Criminals using high-tech key cloning devices are now responsible for at least a third of all car thefts in Victoria.
The key cloning devices, which police say are readily available to purchase online, are legitimately used by mechanics to gain access to locked vehicles.
But police say about 30 to 40 per cent of the 33,000 cars stolen in Victoria in the 12 months to September 2025 were stolen using key cloning devices.
Deputy Commissioner of Regional Operations Robert Hill said culprits will walk the streets until they find a suitable car with push-button ignition.
"It would be less than a minute. It would be a matter of 10, 15 seconds," he said.
"The onboard diagnostic tool plugs into a port that is beneath the dashboard, and that will override the security system and allow the ignition to come on."
Deputy Commissioner Hill said the majority of criminals stealing cars in Victoria were adult repeat offenders who shared their methods with each other.
Last month, four men were charged with stealing more than 20 vehicles, with police alleging the men were part of a syndicate that used third-party electronic key reprogramming devices.
In the past year, more than 800 key reprogramming devices have been seized by police.
"It's illegal to possess those items of technology if you're out and about in the middle of the night, where we believe you might be looking for a potential vehicle to be stolen," Deputy Commissioner Hill said.
Melbourne's eastern suburbs see rise in car thefts
In Victoria, Melbourne's CBD historically sees the most car thefts, but police say Melbourne's inner-eastern suburbs are now seeing more offending.
The hardest-hit suburbs for technology-driven car thefts last year were Melbourne's CBD, Dandenong, Tarneit, Narre Warren, St Albans, Craigieburn, Southbank, Reservoir, Truganina and Epping.
Deputy Commissioner Hill said the majority of vehicles were recovered by police, but often after they had been used to conduct another crime.
"We would recover approximately 80 per cent of those vehicles," he said.
He said some unrecovered vehicles were "exported, whether in entire body or cut up for parts".
Deputy Commissioner Hill said police were continuing to work with manufacturers to find a way to curb thefts.
Victoria Police is fighting a global trend, with the United States and United Kingdom also seeing a spike in the theft of cars with push-button ignitions.
Police are urging Victorian drivers to upgrade their security measures, including buying an onboard diagnostic port lock to prevent thefts.
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