What are the most at-risk vehicles for relay car theft in 2019?

Relay car theft

Gone are the days where a thief had to break into your home to steal your car. As cars lean more towards convenience, the methods available to break into them become more convenient too.

While being able to start your car without fiddling with a key sounds ideal in theory, this is the exact technology thieves can easily exploit to get away with your vehicle. Tests by the ADAC show that 230 out of 237 keyless cars were vulnerable to relay car theft. That means 99% of these cars have some sort of security fault. So how do they get into your car? And what specific vehicles are most at risk?

Advancing methods

It doesn’t break the bank for someone to get their hands on a relay car theft device. They work by disrupting your car’s keyless signal and trick it into opening without the key being present. In fact, it’s probably a lot easier than previous methods, such as breaking into your home, ever were. There’s no breaking and entering required; just a £100 gadget and two people standing on your driveway.

As cars become more modern and incorporate more technology, we increase the potential options for exploitation. With advancing ways to steal a car, the proportion of vehicles at risk increases as well. 

What makes of car top the list?

In 2018, the most stolen and recovered vehicles were all high-end, with BMW, Mercedes, and Range Rover dominating the top 10 list. It was a similar lineup in 2017, so there’s definitely a pattern to the top picks. 

The 2018 list is:

  1. BMW X5
  2. Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  3. BMW 3 Series
  4. Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  5. BMW 5 Series
  6. Range Rover Vogue
  7. Land Rover Discovery
  8. Range Rover Sport
  9. Mercedes-Benz S-Class
  10. Mercedes-Benz GLE

But it’s not just high-end cars we need to worry about. Keyless entry isn’t exclusive to cars of a high-price point. Four of the UK’s five best-selling cars are also susceptible to relay car theft. Ford Fiesta, Volkswagen Golf, Nissan Qashqai, and Ford Focus all show faults and potential for being targeted. The only top-five vehicle not susceptible is the Vauxhall Corsa, and that’s because it’s not available with keyless entry.

Price doesn’t always matter

While it’s easy – and to some extent, accurate – to assume the better your car, the more at risk for theft it is, the average cost of stolen cars in 2018 was only £20,000. The least expensive recovery was a £1,000 Toyota Landcruiser.

Sure, thieves may be more drawn to a brand new Mercedes-Benz. But if there’s a Fiesta that’s an easy target, they won’t pass up the opportunity. Even cars of a lower price point will bring them some profit. In fact, sometimes cheaper cars will be the easier, less risky choice.

The emergence of keyless vehicles has done wonders for consumer convenience. But it’s also provided thieves with a new way of stealing them. Whether your car is top, middle, or bottom of the range, if it’s keyless, there’s potential for it to be exploited. It’s important to remember that price doesn’t always matter, as a lot of the time thieves just want easy targets. The question now is, how can you stop it happening to you?

Keyless Protector is a simple, small device that blocks your keyless fob’s signal. This means you won’t have to worry about falling victim to relay car theft. It’s inexpensive and requires minimal installation effort. After investing in your vehicle, it’s a little price to pay for protection. If you have any questions, you can visit our site here.

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