One of everyone’s worst nightmares is the thought of having their car stolen. Your car is your pride and joy, you invested a lot of hard earned money into it and it’s essential for getting you around. Fortunately, with the following tips, you could prevent this from happening to you.

There are some basic, common sense things you can do all the time to prevent your car being stolen, such as:
 

• Not leaving any valuables in plain sight
• Park in well lit areas around other cars
• Always secure your car before you walk away from it – lock your doors, close your windows etc.
   

Other, more thorough solutions to help prevent your car from being stolen include:

1) Fitting a steering wheel lock

Steering wheel locks are a cheap and effective way to deter car thieves and prevent your car from being stolen. These devices lock horizontally or vertically across your steering wheel and if a car thief tries to steal your car, they may be able to hotwire it, but they’ll only be able to turn the steering wheel a small distance.

Steering wheel locks cost between £20-£30 but can be a lot more expensive if you want a more substantial one. 

2) Install a tracking device

While tracking devices won’t necessarily do anything to help prevent your car from being stolen, they can help you get your car back quicker if it is. Certain tracking devices are integrated with wireless and/or GPS technology to emit a signal to the police or a monitoring service of your vehicle’s location, to help police recover your vehicle faster. 

Keep in mind, these devices need to be professionally installed too.

3) Install a ‘kill switch’

One drastic, yet effective way to stop a car thief in their tracks is to install a vehicle immobiliser system such as a kill switch. The most common type of kill switch is the ignition kill switch, which essentially disables the vehicle so the thief can’t drive it away.

There are also remote kill switches that allow you to cut off your vehicle’s battery from a long distance.

4) Fit a wheel clamp

Wheel clamps are becoming a popular anti-theft device for motorists, and work in roundabout the same way a steering wheel lock does. It clamps onto one of your wheels and locks into a closed position – it’s as easy as that!

If a car thief manages to break into your car, they’ll only be able to drive a few inches before the device hits the road or your wheel arch.

Other locks you can also invest in are hood locks, which are specifically designed so no one can gain access to your engine and clutch pedal locks. 

Sometimes, just owning a certain car can make you more susceptible to car theft. According to WhatCar? these are the most stolen cars in the UK as of 2021:

1) Ford Fiesta
2) Range Rover
3) Volkswagen Golf
4) Ford Focus
5) BMW 3 Series
6) Vauxhall Astra
7) Land Rover Discovery
8) Mercedes E-Class
9) BMW 5 Series
10) Nissan Qashqai

With all these tips and some use of common sense, hopefully you’ll never have to experience that sinking feeling of having your car stolen.