How to Stop or Prevent Your Car from Being Stolen in the UK

Car theft has been on the rise in the UK over the years and there are a few simple tricks and products that can make your car less likely to be targeted.

Most people are aware that car theft has been on the rise over the years. Vehicle crime statistics in the UK show that in 2022, 130,389 vehicles were stolen, an increase of 25% compared to 2021 (where around 104,435 were stolen.)

There are numerous reasons why this is happening. From the cost of living rising and criminals becoming more desperate, to an increase in vehicle theft technology that can be easily ordered from the internet. 

Although theft is increasing, there has never been as much information as there is now regarding keeping your vehicle safe from theft. In this article, we will go through some basic (and easy enough) ways to keep your vehicle safe.

How to Stop or Prevent Your Car from Being Stolen

1) Faraday cages

These can be bought from Amazon, eBay or even Argos. They are essentially small pouches or boxes that block the signal of your key once placed inside.

One of the leading causes of vehicle theft is relay theft (RFID theft) where someone stands near your house to grab the signal of your key using a scanner and receiver. These little gizmos extend the range of your key and make your car vulnerable to being unlocked and even started.

Keyless start vehicles are particularly vulnerable since they only need the key to be inside the car to turn it on. The RFID device can trick the car into thinking the key is inside and can then be started by thieves.

In the following YouTube video, you can see the thieves using an RFID device steal a car within 60 seconds https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nr4OI9JRXQ. It's common for these types of thieves to work in pairs, as someone will stand near the house with the RFID device and the other person will open and start the car.

Faraday cages block the signal the key makes and allow the RFID devices to fail to pick up a signal.

Lots of manufacturers now have built-in methods to stop this, such as the key going 'to sleep' after 20 minutes of not being moved (and the signal terminating). But lots of older cars from the mid-2010s with keyless start technology do not have this (such as the Fiesta ST). Therefore, a Faraday cage is pretty much essential for any keyless start car.

2) Tactical parking

Unfortunately, you are at the mercy of your living arrangements when it comes to tactical parking. But making it difficult for thieves to steal your car in the first instance can stop most vehicle thefts. If you live with someone who also has a car and you have a driveway, parking your car behind another car is a massive deterrent against theft, especially if your car is valuable or exotic.

Vehicle thieves are generally opportunists. They want to be in and out as quickly as possible and do not want to cause much noise or drama. You will see on most videos of car thefts that if the owner approaches the thieves during a theft, they will (most of the time) run off!

If you don't have another vehicle to park in front of your own, a bollard installation works just as well. Website CheckATrade estimates concrete bollard installation to be around £250 at the high mark. £250 is not a lot to pay for peace of mind and keeping your car safe.

Therefore, making it difficult for thieves to steal your car will deter most. They aren't going to waste time moving one vehicle just to get access to another. And that involves somehow getting into the car in front in the first instance they won't bother. If it cannot be stolen within 10 minutes it's simply not worth the hassle.

3) Steering locks

Back in the 1990s, you couldn't go five minutes without seeing a street full of locked steering wheels. The classic ones that fit over your steering wheel have generally fallen out of favour as time has gone on, due to ever-increasing security technology in cars. But they still represent an increase in safety for your car.

Generally, steering locks can be cut through. Nothing is safe when a thief really wants your car. But the main point of a steering lock is presenting a problem for any would-be thief. 

Remember, car thieves are opportunists. They want a car that is easy to steal without hassle. Having a steering lock means they would need to carry the tools to remove it, as well as dealing with the time it takes to cut through (and the loud sound alerting people nearby). Do you really think they're going to use a portable angle grinder at 3 am in the middle of a built-up neighbourhood? We don't think so.

The classic Disklok complete steering cover costs around £140 from Halfords and is well worth investing in. Don't choose the products that are just sticks from one end to another. They aren't good and it's reflected in the far cheaper price.

4) Immobilisation technology

One of the most successful technologies in keeping any car safe is ECU immobilisation. Essentially, products like the Ghost Immobiliser make it so that your vehicle will not start until a specific code has been inputted. Once the code has been inputted the ECU will pickup on this and start the vehicle.

What do we mean by code? Generally a sequence of buttons that is coded so that the car will not start unless the key is inside and the buttons are pressed in the right order. 

And by buttons we mean the buttons you have inside your car such as the volume, cruise control functions or song skip button. The sequence could be anything from pressing the volume-up button four times to something far more complex and harder to guess. 

So even if someone manages to steal your keys, they would not be able to start the car without inputting the sequence once they are sat inside the vehicle.

Generally, this technology is fairly pricey and the latest Autowatch Ghost-II CANbus Immobiliser product will cost you around £499. Website AutoWatch has more information regarding the Ghost Immobiliser. 

5) GPS tracking technology

A common vehicle theft trick these days is to steal and then hide the vehicle not so far away from where it was stolen (but away from plain sight). Thieves do this because many assume cars, especially exotic cars, are being tracked by GPS technology.

And they would be right, lots are. But at the same time, plenty aren't.

The thieves will usually leave the vehicle in the same spot for a day or two and then if it still hasn't been collected by the owner, the assumption is that it isn't being tracked. After which they will return and drive the vehicle off with the original theft intentions.

There are lots of products for car GPS tracking, although some of them have monthly costs if there are SIM cards involved. Website AutoExpress has a Best GPS Trackers for 2022 list worth looking at.

One of the easiest GPS tracking devices is an Apple AirTag, provided you have an iPhone device. These little tags can be placed anywhere and then location-tracked with your iPhone if you have the right app installed. They generally track to a localised area and can show where the tag is located within a certain amount of metres. 

One slight drawback of the Apple AirTag is the speaker will make frequent and reoccurring chimes if near an iPhone with the app installed. For some reason it works with any iPhone, so if the thieves also have an iPhone it will chime. 

Thankfully, the AirTag works without the speaker so it can safely be removed and there are tutorials on YouTube to do this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZ7jklJiMSE 

Lots of car thieves these days will scour obvious locations in the vehicle for GPS tracking devices like an AirTag. So when it comes to placing a tracker, it has to be in a discreet and not-so-accessible location.

6) OBD port protectors

A not-so-common but equally devastating way to steal a vehicle is through reprogramming a key by use of the OBD port. The OBD port is a diagnostic port that garages use when plugging in a scanner. It alerts them to any issues the vehicle is having by giving their scanners specific codes, highlighting areas where the car is having troubles.

Unfortunately, it's also a spot for a thief to plug in an OBD2 hacking device that can do a variety of things such as turning off a car alarm or reprogramming a dummy key into a real key. 

This can be done in a matter of seconds, as this YouTube video shows https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvmSOEKfkug the theft of a Ford Focus through the use of the OBD port.

OBD port theft can be blocked by purchasing OBD port locks, removing the fuse for the OBD port or creating a dummy OBD port. This YouTube video by JB CTR shows eight different ways to stop OBD theft https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FdAatrqiRP4 on an Mk8 Fiesta ST.

7) CCTV cameras 

One of the most popular CCTV cameras these days is WiFi-based cameras such as Ring Security Cameras. 

However, of the main issues with these is that they simply aren't a deterrent to vehicular theft. Your car simply isn't safer just because you have a camera pointing at it. These days, thieves are brazen in their methods and will steal a car without even hiding their faces. Most never get caught. The smart ones will ensure their faces are covered and even if the video evidence is handed to the police, it will be difficult for them to track the thieves.

Can CCTV cameras work in conjunction with other deterrents? We would say yes, having several deterrents such as a steering lock, CCTV cameras setup and a bollard installed will work wonders. But do not rely on CCTV alone. 

8) Driveway security floodlights

And finally, driveway security floodlights are quite helpful in order to make thieves think twice. Unfortunately, like the CCTV above, driveway security lights won't deter thieves alone. 

In combination with CCTV cameras, a steering lock and tactical parking, driveway lights will ensure thieves walk straight past your vehicle and to the one that has zero security. Bright lights can intensify the CCTV footage, giving you a clearer look at the thieves' faces. It can also scare them away.

Conclusion

Having some combination of the above will massively help protect your car from thieves. Some of them are particularly stronger than others. Some of them cost next to nothing (£20 for a Faraday Cage) and ensure your vehicle is safe from RFID attacks, which happen to be the most common attack these days.

Having a steering lock will protect your car from opportunistic thieves and along with tactical parking, you can ensure your car is far too much effort to steal.