

Bryan Gast, VP of investigative services at the Équité Association, said the problem is “only getting worse,” and said organized crime looks at Canada as a “source nation for stolen vehicles where the financial reward is high and the risk of prosecution is low.”

According to the Équité Association, the top 10 most commonly stolen vehicles in Ontario for 2022, ranked by the number of thefts, were the following:

1. Honda CR-V
   Most often stolen model year: 2020
   Number of vehicles insured: 224,311
   Number of thefts: 2,684
   Theft frequency: 1.2 per cent
2. Lexus RX Series
   Most often stolen model year: 2020
   Number of vehicles insured: 57,753
   Number of thefts: 1,707
   Theft frequency: 3 per cent
3. Dodge RAM 1500 Series
   Most often stolen model year: 2022
   Number of vehicles insured: 195,873
   Number of thefts: 1,405
   Theft frequency: 0.7 per cent
4. Toyota Highlander
   Most often stolen model year: 2021
   Number of vehicles insured: 60,326
   Number of thefts: 1,344
   Theft frequency: 2.2 per cent
5. Land Rover Range Rover
   Most often stolen model year: 2020
   Number of vehicles insured: 20,743
   Number of thefts: 1,225
   Theft frequency: 5.9 per cent
6. Ford F150 Series
   Most often stolen model year: 2020
   Number of vehicles insured: 214,067
   Number of thefts: 901
   Theft frequency: 0.4 per cent
7. Jeep Grand Cherokee
   Most often stolen model year: 2021
   Number of vehicles insured: 47,981
   Number of thefts: 766
   Theft frequency: 1.6 per cent
8. Jeep Wrangler
   Most often stolen model year: 2021
   Number of vehicles insured: 63,443
   Number of thefts: 689
   Theft frequency: 1.1 per cent
9. Honda Civic
   Most often stolen model year: 2019
   Number of vehicles insured: 318,551
   Number of thefts: 630
   Theft frequency: 0.2 per cent
10. Acura RDX
    Most often stolen model year: 2021
    Number of vehicles insured: 37,235
    Number of thefts: 459
    Theft frequency: 1.2 per cent

The Équité Association also released lists of vehicle thefts ranked by theft frequency, with the Land Rover Range Rover topping the list in Ontario.

The organization also revealed the top 10 least stolen vehicles, with the Cadillac XT5 topping the list in Ontario with just one theft. It also topped the list of the least stolen vehicles by theft frequency — with 11,483 vehicles insured, the theft frequency was 0.009 per cent.

To see additional lists of the most commonly stolen vehicles in Canada, both nationally and broken down by regions, visit the Équité Association website.