A just-released report reveals the top 10 most-stolen vehicles in Canada last year, including models from Ford, Honda, Toyota and more.
The report released Monday by the non-profit anti-insurance fraud agency Équité Association indicates that the Honda CR-V was Canada’s most stolen vehicle in 2021. According to the association there were 4,117 thefts of this type of vehicle. The stolen CR-Vs were all built between 2016 and 2021, and make up 1.7 per cent of all insured CR-Vs on the road at the time (236,555).
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According to the report, Toronto and Montreal are the main hubs of auto thefts in Canada. Those behind the annual study say crime rings are stealing an increasing number of vehicles with the goal of exporting them internationally. Montreal is the “principal” shipment port for stolen vehicles, report authors say.
“Not only does auto theft cost Canadians millions of dollars each year, the proceeds of this illegal activity also fund organized crime and terrorism, both domestically and internationally,” Bryan Gast, vice-president of investigative services at Équité Association, said in a news release.
Trends noted by the association include that thieves are finding a way to get around anti-theft technology. The report says that car thieves are able to take advantage of some of this technology through relay attacks, also known as keyless thefts, which use devices to amplify the signal emitted from a key fob inside a home, allowing them to start the vehicle’s engine.
Another tactic is cloning a vehicle's key using an on-board diagnostic port, the report said.
Reporting for this story was paid for through The Afghan Journalists in Residence Project funded by Meta.
