Car theft crisis: $346 million insurance claims in Quebec in 2023

Car theft claims reached an astronomical $346 million in Quebec in 2023, according to data from the Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC).

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But these new numbers indicate that the increase in the number of car thefts in the governorate has begun to slow down after five crazy years.

In fact, the number of thefts (10,310) and insurance claims ($346 million) fell slightly last year, after peaking in 2022, when 10,554 cars were stolen, resulting in costs of $372 million.

These numbers are still much higher than six years ago, when there were “only” 4,967 car thefts, and claims worth $110 million.

premium

Unfortunately, the scourge of car theft has consequences not only for the victims, but for all motorists, who see their insurance premiums increase.

Last year alone, Quebec motorists saw their premiums rise by $105 on average, BAC CEO Celeste Power noted in February during a summit on vehicle theft in Ottawa.

Somewhere else in the country

If the situation appears to be stabilizing in Quebec, the same can't be said for the rest of Canada, where “the car theft crisis shows no sign of slowing,” according to the BAC.

“In 2023, insurance claims to replace stolen vehicles in Canada rose to an unprecedented $1.5 billion. This is the second year in a row that auto theft claims have exceeded $1 billion.

For comparison, car theft claims amounted to approximately $556 million annually between 2018 and 2021.

She called for new measures

According to BAC, the new data is a sign that more measures are needed to make the theft, transport and export of vehicles more difficult.

“We must modernize Canada’s outdated vehicle safety standards, which were last updated in 2007, and prevent stolen vehicles from arriving at the country’s ports,” said Liam McGinty, the organisation’s vice-president.

Car theft in Quebec in numbers

Source: Insurance Bureau of Canada