Car theft in Australia fell by about two thirds after factory immobilisers became compulsory in 2001, and it is now climbing again. The ABS counted 66,625 vehicles stolen in 2025, the most since 2008, and Victoria had its worst year since 2002, largely because thieves now clone keyless fobs or steal the keys themselves.
For twenty years, Australia had car theft beaten.
That is not an exaggeration. It was one of the great crime-fighting wins in this country’s history, and barely anyone noticed it happen.
It is now unravelling, and Victoria has just had its worst year for vehicle theft since 2002.
The uncomfortable part is that the same kind of technology which won the war is the reason we are losing it again.
Contents
- When was car theft worst in Australia?
- Why did car theft fall after 2001?
- Is car theft increasing in Australia?
- Why is car theft rising again?
- How can you stop your car being stolen?
- Conclusion
When was car theft worst in Australia?
2001. Cast your mind back to that year, a year of Nokia bricks, dial-up internet and 139,895 vehicles stolen nationally, the highest count in the Australian Bureau of Statistics series that runs from 1993.
That works out at roughly 380 vehicles every single day.
Stealing a car back then was almost embarrassingly easy, requiring a screwdriver, a bit of wire and a couple of minutes of privacy.
Hot-wiring was not a movie trick, it was an ordinary Tuesday. Then something changed.
Why did car theft fall after 2001?
Compulsory immobilisers. From 1 July 2001, every new car sold in Australia had to come with an electronic engine immobiliser fitted at the factory.
The concept is dead simple, in that no chip in the key means no start. You can jam a screwdriver in the ignition all night and the engine will not turn over.
Hot-wiring died almost overnight for new cars, and as older cars slowly rusted off our roads, thieves ran out of easy targets.
The ABS counts tell the story better than we can.
| Year | Vehicles stolen in Australia |
|---|---|
| 2001 | 139,895 (the peak) |
| 2012 | 58,559 |
| 2020 | 48,095 (the low point) |
Theft fell by about two thirds between 2001 and 2020, and the Australian Institute of Criminology credits compulsory immobilisers with contributing significantly to that decline as they spread through the fleet.
Good security technology won, and it won decisively. For the full backstory, we have covered the evolution of car security from steering locks to smart keys.
Is car theft increasing in Australia?
Yes. Nationally, the ABS recorded 66,625 vehicles stolen in 2025, the most since 2008. For each state and territory, see our car theft statistics by state.
In Victoria, police recorded 32,013 motor vehicle theft offences in calendar year 2025, according to the Crime Statistics Agency, more than double the 15,331 recorded in 2021.
On the ABS count, that made 2025 the state’s worst year for vehicle theft since 2002.
The one piece of good news is that the surge has started to ease, with offences down about 5% on the previous 12 months to 31,298 in the year to June 2026.
Easing off from the worst level in more than two decades is not much of a win, however.
If you are wondering whether your suburb is in the firing line, check our list of the worst Victorian areas for vehicle theft.
Why is car theft rising again?
Keyless entry. The irony is what makes this story worth telling.
The immobiliser worked because the car demanded a coded key. Carmakers then decided keys were annoying, and gave us keyless entry and push-button start instead.
The result is undeniably convenient, and rather less secure.
Victoria Police told the ABC in March 2026 that 30 to 40 per cent of cars stolen in the state in the 12 months to September 2025 were taken with key cloning devices, and that thieves walk the streets looking for cars with push-button ignition.
That is worth reading twice, because thieves are no longer just targeting old bombs with no security. They are targeting the push-button cars that were sold as the secure option.
The modern toolkit does not involve a screwdriver at all.
- Burglary for keys. There is little reason to crack the car’s electronics when the fob is sitting in a bowl by the front door.
- Key cloning. Devices sold online for mechanics can plug into the diagnostic port under the dashboard and start the car in seconds.
- Relay attacks. One thief stands near your house with an antenna and another waits by your car, tricking it into believing the key is right there.
Technically the immobiliser is still doing its job, because the car still will not start without the key. The thieves simply bring the key, or a very convincing fake of it.
How can you stop your car being stolen?
Keyless entry cannot be uninstalled, but you can stop being the easiest target on your street.
- Keep your fob away from the front door. Relay attacks need signal, and a Faraday pouch kills it completely.
- Lock your car keys away at night. A great many car thefts start as home burglaries in which the keys are the prize.
- Go old school. A steering wheel lock looks daggy, but a thief carrying a cloning device is not carrying an angle grinder, and visible effort sends them next door.
- Park smart. Use the garage if you have one, or park behind another car, so the theft becomes slow and awkward.
- Have a recovery plan. None of the above stops your car once it is already moving.
That last point matters more than most people think.
An immobiliser stops hot-wiring and a Faraday pouch stops a relay attack, but once a thief has your car rolling down the road, neither can do a single thing for you.
At that point there are two options: hope police stumble across it, or know exactly where it is.
We have written a full guide on how to find a stolen car, and the honest summary is that owners who get their cars back quickly are the ones who could point at a map.
Conclusion
Australia beat car theft once, with one clever piece of technology and twenty years of patience. Victoria’s own register shows which of today’s targets get away: see stolen cars that are never recovered.
Convenience then crept in, and thieves adapted faster than the carmakers did. Victoria’s numbers are now the worst they have been since 2002.
The lesson from both halves of this story is the same, in that the layer of security thieves have not yet cracked is the one that wins.
Right now that layer is knowing where your car is after it has been taken.
A car GPS tracker sits quietly in your car and shows you where it is on your phone. Cloned key or not, a thief cannot hide what is already telling you where it went.
If you have questions about which tracker suits your car, drop us a line at support@solidgps.com and we will be happy to help.
Cloned key or not, a GPS tracker shows you where your car went. Trusted by 30,000+ drivers.
