Toyota Highlander tops list of most stolen vehicles in 2023: Equite Association

CTV National News: Targeted vehicles in car thefts A new list reveals which vehicles are targeted the most in car thefts in Canada. Adrian Ghobrial has the details.

TORONTO — In Canada a car is stolen every six minutes, though some vehicles are more sought after than others.

A new list compiled by the fraud prevention non-profit, Equite Association reveals that the most stolen car in Canada is now the Toyota Highlander. Rounding out the top five is the Dodge Ram 1500 Series, followed by the Lexus RX Series, Honda CRV and the Toyota RAV4.

In 2023, 3,414 Highlanders were stolen in Canada. The VP of Investigative Services at Equite, Bryan Gast says “the commonality between all of those vehicles is the keyless entry vulnerability, each has an electronic start.”

In the first half of 2024, the number of auto thefts in Canada dropped by 17 per cent compared to the same period in 2023.

Gast says now is the time for new legislation to be passed, mandating auto manufactures include moder security systems in vehicles sold in Canada.

“The U.K. took a very strong stance on their security packages required for their vehicles and their incidents of (auto) theft dropped by 86 per cent,” said Gast.

A recent CTV W5 investigation uncovered how one simple amazon order can give thieves access to a handheld device that can start a vehicle, even if the actual key is nowhere near the car, truck or SUV being stolen.

Speaking to W5, York Region Police Detective Scott Cresswell with York Region said “we do know from previous investigations that they’re buying them on Amazon. You can buy them on eBay.”

The ease of access to purchase software that can be used to steal a car, is infuriating for Sandra Crowe. In 2022, her family’s blue Ford F150 was stolen.

“The vehicle was found in a shipping container at the Port of Montreal. it was ready to be shipped to Nigeria,” she said, adding that when the truck was found, the criminals had “ripped out all of the electronics, and when they were putting it into the shipping container, they rammed the front and the back.”

Then, this past spring, two men were recorded on security camera, driving away in her family’s new silver Ford F150 which was parked in their residential Brampton, Ont. driveway.

“The first time [your truck is stolen] you think well no one was hurt, it’s just a truck. The second time it happens, you’re angry” admits Crowe.

She has one message for the government of Canada and vehicle manufacturers, “you shouldn’t be able to buy the equipment online to steal a vehicle in Canada. Car manufactures themselves need to do more about this, it’s simply too easy to steal a vehicle.”

Transport Canada have targeted sometime in 2025 to announce modernized vehicle security standards. In the meantime, Gast says, homeowners should do what they can to make the theft of their vehicle a difficult and time-consuming task.

Experts recommend parking in a garage, or in a well-lit area. Tire and steering wheel locks, while they can be sawed off, are deterrents.

Here's Equite's top 10 list