Auto thefts climbing in Toronto while Ontario overall sees 8.4% drop this year

Auto thefts are declining across Ontario and much of Canada, but Toronto is moving in the opposite direction this year.

According to the Équité Association's latest auto theft trend report, 8,796 private passenger vehicles were stolen in Ontario during the first six months of 2026—an 8.4% drop from 9,601 vehicles stolen in the same period last year. Nationally, thefts fell 10.1%, from 23,093 vehicles in the first half of 2025 to 20,759 this year.

Toronto Police Service, however, reports a different picture. After a major improvement in 2025—when auto thefts dropped 32.2%—the city has recorded a slight increase of 8.8% so far this year.

Betty Ng, director of investigative operations with Équité Association, attributed the provincial decline to multiple factors including public awareness campaigns and dedicated police teams funded through Ontario's Preventing Auto Thefts Grant program. "The decrease is multifaceted," she said. "The awareness campaign is absolutely key to the public because there is no one silver bullet to the solution."

Toronto's vulnerability, Ng explained, stems from its size and role as a major hub. "Toronto is the hub. It is the transfer to everything, and simply people coming in. They may not reside in the municipality, but they're just passing through. There's a lot of major events happening in Toronto, and this is where a lot of people fall victim to auto theft."

The city's demographics, population density, and large number of available vehicles make it particularly attractive to thieves. Ng also noted that Toronto's relative proximity to the Port of Montreal creates a financial incentive: stolen vehicles can be quickly exported for resale. "The minute they steal the car, they tend to drive it straight to the Port of Montreal," she said. "For the thieves, it's to look at convenience."