Auto thefts fell 10% in first half of 2026, Ottawa says
Ottawa says national auto thefts fell 10% in the first half of 2026, while border officers intercepted 830 stolen vehicles so far this year.
Auto thefts across Canada fell 10% in the first half of 2026 compared with the same period in 2025, according to an industry trend report cited in a new federal progress update.
Public Safety Canada’s September 21 update also points to police-reported data showing motor-vehicle theft incidents declined 16% in 2024 and another 16% in 2025. The 2026 comparison comes from Équité Association rather than a full-year police count.
The Canada Border Services Agency intercepted 830 stolen vehicles at railyards and ports from the start of 2026 through the date of the release, after intercepting 1,590 in 2025. Ottawa said more than 2,800 containers have been scanned with vehicle-detection technology this year.
A separate RCMP-led pilot, Project NoCargo, recovered 392 vehicles estimated to be worth $28 million after they had been obtained through fraudulent means, according to the federal update.
The update describes national results and enforcement actions. It does not provide a West Island or Montréal-specific theft rate, so the national decline should not be assumed to apply evenly in every community.
Illustrative image: parked vehicle. Photo by Roman via Unsplash; resized.
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