Fewer cars stolen across Australia — except in Victoria
- Motor vehicle theft has increased in Victoria by around 25% in recent data, bucking a national trend where most other mainland states have seen declines in car theft claims.
- Insurance data shows Victoria accounts for a disproportionately large share of the nation’s car theft losses, with more than $200 million in claims linked largely to metropolitan Melbourne.
- The rise in thefts is concentrated in urban areas and is a growing concern for insurers and authorities, with expectations it will become a key political issue in Victoria ahead of upcoming elections.
Motor vehicle theft claims have spiked in Victoria, according to new insurance data, bucking a decline in every other mainland state.
“It’s good news around the rest of the country where we have seen Queensland reduce its rates in the biggest drop since 2022, down 1 per cent. Western Australia is down 15 per cent.
“South Australia is down, even New South Wales has come down a couple of points. But in Victoria it jumped so much that it lifted the overall costs again for the country.”
Victorian claims were concentrated in metropolitan Melbourne, which recorded 10,400 claims totalling $205 million, up 30 per cent by volume and 42 per cent by value between 2024 and 2025.
By comparison, metropolitan Sydney notched up about 2,600 claims between 2024 and 2025, while Brisbane and Perth had about 2,700 and greater Adelaide about 1,000 claims during the same 12-month period …
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Original article and photo by "ABC News"
