by Popularity Among Criminals
If you are currently looking for a new car in Canada, it is worth checking whether the chosen model has already made it onto the list of criminal interests.
Équité Association has published its latest ranking of Canada’s ten most stolen cars for 2024, and the results once again resemble a compilation of hits from the country’s most popular pickups and SUVs. However, there is a surprise in this story that bodes poorly for one less common model.
Leaders by Number of Thefts
The most stolen car in Canada this year was the previous generation Toyota RAV4 with 2080 registered theft cases, with the 2021 model proving particularly attractive to thieves.
Given that nearly every second driveway in Canada has a RAV4 parked, this is probably not surprising. The compact SUV meets all the criminals’ requirements: high demand on the secondary market, easy sale of parts, global popularity, and a large number on the roads.
Second place is occupied by the Ram 1500 series with 2018 thefts, followed by the Honda CR-V with 1911 cases. The Ford F-150 pickup, Canada’s best-selling vehicle, ranks fourth, with the top ten rounded out by the Jeep Wrangler, GM Silverado/Sierra twins, Toyota Highlander, Toyota Tundra, and Lexus RX.
Theft Frequency Changes the Picture
The sheer number of thefts does not reveal the whole picture. Canadian thieves also have a different approach to choosing their favorite models, which completely changes the ranking.
When you look at theft frequency, i.e., the number of stolen cars as a percentage of insured ones, the chart is turned upside down. The most frequently stolen vehicle across the country, quite surprisingly, is the Lexus TX.
Only 967 of them are insured, yet 144 were stolen. This represents an impressive 14.89 percent, or a theft rate of one in seven. And when you delve into regional statistics for Ontario, the theft rate rises to a crazy one in four!
In other words, if you live in Canada’s southernmost province and own a Lexus TX, you might want to outfit your garage like a bank vault.
Trends Among Expensive Models
Next comes the Toyota Grand Highlander at 4.29 percent, followed by the Land Rover Defender at 2.95 percent, the Mercedes-Benz G-Class at 2.73 percent, and the Range Rover at 2.44 percent. Sensing a trend? Expensive SUVs are just as attractive to thieves as they are to the rest of us.
Further down the frequency list are the Lexus GX, Acura TLX, Jaguar F-Pace, Toyota Tundra, and Jeep Gladiator, all with theft rates between 1.45 and 1.88 percent.
Car theft in Canada remains a billion-dollar problem, and judging by these rankings, thieves continue to be on-trend with their choices.
If your parking spot resembles an advertisement for elite outdoor gear, now might be the perfect time to invest in a steering wheel lock, a quality camera system, and perhaps a very mean dog.
This data underscores that vehicle security issues in Canada require deeper analysis and improved protective measures. The rise in luxury SUV thefts, particularly in Ontario, may be linked to organized crime and the international illegal sales market. Drivers should consider additional security systems, as standard protection measures often prove insufficient against modern theft methods.
