‘Sharp decline’ in auto theft and reported crashes across province, says ICBC
The spring data roundup from the public auto insurer also shows hybrid vehicle registrations have now eclipsed EVs in B.C.
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New data released by ICBC shows a “sharp decline” in both auto theft and reported crashes across the province in recent years.
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The analysis of Insurance Corp. of B.C. data from the past 10 years also confirms that hybrids are rising in popularity while interest in electric vehicles may have peaked after years of surging sales.
Some of the improvements in auto crime statistics in recent years have been considerable, said ICBC in a spring summary of the 10-year data set released on Tuesday.
“Auto crime has dropped by 31 per cent in B.C. over the last 10 years,” the province-owned auto insurer said. “Most dramatically, vehicle break-ins have decreased by 60 per cent since 2016, including a noticeable drop starting in 2023.
“Stolen vehicle incidents have decreased by 46 per cent since 2016 while vandalism claims have remained relatively stable.”
ICBC spokesperson Lindsay Wilkins attributed the drop in auto crime to improvements in anti-theft vehicle technologies and an increase in newer vehicles on the road that have those new features.
It’s also been over two decades since B.C. RCMP started the bait car program and a dedicated auto crime unit that educates people about how to keep thieves at bay. The downward trend in auto crime has roughly coincided with that.
As for crash statistics, both fender benders and injury crashes remain below pre-pandemic levels despite the fact there are an increasing number of vehicles on the road. ICBC said the drop reflects “lasting changes in driving patterns following the COVID‑19 pandemic and the introduction of enhanced care (no-fault insurance) in May 2021.”
Last year, injury crash levels were 21 per cent the pre-pandemic average — from 2016 to 2019 — while all crashes were down three per cent.
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Vulnerable road users are still at risk as crashes involving pedestrians and cyclists continue to rise since the levels during the lockdowns. However, ICBC said pedestrian crashes — the most common — are still well below pre-2020 levels.
Crashes involving cyclists have risen consistently since the start of the pandemic and, as of 2025, slightly exceeded pre-2020 levels. Motorcycle crashes have been relatively stable and below peaks seen before the pandemic.
The most dangerous time for crashes remains during weekday afternoon commute, with Fridays from 3 to 5 p.m. the riskiest time of all.
Meanwhile, ICBC’s data confirms the growing popularity of hybrids compared with the once-trendier all-electric vehicle.
Last year was the first time new vehicle registrations for hybrids were higher than EVs. “While electric vehicle adoption rose quickly in recent years, that growth has slowed,” said ICBC.
Gas-powered vehicles were being registered at levels below 2020 last year, though overall gas still rules the market. There were 2,814,575 passenger vehicles registered in B.C. in 2025; 235,481 of those were hybrids, while 174,819 were electric vehicles.
Blair Qualey of the New Car Dealers Association of B.C. said all types of EVs — battery EVs, plug-in hybrids and fuel-cell vehicles combined — represented 18.3 per cent of all new light-duty vehicle sales in B.C. That share of the market was 22.8 per cent in 2024, meaning adoption softened notably through 2025.
But regular gas-electric hybrids are bucking that trend. Registrations of hybrids were 9.5 per cent of all new vehicles in B.C. in 2023, 16.1 per cent in 2024 and 20.9 per cent last year.
Hybrid registrations rose last year by 48,595, while new EV registrations increased by only 22,421 compared with 2024.
Qualey said early signals for 2026 show rebates that have come and gone are a big factor: About 13.7 per cent of the market sales in January were EVs of all types, rising to 18.6 per cent in February when the federal rebate program was re-established while gas prices began their inexorable climb.
“As we saw last year, when (rebates) go away, EV sales drop dramatically,” said Qualey. The federal program offering $5,000 off EVs and $2,500 off hybrids is now paused, however.
“And, of course, the gas price has helped raise the interest in EVs and hybrids, as one might expect.”
Qualey said he heard from a GM dealer in Langley that he has sold more EVs than gas vehicles over the last two or three months, “so there is good interest out there.”
As for impaired driving, a still large, but dropping, number of drivers failed roadside screening tests and had their vehicles impounded and were hit with 90-day suspensions. There were 7,489 90-day roadside prohibitions last year, down from 7,755 in 2024 and 8,470 in 2023.
ICBC now provides open data dating back to 2021 for a wide range of statistics, including vehicle registrations, crashes, injury crashes and road fatalities, insured vehicles and licensed drivers. Go to the stats page at icbc.com to learn more.
