Hundreds of vehicle models including four of the five bestselling models in the UK are suspectible to keyless theft, according to a study by Which? magazine.
Keyless thefts are also known as ‘relay attack’, and involve the use of relay boxes which can open a car door and even start the engine without the need for a key. Placing one box near the car and the other near where the key is kept, criminals can lengthen the radio signal produced by the fob, tricking the car into thinking the key is within close enough range to be unlocked and started.
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Data from the BBC has shown the rates of car theft in the UK are gradually rising from their low point of three incidences per 1,000 vehicle-owning households in 2014. Which? analysed research from the General German Automobile Club (ADAC) to find out the impact of keyless attacks on the five best-selling cars in the UK in 2018.
The Ford Fiesta, Volkswagen Golf, Nissan Qashqai and Ford Focus were found to be susceptible to this kind of theft. Only the Vauxhall Corsa was deemed safe from such attacks, because it is not available with keyless entry and start.
ADAC tested a total of 237 keyless cars and found that all but three of them are susceptible to relay attacks. 230 of the vehicles tested, from more than 30 brands, could be unlocked and started using relay boxes, while a further four models could be either unlocked or started.
Harry Rose, editor of Which? Magazine, said: “With more than one car being stolen every seven minutes, it’s important that people can feel confident in the security of their vehicle.
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By GlobalData“The fact that so many cars on the road are susceptible to keyless theft simply isn’t good enough. We want manufacturers to up their game when it comes to making their vehicles safe from theft.”
In an interview with Motor Finance in 2018, cap hpi managing director Christopher Wright commented on an increasing amount of vehicle data being requested to aid in police investigations of vehicle theft.
