Keyless tech is contributing to wave in car thefts, say insurers

Keyless technology is an increasingly popular feature of modern cars – allowing you, in principle, to securely access and start your car without the faff of turning a lock. Instead, a fob you keep on your person signals when you're close to your vehicle. 

But while this is inarguably great for convenience, is it a growing vulnerability when it comes to security? According to a new survey of 835 car owners by The Green Insurer, some 70% of drivers believe keyless technology makes cars more vulnerable to being stolen. And with car theft on the rise, the stats seem to bear this out, with major insurers prone to agree.

Here, Which? examines recent trends in car theft, how vulnerable keyless cars really are, and how you can reduce the risk of your vehicle being stolen.

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Car theft up by more than half

Last November, when we last surveyed drivers who'd claimed, theft accounted for 10% of car insurance claims reported, placing it far behind accidental damage claims (39%) – the most common.

However, according to some insurers, theft claims have been on the rise. At the end of last year, major insurer LV reported that car thefts increased by 59% between 2021 and 2022, and were expected to continue going up.  

This trend is also visible in figures from the Office of National Statistics. In its Crime Survey for England and Wales, it reported that over the year to September 2023, incidents of vehicle theft spiked by 48%. Its latest release, covering the year to December 2023, shows this trend appearing to level off but not dropping, with vehicle theft rising by 3% over those 12 months.

LV's claims data meanwhile, shows that between 2021 and 2023, thefts of Lexuses had increased the most (by 513%), followed by Toyotas (103%), Hyundais (81%) and Kias (76%).

The insurer pointed out that keyless models were easiest to steal, with thieves able to 'buy devices easily online, which enables them to steal a car in a matter of seconds by either starting the engine without keys, coding, or breaking in.'

• Find out more: how to make a car insurance claim

How keyless cars are targeted

Between 60% and 70% of of cars stolen in the past 12 months were keyless, according to data from Admiral, the UK's largest car insurer. 

Its spokesperson told us, 'Criminals continue to identify ways to exploit vehicle technology to steal cars'. The important caveat was that because stolen cars usually aren't recovered, the insurer couldn't definitively say whether the keyless technology itself was what enabled thieves to steal the cars.

However, Admiral pinpointed two typical vulnerabilities with keyless technology that can enable thieves to steal and drive off with cars in seconds.

The most common method currently used is the 'relay attack', which usually happens when the key fob is within the victim's home. Two criminals – one close to the key fob and the other near the car – work together to relay an electronic signal between the fob and the car, fooling the car into thinking that the driver is nearby. 

However, a relatively new method is hacking a vehicle's CAN (control area network) bus or circuit board to disable locking and alarm systems.

Are manufacturers doing enough?

According to The Green Insurer's survey, some 80% of motorists believe that car manufacturers need to do more to make their vehicles more difficult to steal.

Manufacturers have attracted criticism – including from the London Mayor Sadiq Khan earlier this year – for not doing enough to address security concerns with their newer vehicles, making more drivers victims of theft and contributing towards rising insurance premiums. However, there has been some progress in fighting back against the criminals. 

Take the relay attack. Steve Launchbury, principle engineer for automotive security at Thatcham Research, a not-for-profit risk intelligence company that works with manufacturers and insurers to rate cars on their safety and security, told us, 'While many vehicles with keyless entry systems are vulnerable to a relay attack, the majority of manufacturers have introduced a "sleeping key" which uses a motion sensor to allow the fob to enter "sleep mode" when not in use, and therefore not respond to a relay attack.'

In his view, 'Ultra wideband transmission technology' – first introduced by Jaguar Land Rover in 2018 – is the most secure means of protecting a keyless entry signal. It provides the key fob's accurate position in relation to the vehicle, enabling the vehicle to detect if the signal has been extended beyond its usual range.

However, it's also clear there's no one-and-done solution, with Martin Smith, motor claims manager at Aviva, commenting: 'Vehicle theft continues to be an issue for motorists, manufacturers and insurers as criminals are becoming more sophisticated and continually look for new ways to steal vehicles'.

• Find out more: how to get cheap car insurance

How you can evade theft if you have a keyless car

With criminals' methods varied and changing, here are some steps drivers will increasingly need to take to reduce the risk of being targeted, or of thieves' attempts being successful.

• Purchase a signal blocking pouch, container or box to keep your car keys in (often sold as 'Faraday' items): As the name suggests, these prevent signals from your key fob being intercepted and manipulated by would-be thieves.
• Keep up to date with security updates: Most modern cars receive periodic security updates from the manufacturer designed to combat various security threats. Being behind on one of these updates could prove the vulnerability that a thief is able to exploit.
• Check your vehicle is locked before leaving it: This is a simple point of advice, but a crucial check to make if you're not manually locking your car. Thieves drive around at night looking for unlocked vehicles. 
• Make your car inconvenient to steal: Thieves won't be short of options when targeting cars, and a key part of their thinking will be which car is least risky to try stealing. Vehicles parked in dark and less busy areas are more likely to be attacked. Other 'old fashioned' anti-theft devices include steering wheel locks or foot pedal locks.
• Make your vehicle trackable: If – despite your efforts – your car is taken, if it's got a tracking device installed, there's a chance it can be recovered. Consider fitting your own vehicle tracking device, even if you have one pre-installed by the manufacturer.

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