Top 10 Most Stolen Cars

Automobile theft is much more than an insurance problem; it's an expensive social menace. Every year, automobile theft costs Canadians close to $1 billion, including $542 million for insurers to fix or replace stolen cars, $250 million in police, health-care and court-system costs and millions more for correctional services.

How often your make and model of car is stolen is one of the factors insurers use to set your insurance premium. It’s a good idea to check out these lists, as well as the publication How Cars Measure Up: How theft, collision and other claims affect the cost of your car insurance.

Thieves generally steal cars for one of four reasons:

1. For sale abroad - Stolen cars are often immediately packed – with their vehicle identification numbers (VINs) still intact – and shipped abroad, where they are sold for many times their original market value.

2. For sale to unsuspecting consumers – Stolen cars may be given a new identity with false VINs, and then sold to unsuspecting consumers. They can also be dismantled and sold for parts.

3. To get somewhere – This is commonly, but inappropriately, referred to as “joyriding.” Auto theft of any kind is still a crime, and innocent people do get hurt or killed as a result.

4. To commit another crime – Stolen cars used to commit other crimes are often recovered – abandoned and badly damaged – within 48 hours of their theft.

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