Australia’s worst state for car thefts revealed
Car theft claims are soaring to record levels in one Australian state, prompting concerns from insurers. Find out how your state stacks up.
An Australian state has been dubbed the nation’s worst place for car crime, with insurance claims skyrocketing to record-breaking levels.
About 12,000 cars were stolen in Victoria in the 12 months to June 2025, marking a 59 per cent increase, figures released on Thursday reveal.
The Insurance Statistics Australia data bucks the national trend, where every other state recorded a decline.
Insurance Statistics chief executive Andrew Hall said the sharp increase was a growing concern among insurers.
“Everyone pays for car theft, through increased costs of policing, courts and ultimately insurance,” he said.
“We cannot accept this level of car crime as normal in Australia.
“Motor theft claims have been climbing significantly over the last decade, and while they only make up a small part of overall motor claims, this is a growing concern.”
Metropolitan Melbourne accounted for the majority of claims in Victoria, with numbers rising by 70 per cent, totalling 10,000 claims and $183 million in losses.
The latest state crime statistics show car theft accounted for the highest number of offences in the 12 months to March.
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A car was stolen in Victoria, on average, every 19.2 minutes over that span.
The explosion of Victorian claims pushed up the national number by 11 per cent and their overall cost to $466 million, up 20 per cent over the year.
Queensland experienced its largest drop in claims in a decade, down 11 per cent, equating to $183 million in incurred losses.
“It is encouraging to see car crime claims on the decline in the majority of states and the reductions in Queensland, which was previously leading the country on the increases, are particularly pleasing,” Mr Hall says.
Western Australia and South Australia both recorded a 10 per cent reduction in claims, and NSW’s were down three per cent.
