This first half of the year saw a lot of cars stolen, according to new figures from the Vehicle Crime Insurance Bureau Foundation (VbV). Car thieves most often drove away with a Toyota RAV4; it was stolen 232 times. The Kia Sportage was stolen nineteen times in half a year last year, but now that is already 82 times.
You probably lock your car door. But if you really want to make it difficult for thieves, you have to pull out more tricks. Because thieves are not stupid and often gone within half a minute, explains Edwin Karelsen of the VbV Foundation.
“Car theft is often a cat-and-mouse game with the manufacturer. Thieves have now discovered that you can simply start the engine by plugging a connector into the headlight of a Toyota RAV4. Toyota has built in an immobilizer since 2023, but criminals can drive away with all older models.”
And a Range Rover, for example, has a cable under a plastic cover that car thieves can connect to their tool, which, according to Karelsen, is simply available for sale online. This makes it easy to start the car.
Keyless entry is certainly not safe
Cars with keyless entry (where you don’t have to take out your key to unlock the car) are certainly not safe. With a signal amplifier, that signal is picked up and amplified, and as a criminal you can start the car very quickly and easily. That is called relay theft.
“Then they quickly drive to an empty sea container that is ready and the stolen vehicle is gone,” says Karelsen. “To Africa. Or they drive to Poland, where the cars are dismantled somewhere in the woods near Warsaw for parts.”
So thieves are often quite smart. What we can do about this: slow them down or ensure visibility (see suggestions below). And if the damage has already been done: track your car, says the VbV Foundation.
And for those who are very worried, an extra electronic security system is a good idea, adds the Kiwa organization. Kiwa tests and certifies systems such as immobilizers and alarm systems according to the CCV Quality Mark.
On the organization’s website you can see how great the risk is that your car will be stolen. If you enter your license plate, you will receive information about the safety problems that are known about your car and how you can solve them.