If your customer tells you they’re looking to buy a 2021 Toyota Highlander, you can confirm that the SUV is indeed Canada’s most popular choice – for car thieves.

In fact, it is the #1 stolen car in the country, surpassing even the Honda CR-V, which had been the most stolen car in the country for the past two years.

There were 123,532 auto insurance policies issued on the 2021 Toyota Highlander in 2023, and of those, 3,414 were stolen, says the Équité Association, Canada’s national insurance crime and fraud prevention authority.

“The Toyota Highlander is a popular model in Canada that is globally useful and has high resale value both domestically and internationally; noting that criminals continually modify the application to maximize their profits from the illegal sale of vehicles,” commented Équité in a statement announcing Canada Top 10 Stolen Vehicles in 2023.

“It also has similarities to almost all vehicles on the national list where the vehicles are 2019 models or newer and have vulnerabilities that come with keyless ignition, especially since these vehicles are not equipped with anti-theft devices aligned to the ULC 338 anti-theft standards .”

Équité says anti-theft efforts in Canada must focus on making vehicles more difficult to steal in the first place. And that’s why, for the past two years, Équité has asked Transport Canada to update those in Canada Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Regulations by adopting the recently updated safety standards by UL Standards & Engagement (ULSE).

“The most important step in the fight against car theft is stopping it before it starts,” says Bryan Gast, vice president of investigative services at the Équité Association. “One of the most common trends we see in the top 10 most stolen vehicles includes newer vehicles with keyless ignition…”

“An upgraded vehicle security standard aligned with ULC 338 standards is needed to address today’s theft methods across all manufacturers. In addition, strengthening unauthorized access to vehicle electronic systems is imperative to stop the car theft crisis from continuing in Canada.”

What else is on the thieves’ wish list?

Luxury vehicles continue to be a prime target for thieves due to their high resale value both in Canada and abroad.

Two luxury vehicles in the Top 10 had the highest theft rate (most vehicles stolen on insurance policies issued for the model).

The 2020 Land Rover Range Rover SUVs were ranked eighth on the Top 10 Stolen Vehicles in Canada list. Of the 34,615 Land Rover Range Rovers insured in 2023, 1,533 were stolen, a theft rate of 4.43%.

Third on the list is the Lexus RX Series, with 3,037 stolen SUVs out of a total of 96,400 auto insurance policies issued for the vehicle.

Seven of the 10 most stolen cars in Canada were SUVs, two were trucks and only one – the Honda Civic – was a car.

The most stolen car in Canada for the past two years, the Honda CR-V has dropped to fourth place in the 2023 ranking for the country’s most stolen vehicle.

The top 10 stolen cars in 2023 were:

1. Toyota Highlander 2021 (Theft Rate: 2.76%)
2. 2022 Dodge Ram 1500 Series (0.59%)
3. 2022 Lexus RX Series (3.15%)
4. Honda CR-V 2021 (0.61%)
5. Toyota RAV4 2021 (0.53%)
6. 2019 Honda Civic (0.24%)
7. 2021 Jeep Wrangler (1.16%)
8. 2020 Land Rover Range Rover Series (4.43%)
9. 2023 Chevrolet/GMC Suburban/Yukon/Tahoe Series (2.37%)
10. 2006 Chevrolet/GMC Silverado/Sierra 1500 Series (0.23%)

Feature image courtesy of iStock.com/vm