New police intelligence estimates that up to one-in-three cars stolen involve key cloning, with 800 devices seized last year.
Victoria Police seized more than 800 “key cloning devices” last year, as it says the devices are to blame for rising car thefts.
Approximately one in three cars stolen in the state involve key cloning technology, according to Victoria Police Deputy Commissioner of Regional Operations, Bob Hill.
“Our intelligence estimates as many as 30 cars are being stolen using key cloning technology in Victoria every day,” Hill said.
On average, in the first nine months of 2025, about 90 motor vehicle theft offences were recorded each day in Victoria, a figure that also includes attempted motor vehicle theft offences, which historically account for around 14 per cent of total recorded offences.
Motor vehicle theft offences in Victoria and New South Wales
Victoria has experienced a rise in car theft in recent years, with the state now experiencing double the number of thefts as NSW.
Police have attributed the sharp increase to the use of technologies such as key cloning devices.
“This has directly coincided with a surge in car thieves using key mimicking or cloning technology to override car security systems,” Victoria Police said in a media release.
Police identified the Holden Commodore, Toyota LandCruiser, Toyota Corolla, Toyota HiLux, Toyota RAV4, and Subaru Impreza as vehicle models experiencing particularly high rates of theft using these devices.
Victoria Police estimates of car theft indicating technological involvement
| Make and model | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Holden Commodore | 485 | 605 | 1345 | 1271 |
| Toyota LandCruiser | 89 | 103 | 241 | 846 |
| Toyota Corolla | 149 | 166 | 254 | 676 |
| Toyota HiLux | 140 | 186 | 335 | 592 |
| Toyota RAV4 | 47 | 82 | 141 | 467 |
| Subaru Impreza | 31 | 56 | 154 | 445 |
The above table shows only the number of stolen cars in which police believe a technical tool such as a key cloning device was used, not the total number of thefts of these models.
The chart below shows total vehicle thefts in Victoria for some popular models over the past 20 years.
The Holden Commodore has remained the most stolen car in Victoria for decades, but in recent years has been closely followed by popular Toyota vehicles.
Car thefts in Victoria 2005-2025
Key reprogramming devices, also sometimes referred to as ‘OBD’ devices, plug into a vehicle’s on-board diagnostics (OBD) port, which modern cars tend to feature for the purpose of fault diagnosis.
Plugging the device into this diagnostic port allows thieves to overwrite the vehicle’s security by using functions intended for mechanics and locksmiths, such as programming new keys.
Vehicles with push-button start functions are considered the most vulnerable to technology-enabled theft, with recent Toyota models considered particularly prone to this type of theft.
Toyota Australia announced earlier this year that it has taken “further steps to enhance security on several models”.
MORE: 2016 Holden Commodore was the most stolen car in Victoria in 2025, new data reveals
Victoria Police detailed some of the clues that indicate to investigators that technological tools might have been used as the method for a vehicle’s theft.
“Disappearing from residential streets or other community locations without any other offence, such as a robbery, burglary or carjacking occurring,” it said in a media release.
“Most commonly in these thefts, the owner reported to police they retained the keys, and their car had simply vanished.”
MORE: Victoria’s 14th most stolen car is a model that does not exist
Victoria Police have repeatedly called for owners of commonly stolen vehicles to take measures to deter thieves, such as installing OBD port locks, parking their vehicles off the street if possible, and using steering wheel locks.
Publicly-released Victorian crime statistics data is currently available for the first nine months of 2025; statistics for the remaining three months of 2025 is due imminently.
Drive recently reported that Victoria Police’s 2025 stolen car data included a number of vehicle models that do not exist, such as 183 stolen Toyota Lantras.
The post Victorian car thefts: Key cloning responsible for up to one-third of offences appeared first on Drive.
