Buying a new car is a big deal. Admittedly the surge in PCP and other finance deals has made the purchasing process much easier these days, but it will still be our biggest investment after a new home. So keeping that shiny new set of wheels safe from prying eyes is paramount.

However, it seems the more security measures car manufacturers introduce, the more adaptive the would-be thieves become. And the shift nowadays has certainly moved from hot-wiring to more sophisticated methods that tap into onboard computers with key cloning also a major issue.

According to the Office for National Statistics, police crime figures revealed that in the 12 months between April 2025 and March, 2026, five in every 1,000 people fell victim to vehicle crime with a total of 312,250 offences recorded. Although the number of incidents dropped by 11 per cent on the previous year, it is still too many and devastating for those involved.

One surprising factor that was revealed was the age of the vehicles being targeted. Once again, during the 2025-26 timeline, the greatest number of thefts was models more than one year old, but less than five; followed by those that were more than five, but less than 10 years old. Next up were cars that were more than 10 years old with brand new vehicles bringing up the rear.

By far, the majority of vehicle thefts between 2024 and 2025 were achieved by the thief manipulating the signal from a remote locking device, an issue that has become far more prevalent since carmakers replaced conventional keys with electronic fobs.

So, what can we do to deter these thieves and protect our vehicles? Of course, common sense is vital, including parking in well-lit areas whenever possible. preferably with CCTV in place. A traditional steering wheel lock is still an excellent deterrent, while a keyless entry fob can be stored in a Faraday pouch or metal box to block any wireless hacking and cloning,

Alternatively, a number of Thatcham-approved trackers are in demand and these can be a cost-effective way to protect your vehicle against theft. Additionally, having one of these devices fitted will often see a reduction in insurance costs too.

The impact of vehicle theft was brought up in the House of Commons in September this year by Liz Jarvis, Liberal Democrat MP for Eastleigh. She told us that the issue had been raised by a number of constituents during door-to-door visits but she also highlighted the problem of readily available on-line devices, along with instructions, that enable thieves to hack into car security systems.

She said: “Constituents have told me about waking up to find their car has been stolen from right outside their house. This isn’t a victimless crime – people need their cars to get to work, the shops and school, and it can have a devastating impact on their lives and their sense of security.”

And Ms Jarvis aired the concerns in her address to the House of Commons, stating: “One vehicle is stolen in England and Wales every four minutes. But this is also about the human impact of these crimes. I have heard from constituents, including NHS workers who have not been able to get to work or do the school run because their car vanished overnight. In one case, a couple told me that they saw a van pull up outside their property, and then someone get out and simply drive their car away.

“In April this year two constituents woke up to find that their brand-new car had been stolen while they slept. The insurance payout did not cover the real cost of a like-for-like replacement. The feeling of intrusion was significant for my constituents, whose sense of personal safety and security have been violated by the thoughtless crime that took place just metres from where they slept. The emotional toll was difficult for them both.”

Ms Jarvis also spoke about the methods thieves are adopting to steal vehicles, often using devices they have bought online.

She said: “To understand why this crisis is accelerating; we need to look at how these thefts are being carried out. The methods being used today bear little resemblance to the car thefts of a decade ago. The most common method now is relay theft, where criminals used a signal amplifier to capture a key fob signal from inside the owner’s home and then relay it to a device held next to the car. That tricks the vehicle into unlocking and starting without the key being present. Another method is controller area network bus injection, which involves physically accessing the vehicle’s onboard computer through an exposed entry point, using plug-in devices disguised as harmless electronics.

“What should concern us most is how accessible this technology has become. These are not improvised tools: devices targeting high-end vehicles can sell for more than £20,000, so there is a serious criminal market built around vehicle theft.

“As this technology has advanced, prices have fallen, with cheaper devices including low-cost models from China now appearing in the UK, and yet videos demonstrating exactly how to use those devices remain available online. I urge the Government to press platforms to remove that content. As things stand, we are allowing criminals to access step-by-step instructions on how to steal a car. The scale of the shift is reflected clearly in the data: in 2019 signal manipulation accounted for just 14 per cent of vehicle theft methods, but by 2024 the figure had risen to 58 per cent.

“That is the core of the problem: manufacturers can defend only against threats that they already know about. They are investing to keep up, but criminals are innovating faster than the manufacturers can build.”

So, the matter is being addressed at the highest level, and the Minister for Policing and Crime, Sarah Jones, said she would follow up on the issues raised by Liz Jarvis, stating: “I noted the point about online platforms and the videos on them, and I will take that away. It was not something that I was well aware of, but I will definitely take it away as something to raise with the tech companies, alongside the very long list that we are raising with them of other dangerous things online that should be taken down.

“How do we work with manufacturers to design out vehicle crime and how do we ensure that the legislation is in place to disrupt vehicle crime as much as possible? In addition, there is a question about ports and how easy it is to get vehicles out of the country, which we need to look at. There is also the international picture and ensuring that we share information with police forces around the world, where we can. There is the central capability that I think we need as part of the national police service to ensure that we treat this crime with the seriousness it deserves,” she added.

And car owners can do their bit too in a bid to deter thieves. We caught up with one of the UK’s leading tracker fitting and monitoring companies to find out how it all works and just how successful their services can prove.

SmarTrack is a UK-based company that provides insurance-approved vehicle tracking, asset protection and stolen vehicle recovery systems. The other vital cog in this partnership is Global Telemetrics and this provides the 24/7 all-year round monitoring platforms for vehicle security as well billing and the all-important software.

The success of this type of security service is clearly highlighted by the figures themselves, as a Global Telemetrics spokesman explained: “So far in 2026 we have recovered over £18.9m worth of vehicles for our customers; in 2025 as a whole we recovered over £29.8m across the year. In 20 years of SmarTrack history we have now recovered more than £229m worth of vehicles.”

So, how does this technology work and how expensive is it? Subscriptions start from £9.49 per month and installations are available through SmarTrack’s dealer network. Installation tends to take between one and two hours and then when it is all linked up, the vehicle is instantly being monitored.

Once a tracker has been securely fitted to a vehicle, the owner can monitor its movements via a smartphone app. If the vehicle is moved without the owner activating a security setting, then they will receive a phone call checking everything is okay. If they have simply forgotten to activate the security setting, then that is fine.

But if the vehicle is being moved without any owner approval, that’s when the alarm bells ring and the security company gets to work with the experienced Auto-crime Repatriation Investigation Team called into action. This group of highly skilled professionals has teams up and down the country with decades of experience in auto-crime and vehicle recovery, and they work very closely with the police for a speedy solution.

A spokesman for Global Telemetrics said: “Our repatriation team support us on every theft instance. As soon as a vehicle is reported as stolen or identified through driver detection as stolen, the customer is urged to obtain a crime reference number. Once we have this we liaise with the repatriation team who then liaise with the police themselves.

“The repatriation team will head to the vehicle using its tracker to pinpoint the location and they stay until the police can attend. We find because of the relationship they have with the police; this significantly speeds up recovery times and police attendance. We have had recoveries in as little as four minutes from being confirmed stolen. They will then assist the customer with recovery if needed.”

With so much experience recovering stolen vehicles, we wanted to know where the crime hotspots were according to Global Telemetrics and top of the list so far in 2026 is London, followed by the West Midlands, South Yorkshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, West Yorkshire, Lancashire, Surrey, Kent and Leicestershire. And top of the thieves wish-list this year has been Land Rover, Mercedes, BMW, Ford and Audi cars.

Fitting a tracker could not be easier and we have mentioned the many plans available to suit needs and budgets. A SmarTrack spokesman added: “In order to maintain Thatcham approval, all devices must be fitted by a Thatcham approved and SmarTrack authorised installation technician. The technician will take time to discreetly install each device in varying locations to minimise the risk of a device being found and subsequently removed in the event of a theft.”

We caught up with leading car insurance company Admiral to get their views on the ongoing issues of vehicle theft. Ian Jones, Theft Operations Manager at Admiral, said: “We’re seeing a consistent gradual decline in theft activity since a peak in late 2024, with theft volumes reducing by around 18 per cent since then. This may be due to increased police activity and investigations to disrupt ‘chop shops’ – where stolen vehicles have been dismantled and parts sold.

“However, unscrupulous criminals have turned their attention to other ways to exploit motorists and to make money from stolen vehicles, driven by increasingly sophisticated methods such as keyless theft, including relay attacks and key signal manipulation. We’re also seeing tactics like signal jamming, which can leave motorists unaware their vehicle has been left unlocked.

“We still see the occasional ‘trend’ such as catalytic converter theft when rare metal prices spike as well as thefts of car badges due to radar sensors being expensive to replace and easy to remove.

“Car theft continues to evolve and requires close collaboration across insurers, manufacturers, police and industry bodies to protect motorists. We share theft data with Thatcham who work with police, the government and vehicle manufacturers to try and prevent theft in the motor industry. Sharing data helps identify emerging trends and supports the development of security improvements, although these can take time to implement.

“In the meantime, there are simple steps drivers can take to reduce their risk of vehicle crime. For example, use your garage if you have one, and lock your vehicle in the garage, out of sight. If parking on the street, try to park in a safe, well-lit area. Invest in a steering wheel lock to protect your steering wheel and airbag. Lock your car every time you leave it, and double check that it’s locked by trying the handle. If you have CCTV or a video doorbell, try to position it to cover your driveway or car on the street. If you see anyone acting suspiciously near a vehicle, don’t hesitate to call the police. Ensure you get the latest security updates for your vehicle whenever they are rolled out by the manufacturer.”

Clearly car crime is still a major issue here in the UK and the availability of online devices that help these thieves needs addressing. Hopefully, the police, crime agencies, along with the backing of MPs will help get these devices removed from the public domain.