How to improve your vehicle security in 2023

Cars are expensive. The much-cited statistic is that they are the second priciest thing we are likely to buy in our lifetime.

Unlike houses, though, they move about and don’t come with big heavy doors that can be secured with bolts and deadlocks.

There are still plenty of things you can do to keep your car safe, though, both for the vehicle itself and related to where you keep it. Want to avoid having to trawl through the listings of second hand cars for sale and keep hold of your pride and joy? Read on…

Before your car is stolen

Protecting your keys

Gone are the days when you need to put a physical key into an actual lock to get into and start most cars. A wide range of cars, particularly high-end ones, now come with keyless entry and start. This leaves you vulnerable to thieves who can record the signal that your car’s key produces and then replicate it. In some cases, would-be robbers could park up outside your house and get the information they need in a matter of minutes without even going through your door.

However, there is a simple little accessory that you can use to keep your key safe. A Faraday pouch is a little metal-lined bag that blocks the signal so it can’t be read. In short, no signal, no theft.

Obstacles to the thieves

Wheel locks

Wheels need to turn for a car to go, whether it is the steering wheel or the four on the ground. The chunky steering wheel lock is a bit of an old-school solution – you might remember your parents having one back when cars needed little more than a bit of jiggling to get into.

The reasoning then, and now to a degree, is two-fold. Not only could the sheer presence of a steering wheel lock put off a potential criminal – it requires extra effort and it’ll take longer to remove before they can make off with your car.

That’s the second benefit. If a robber is determined to try and take your car then it will buy you a bit more time to catch them.

Clamp your wheels

You could also clamp the wheels on the ground. There are a few different types of wheel clamps to choose from, and they aren’t all the same size, so work out how big your wheels are before you pick one.

Make sure it covers the wheel nuts on your vehicle, though – thieves could take the wheel off and leave it behind otherwise, making off with a spare in its place.

Protecting your garage

Light it up

Thieves often operate at night, when they can’t be seen. Throw a big old spanner in the works by fitting some security lights. Not only does it mean they could be spotted earlier, it also means that you have a better chance of spotting them on CCTV, if you have it fitted.

Lock it down

The level of security on your garage is not as robust as that on your front door, so if you want to keep undesired intruders out then a lock upgrade would be a worthwhile consideration. A dedicated lock will be stronger and potentially have more systems than the version that came when the door was first fitted.

After the theft

Track your car

If your car has already been swiped then it might not be too late to get it back. Relying on the numberplates being spotted by ANPR cameras or eagle-eyed police is asking a bit much – it’s a short job to swap plates over after all.

By installing a car tracker, you can see exactly where it is. There are several systems out there, some of which use GPS, while others use Very High Frequency (VHF) tech, which can even work underground or in a metal container. As plenty of high-end vehicles get stored out of sight before being shipped overseas, this could prove very handy.

Record the evidence

A CCTV system might not help stop criminals, unless it’s visible and very obvious, but it might well help apprehend them after they’ve finished robbing. If you get one with decent recording abilities – 4K if you can – then you stand a better chance of identifying the perpetrators.

In any case, don’t start approaching thieves if they are stealing your car. Call the police on 999 if the break-in is still happening, or 101 if it has already happened, and leave it to the people whose job it is to catch the responsible parties.