Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC) has released its latest list of the top 10 costliest cities in Ontario for auto theft claims, with Toronto, Brampton and Mississauga again occupying the top three spots.
According to IBC’s new data, claims costs for auto theft in Ontario reached $485 million in 2025, down from $723 million in 2024. Despite the year-over-year improvement, auto theft in the province remains well above historical levels, with the number of auto theft–related claims up 97% and losses up 330% since 2017.
“While IBC applauds the efforts of provincial and municipal governments, law enforcement and insurers in helping to curb the auto theft crisis, there is still more work to be done by all stakeholders,” said Amanda Dean, vice president, Ontario and Atlantic, IBC. “Ending auto theft requires a sustained, coordinated and whole‑of‑society approach.”
The latest figures land against a broader backdrop of elevated auto theft activity nationally.
Federal data showed that auto theft claim costs across Canada more than tripled between 2018 and 2023, prompting Ottawa to convene a National Summit on Combatting Auto Theft in early 2024 and to launch a national action plan later that year.
Toronto remains the costliest city in Ontario for auto theft claims, followed by Brampton and Mississauga, which have all maintained their rankings since the last IBC report. Ottawa has moved up two places to fourth, while Hamilton has jumped four spots from ninth to fifth. Vaughan has slipped to seventh from fourth.
IBC’s data, based on industry information from GISA systems, showed that Toronto alone accounted for more than $114 million in auto theft claims costs in 2025, a 253% increase compared to 2017. Brampton’s claims costs rose 565% over the same period, while Mississauga’s climbed 216%.
Ontario’s largest urban centres continue to generate the highest absolute claims costs. That concentration underscores the need for granular rating and underwriting in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), where high‑theft neighbourhoods and vehicle models can significantly influence risk selection. The Financial Services Regulatory Authority of Ontario has already warned that rising theft levels are among the market conditions that can put upward pressure on auto insurance premiums in the province.
The rankings also underline the role of organized crime and export pipelines in driving losses in and around the GTA. Federal and provincial investigations in recent years have repeatedly identified major Canadian ports as key hubs for stolen vehicles destined for overseas markets, including many vehicles originating in Ontario.
IBC’s second ranking focuses on how claims costs have changed between 2017 and 2025, highlighting communities where growth has been most dramatic.
Bowmanville/Clarington recorded the largest percentage jump in auto theft claims costs, rising nine places in the rankings compared to 2024, with a 1,261% increase since 2017. Whitchurch‑Stouffville, Peterborough, Richmond Hill, Barrie, Whitby, Oakville, Pickering, Markham and Milton also posted increases of more than 600% over the eight‑year period.
Ontario’s most populous centers still generate the bulk of claims costs, but the sharp percentage growth in smaller and mid‑sized communities points to a shifting risk landscape outside the core GTA. That raises questions about whether pricing, prevention programs and distribution strategies are keeping pace with the geographic spread of theft activity.
The trend is likely to feed into more difficult renewal conversations. As theft risk climbs in suburbs and secondary cities that historically did not feature prominently in auto theft statistics, local intermediaries may face increased pushback over higher comprehensive premiums, higher deductibles or requirements for additional anti‑theft measures as conditions of coverage.
With regulators acknowledging that theft trends affect rates, these shifts are expected to show up in filings and in pricing outcomes for clients.
IBC described auto theft as a complex issue that requires sustained cooperation across all levels of government and the private sector.
The industry group continues to call on the federal government to implement the recommendations in its National Action Plan on Combatting Auto Theft. The plan, released in 2024, set out measures to disrupt organized crime networks, improve intelligence sharing and strengthen enforcement at ports and border points.
IBC wants Ottawa to finalize proposed amendments to Canada’s Motor Vehicle Safety Standards to make vehicles harder to steal by replacing outdated immobilization requirements with standards that align with current international theft‑protection norms. Insurers argued that stronger baseline security would help address vulnerabilities that have made certain high‑end SUVs and pickup trucks prime targets.
The bureau is also urging tougher measures to prevent stolen vehicles from leaving the country, including tighter oversight of Canada’s vehicle export system. Under the national action plan, the federal government has committed additional funding to the Canada Border Services Agency to expand export examinations and invest in technology to detect stolen vehicles in shipping containers.
Recent enforcement actions have highlighted both the scale of the problem and the impact of coordinated operations. In late 2025, an Ontario Provincial Police–led task force and the border agency announced they had dismantled a criminal organization alleged to be responsible for moving large volumes of stolen vehicles through several Canadian ports, following raids across the GTA and surrounding communities.
The effectiveness of these federal and provincial initiatives will be closely watched. If they lead to a sustained reduction in theft volumes and export activity, that could eventually ease pressure on loss ratios and on comprehensive rates.
For now, IBC’s latest figures indicate that, even with some recent improvement, auto theft remains a major driver of claims costs in Ontario and a strategic focus for underwriting, pricing and fraud prevention across the market.
