Auto theft claims in Quebec fell sharply in 2025, even as the cost of collision-related claims continued its decade-long climb, according to the latest statistics from the Groupement des assureurs automobiles (GAA).
The number of auto theft claims in the province dropped 31.5% year over year to 4,559, the lowest total recorded since 2016. Dave Cavallaro, director of automobile appraisal and insurance plans at GAA, said the decline reflects sustained prevention work across the industry.
"Efforts to prevent and combat auto theft are bearing fruit," Cavallaro said. "This is excellent news for consumers, because the theft of a vehicle results in significant costs that ultimately impact the entire auto insurance market."
Cavallaro added that the same 2025 data point to a persistent cost pressure elsewhere in the system: collision-related claims. The average cost of a collision claim reached $8,638 last year, more than double the $4,083 recorded a decade earlier. GAA attributed the increase to the growing prevalence of advanced vehicle technology, rising costs for parts and specialized labor, and the higher value of modern vehicles overall.
The provincial figures track a broader improvement across Canada. According to the Insurance Bureau of Canada, auto theft claims nationally fell 24% between 2024 and 2025, while the value of those claims dropped 30%, settling at roughly $724 million. Even with that year-over-year improvement, IBC has noted that theft-related losses remain nearly three times higher than a decade ago, with claim counts up 38% and claim values up 169% since 2015.
Quebec's 31.5% drop in claim volume outpaces the national decline, though the province continues to carry some of the country's highest theft frequencies. GAA regional data shows Montreal's central and eastern boroughs recording the highest theft frequency in the province, followed by the western part of the city and Laval. Average claim costs also vary significantly by region, ranging from roughly $19,000 in western Montreal to more than $46,000 in Abitibi-Témiscamingue.
The Insurance Bureau of Canada has previously identified the Port of Montreal as a key export point for stolen vehicles, and has called for stronger oversight of Canada's vehicle export system as part of its National Action Plan on Combatting Auto Theft. Coordinated efforts between insurers, law enforcement, and border authorities on that front are a likely contributor to Quebec's steeper decline this year.
The rise in collision claim costs tracks closely with the growing complexity of vehicle repairs. Insurers and repairers have noted that advanced driver-assistance systems, including sensors, cameras, and calibrated windshields, have turned routine collision repairs into more technical and costly jobs, since even minor fender-benders can now require recalibration of onboard safety systems in addition to bodywork.
That cost pressure has so far translated into comparatively modest rate movement for Quebec drivers. Applied Systems' Applied Rating Index, which tracks premium rate trends across the Canadian brokerage market, showed Quebec recording the smallest year-over-year increase in personal auto premiums of any province in the second quarter of 2026, at 0.9%, compared with 22.6% in Alberta over the same period. Quebec's insurance premium tax is also set to rise, from 9% to 9.975%, for premiums paid after December 31, 2026, as the province harmonizes the levy with its sales tax rate, a change that will apply on top of any underlying rate movement insurers file.
For brokers and insurers operating in the province, the near-term question is how these offsetting trends show up in future rate filings. Quebec's Autorité des marchés financiers reviews insurer rate applications for reasonableness, and the coming filing cycles will indicate whether easing theft losses are enough to offset rising repair severity and the incoming premium tax increase, or whether upward pressure on collision costs continues to outweigh the gains from theft prevention.
