Stock photo of a thief breaking into car with screwdriver. Wavebreakmedia/Depositphotos
A car was stolen or broken into every 43 minutes in Victoria in the year to June, with Melbourne recording more vehicle thefts and break-ins than all other Australian capital cities combined, according to an insurance industry report.
The Insurance Council of Australia (ICA), the representative body for the general insurance industry, said Victorian motor vehicle theft claims reached 12,300 in the 12 months to June 2026, up 9 percent from the previous year and costing insurers $244 million.
Every other state and territory recorded a decline in vehicle theft and break-in claims over the same period.
The findings were published in the ICA’s “A Safer and Stronger Victoria” report, which sets out policy recommendations for the next Victorian government ahead of the state election on Nov. 28.
The report found Melbourne accounted for the bulk of Victoria’s increase, with more cars stolen or broken into in the city than in all other Australian capital cities combined.
Victoria’s figures mark a reversal of the trend seen three years ago, when Queensland recorded higher vehicle theft losses. Since then, Queensland has reduced both vehicle theft claims and associated costs, while Victoria has recorded continued increases.
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Separate data from Aioi Nissay Dowa Insurance Company Australia, known as Adica, showed a 28 percent increase in Victorian theft claims and a 26 percent rise in costs in the six months to June, compared with a 28 percent fall in theft claims in New South Wales over the same period.
Adica estimated that one in four stolen vehicles in Victoria was not recovered in the first half of 2026, up from one in six a year earlier.
Victoria Police and the Crime Statistics Agency recorded 31,851 stolen cars in the year ending March 2026, the highest number since 2001/02 and more than double the figure from four years earlier. The year-on-year increase, however, had slowed to 1 percent.
Acting Deputy Commissioner David Clayton said stolen cars had been involved in more than 760 crashes and six deaths.
The ICA has called on the next Victorian government to develop a dedicated strategy to reduce motor vehicle theft, with a focus on crime hotspots and repeat offenders.
It is also recommended stronger intelligence-led policing targeting car theft and organised property crime, public reporting of crime-reduction targets, and formal information-sharing between Victoria Police, government agencies, and insurers.
The report said reducing crime would help protect communities and ease one of the pressures contributing to rising insurance costs.
