How to protect your car lease from thieves

Worried about the security of your lease car? We've got some anti-theft advice just for you. 

Leasing is a wonderful way to get your hands on the very latest cars the market has to offer. Including all the shiny new bells and whistles manufacturers have to offer.

If cars are your thing, it’s a properly exciting prospect.

The downside? Your car lease is an attractive opportunity for thieves, too.

We heard one story earlier this summer that made us think about it more seriously; where someone had to scare car thieves off their driveway at 2am, by shouting out the window and wielding a decorative Malaysian machete.

It makes for a great story in retrospect – it’ll probably be a hit at parties – but in reality, no one wants to spend sleepless nights worried about prowlers with sticky fingers creeping up the driveway.

That’s why we’re here to help you navigate the risks of car theft with some no-nonsense tips.

So, whether you’ve taken out a personal car lease, have a business car lease for work, or are enjoying the EV revolution with electric car leasing, this is your road map to keeping your lease car safe from thieves.

Is car theft really on the rise?

Sadly, yes; car theft is on the rise.

And we saw a real peak in 2023, when the Office for National Statistics reported a 24.9% increase on the previous year.

If you don’t do percentages, we’ll break it down a little differently for you.

That 24.9% works out at around 129,159 cars stolen that year alone. That’s about 356 cars a day. Imagine that – a car for every day of the year, going missing in one single day.

Every day.

Yeah, our jaws are on the floor too.

Happily, car theft last year slowed down slightly with a 6% decrease in thefts reported to the DVLA, but it’s still twice as many as were recorded a decade ago.

2015, you were truly a more innocent time.

And looking at these stats, we’ve got a few shivers walking down our spine – along with a compulsive need to check where we’ve left our keys lying around.

If you’re feeling the same way, never fear. There are some simple steps you can take to hit the brakes on would-be-thieves.

Our top tips to protect your lease car from theft

Invest in a faraday box

We love keyless entry as much as the next person, but you know who loves it even more? Opportunistic car thieves.

That’s right – a feature that was supposed to be super convenient could be the key (no pun intended) to thieves getting behind the wheel.

New tech is used to ‘hack’ the signal from your key, so thieves can gain access to your car without ever having to get their hands on the keys themselves. But a Faraday box uses conductive materials to block electromagnetic fields.

Basically, it stops the signal from your key going out – which means no one can hack it and gain access to your car.

We still wouldn’t recommend you leave said box by the front door (you never know if a potential thief is willing to break in and steal your car the old-fashioned way), but as far as deterrents go, the Faraday box is a pretty good one.

Use steering wheel locks

Of course, sometimes the tried-and-true methods are worth holding onto. And a steering wheel lock?

It may not be fancy, but it’s still really effective.

Once in place, it physically stops the steering wheel from turning. So even if a would-be thief manages to break in and start the engine, a useless steering wheel makes the car basically impossible to drive.

Of course, there’s no guarantee a thief can’t get the lock off eventually – but that’s not the point. Steering wheel locks were designed to be deterrents.

In other words, it visibly signals your car is worth more trouble than it’s worth to try and steal it. And that makes it worth investing in one.

Consider GPS tracking or an immobiliser

A lot of new cars these days come with tracking devices installed – but not all. Check the specification of your car to see if GPS tracking or an immobiliser is included.

GPS tracking let’s you literally track the location of your car. So even if thieves get it off your driveway, you should know exactly where it ends up – and your chances of getting it back are a lot higher.

As for an immobiliser, it does what is says on the tin. The car won’t start without the authorised key or fob, because critical parts are disabled (such as the fuel system, starter motor or ignition system) without said key.

But good news – if your car doesn’t come with these features, you can purchase relatively inexpensive GPS tracking devices from places like Halfords (and some don’t even need to be professionally installed).

Just be aware if you intend to make modifications to your lease car, you will need permission from your funder, and be prepared to reverse any modifications at the end.

But here’s an added bonus – the added security may lower your insurance premium. 

Be aware of where you park

It’s not just extra devices that help deter thieves. There are some common-sense measures you can take too.

Just being aware of where you park your car can make a huge difference in its attractiveness to thieves.

Parking somewhere isolated or poorly lit? It’s like handing a break-in opportunity over on a silver platter. Don’t make it easy for them.

When out and about, try and park close to street lighting or in well-lit areas of a car park. Don’t park away from other cars, even if you’re worried about someone hitting your car with their doors.

And at home, if you have a garage, use it for parking – not the five lawnmowers you don’t really need. A garage offers way more protection than parking on the driveway, or even on the road.

Lock your car

Yes, yes, we know. Don’t tell a mechanic how to change a tyre and all that.

But sometimes the obvious things really do need to be stated. And with some cars (we’re looking at you Polestar 4), it’s not always obvious when the car has actually locked itself.

Or unlocked itself, as the case may be.

Because key signal blocking is another nefarious way thieves are getting their dirty hands on your car. They use a device that interferes with the signal between the key fob and the car so the signal can’t be relayed.

You walk off thinking you’ve locked your car, but actually? They’ve stopped it from happening – and just need you out of sight to hop in the driver’s seat.

So, don’t assume that just because you’ve pressed the button, the lock has worked. Check the doors and make sure your car is actually locked before walking away.

It might be overkill, sure. But it might also be the one small habit standing between you an empty driveway.

Stay alert

If you think you’re being paranoid, you’re probably not. Your instincts are there for a reason, so don’t ignore them.

A stranger is loitering near your car for no reason that you can see? Worth keeping an eye on – they may be trying to hack the signal from your key.

You think you’ve heard someone creeping up your driveway late at night? Call the police.

Basically, be alert to suspicious activity and don’t hesitate to report it to the police if you think something is wrong.

It’s a lot easier to prevent a car theft, than it is to recover a stolen vehicle.

Which cars are least likely to be stolen?

A Tesla is one of the least likely cars to be stolen in the UK because of the enhanced security features that come the Model 3 and Model Y.

Alarms and GPS tracking are included, yes. But Tesla go above and beyond to make your car unattractive to thieves with features such as:

• PIN to drive: four-digit verification that must be entered to drive the car
• Sentry mode: allows you to monitor activity around your Tesla when it's parked and locked, with the alarm activating if a threat is detected
• Manual entry: you can disable passive entry if you're worried about it being exploited
• Intrusion sensors: all new Tesla's come with intrusion sensing hardware to complement sentry mode

But it’s not all about fancy security features. It’s about brands, market trends and sheer popularity too.

The Ford Fiesta and VW Golf – pretty commonplace sights on the UK roads – are some of the most stolen models, purely because there are so many of them about.

Thieves also love to strip cars for parts. BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Range Rovers are targeted because their parts are considered high value, and the cars themselves have high resale value.

So, if you’re driving something like a 10-year-old Toyota Aygo, you’re probably not a premium target.

But even the best value lease cars are worth protecting with some simple theft deterrents.

Where are the UK's car theft hotspots? 

As with any crime, car theft has its hotspots. And while you won’t find these figures on Rightmove, the RAC has helpfully compiled the top 10 places to enjoy a casual bit of car thievery: 

1. London
2. Birmingham
3. Manchester
4. Leeds
5. Sheffield 
6. Coventry 
7. Wolverhampton
8. Leicester 
9. Walsall
10. Bristol 

It’s like the USA and documented serial-killers: bigger populations are always going to have proportionally more criminals. And in this case, car-thieves are drawn to cities, like flies to two-day old road kill.

Which is not a happy thought for the town-mice among us – but even country living isn’t immune. Taking proactive measures is worthwhile, no matter where you live.

Because everything we love about new motors – the latest tech, the shiniest features, the irresistible new car appeal – can draw in some less than welcome admirers too.

Protecting your lease car

And remember, car theft may be on the rise, but that’s no reason not to enjoy a beautiful new car lease. If you know how to keep your new wheels safe and sound, there’s no reason not to expect to find your pride and joy exactly where you left it – on your driveway.