Canada’s top 10 stolen vehicles of 2010

High-value, all-wheel or four-wheel drive vehicles continue to make the list of Canada’s most stolen vehicles in 2010.

The Insurance Bureau of Canada has released its annual list of the most stolen vehicles in the country, and the inclusion of higher-value models indicates that organized crime rings continue to be involved in Canadian auto theft.  Criminal organizations will strip high-value vehicles for parts, re-sell them to unsuspecting consumers or export them to countries where there is a high demand for upscale vehicles that can handle rugged terrain.

Top ten stolen vehicles across Canada:

1. 2000 Honda Civic SiR 2-door
2. 1999 Honda Civic SiR 2-door
3. 2002 Cadillac Escalade 4-door 4WD
4. 2004 Cadillac Escalade 4-door 4WD
5. 2005 Acura RSX Type S 2-door
6. 1997 Acura Integra 2-door
7. 2000 Audi S4 Quattro 4-door AWD
8. 2003 Hummer H2 4-door AWD
9. 2006 Acura RSX Type S 2-door
10. 2004 Hummer H2 4-door AWD

The top ten stolen vehicles in Alberta:

1. 2006 Ford F250 Super Duty 4WD
2. 1999 Dodge/Plymouth Neon 4-door
3. 1997 Dodge/Plymouth Neon 4-door
4. 2000 Honda Civic 2-door Hatchback
5. 1998 Honda Civic 2-door Hatchback
6. 1998 Dodge/Plymouth Neon 2-door
7. 2000 Honda Civic 2-door
8. 2004 Ford F250 Super Duty 4WD
9. 1997 Dodge/Plymouth Neon 2-door
10. 1999 Honda Civic Si 2-door Coupe

The top ten stolen vehicles in Ontario:

1. 2000 Honda Civic SiR 2-door
2. 1999 Honda Civic SiR 2-door
3. 2002 Cadillac Escalade 4-door 4WD
4. 2005 Cadillac Escalade 4-door 4WD
5. 2003 Cadillac Escalade  4-door 4WD
6. 2004 Cadillac Escalade 4-door 4WD
7. 2006 Land Rover Range Rover Sport 4-door 4WD
8. 2004 Hummer H2 4-door AWD
9. 2003 Hummer H2 4-door AWD
10. 2003 Acura RSX Type S 2-door

The top ten stolen vehicles in Quebec:

1. 2000 Honda Civic SiR 2-door
2. 2003 Volkswagen Golf GTI 2-door
3. 1998 Acura Integra 2-
4. 2007 Toyota FJ Cruiser 4-door
5. 2004 Subaru Impreza WRX/WRX STi 4-door
6. 1997 Acura Integra 2-door
7. 2006 Toyota Rav4 4-door 4WD
8. 2008 Toyota Highlander 4-door
9. 1999 Acura Integra 2-
10. 2007 Toyota Rav4 4-door 4WD

The top ten stolen vehicles in Atlantic Canada:

1. 1998 Dodge/Plymouth Neon 2-door
2. 1998 Dodge/Plymouth Neon 4-door
3. 1999 Dodge Stratus 4-door
4. 2000 Dodge Ram 1500 4WD
5. 1999 Dodge Ram 1500 4WD
6. 2002 Chev/GMC Silverado/Sierra 2500 4WD
7. 2002 Ford/Mercury Explorer/Mountaineer 4-door 4WD
8. 2000 Honda Civic 2-door Hatchback
9. 2005 Chev/GMC Silverado/Sierra 2500 4 WD
10. 2002 Kia Rio RX-V 5-door

In November 2010, the federal government passed Bill S-9, Tackling Auto Theft and Property Obtained by Crime Act, which gives Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) the authority to seize stolen vehicles intended for export.

Bill S-9 makes changes to the Criminal Code, including: making a separate offence for motor vehicle theft supported by tough sentences, creating the offence of altering, destroying or removing a vehicle identification number (VIN), and creating the offences of trafficking property obtained by crime and possession of property obtained by crime for the purpose of trafficking.

IBC in partnership with CBSA and local law enforcement agencies located at the ports of Montreal and Halifax have seized 600 stolen vehicles worth $18 million this year to date. Including vehicles that were repatriated from overseas and those recovered using license-plate reader technology, the value of stolen vehicles recovered by IBC in 2010 jumps to $30.7 million. IBC will be arguing for the expansion of the ports program to the port of Vancouver for 2011.

Auto theft by the numbers:

• According to Statistics Canada, 108,172 vehicles were stolen in Canada in 2009, a drop of 15% from 2008.

• In 2009, auto theft cost Canadian insurers $419 million; when one adds emergency response, court, policing, legal and out-of-pocket expenses, such as deductibles, the total cost of auto theft each year in Canada approaches $1 billion.

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