Keyless car theft

Have you ever noticed a £100,000 Range Rover parked on your street that’s fitted with a cheap steering lock and wondered, why?

The answer is all down to keyless entry systems. In 2018 car security firm Tracker reported that 88% of the stolen cars it recovered had been stolen using keyless entry theft methods.

Keyless entry systems might appear high-tech but really they just rely on radio waves to prove the presence of the car’s key on your person. But, with the correct tech, the system can easily be tricked allowing criminals to get into and start your car without needing the key.

Are keyless entry cars easier to steal?

The answer to this question is a resounding – yes. So long as criminals have the right kit stealing a keyless car is relatively easy. Keyless car crime means there’s no need to gain entry to your home to steal the keys and no need to physically steal them from. So, while keyless entry systems make it easier to steal a car, they also lower the risk that you yourself will be harmed for your car keys.

How to prevent it

While stealing a keyless car is relatively easy, following a few simple steps can make a criminal’s life a lot more difficult, if not completely impossible.

• The most obvious step is to keep your key as far away from your car as possible, and as far away from the windows and doors of your house – thus making it harder for criminals to detect and amplify your key signal.
• The same is true if you park your car on the street. Parking it a distance from your house will make it harder to amplify the signal, also thieves won’t necessarily know which house contains the corresponding keys.
• Another simple fix is keeping your keys in a biscuit box or, if you don’t mind looking a little silly, your microwave. Radio waves cannot penetrate metal and if thieves can’t detect your key signal, they can’t steal your car.
• Other measures that will do the job include using a steering lock. This highly visible deterrent will likely put off a thief who’s looking for an easy win. The same is true of wheel clamps that lock around your car’s wheels or a pedal box that encases your car’s brake and clutch pedals.
• For another layer of protection, it’s also worth considering fitting a tracker device.