Overview
- Insurance Council of Australia data shows Victoria had $243 million in stolen‑car payouts last year from about 12,500 claims, with Melbourne alone lodging roughly 10,400 claims.
- Victoria Police recorded more than 32,000 vehicles stolen in 2025, the highest annual total since 2001 and far above other states.
- Officers link about 10,000 thefts last year to electronic key‑cloning devices, a method that can override a car’s security and is estimated to have enabled roughly 30 thefts per day.
- Police say organised‑crime networks teach older offenders the techniques and recruit younger people to carry out thefts; authorities recover about 80% of stolen cars within a year but victims report deep financial and emotional harm.
- State responses include tougher penalties and stricter bail in Victoria while the Insurance Council points to Queensland’s earlier bail and sentencing reforms as a model to reduce thefts, though legal gaps remain for non‑violent offences like car theft.