Car security that actually works: locks, pouches, trackers and cameras

The 622GW is the dash cam we'd point most people at if the budget stretches: 4K resolution that makes plates readable, image stabilisation, GPS speed and location on the file, and emergency SOS. A dash cam doesn't stop a theft — it wins the aftermath: claims, disputes and vandalism incidents get settled by footage.

Best for The evidence layer: 4K footage insurers and police can actually use

• 4K with stabilisation — plates stay readable, which is the entire job
• what3words and GPS embedded for exact incident location
• Parking mode saves a clip on impact (with a hardwire kit)

• Premium price for a dash cam
• Parking mode needs a hardwire kit
• No microSD card in the box

Who shouldn't buy it: You just want basic journey cover — a 1080p cam does that for a third of the price.

A heavy-duty steel bar lock rated Sold Secure Gold in the automotive category, a standard Milenco says it was engineered to far exceed. It's the middle path: far less bulky than a full-cover lock, and bright yellow so it deters from across the street.

Best for Sold Secure Gold security without the bulk of a full-cover lock

• Sold Secure Gold rated (automotive category)
• Twin hooks spread the attack points
• High-visibility yellow does the deterrent work

• Heavier than budget bars
• Still not full-wheel coverage

Who shouldn't buy it: You want the cheapest visible deterrent — the Stoplock does that job for less.

Relay theft — amplifying your key's signal from inside the house to unlock the car on the drive — is the growth pattern in vehicle crime, and a sealed faraday pouch stops it outright. Buy a pair, keep both keys in them by the door, and test the setup once: stand at the car with the pouched key and confirm the doors stay locked.

Best for The cheap fix for the way modern cars are actually stolen

• Directly defeats relay theft, the modern attack on keyless cars
• Costs less than a takeaway for both keys
• Zero daily effort once it's the habit

• Velcro closure isn't the strongest
• Retest every few months (police.uk)

Who shouldn't buy it: Your car needs the physical key in the ignition — you don't have a keyless signal to block.

A clamp is the wrong tool for a car you drive every day and exactly the right one for a van between jobs, a motorhome over winter or a second car on the drive. This Maypole is graded Sold Secure Gold in the automotive category, not just for caravans, and one size covers wheels from 15 to 18 inches. It stops the wheel turning and its bright bulk is a deterrent from the street, but it won't stop a vehicle being lifted onto a transporter, so pair it with a tracker for anything valuable.

Best for Cars, vans and motorhomes that sit for days

• Sold Secure Gold, automotive grade
• One size spans 15 to 18in wheels
• Covers wheel nuts and alloys

• About a minute to fit each time
• Check tyre width before ordering
• Doesn't stop a lift onto a transporter

Who shouldn't buy it: Don't buy it if you drive the car daily: a steering lock fits that routine, and you'll actually use it.

The value pick for the evidence layer: 2K cameras front and rear, GPS on the file, and a buffered parking mode that keeps the seconds before an impact, which is when the useful footage happens. Most cameras, including Nextbase's 622GW, start recording at the bump. Parking mode needs VIOFO's HK4 hardwire kit, £14.95 extra, and you'll need a microSD card. There's no independent UK lab test of its parking mode yet, so that claim is VIOFO's.

Best for Front and rear footage, including the seconds before a bump

• Buffered parking mode (maker)
• Front and rear cameras
• GPS, dual-band Wi-Fi

• Hardwire kit and card cost extra
• No UK lab test of parking mode found
• Doesn't stop a theft

Who shouldn't buy it: Don't buy it if you'd never wire a camera in: without the hardwire kit there's no parking mode, so a simple plug-in camera does the same driving job.

Police.uk notes it can take under 30 seconds to break into a vehicle, and for a van that usually means the tools. These surface-mounted deadlocks are graded Sold Secure Gold for van doors, with protection against bump keys, and they're a deterrent a thief can see. Fit them to the rear and side loading doors; Milenco recommends professional fitting and well-aligned panels. They protect only the doors they're on, so mark your tools and keep the valuable ones out of the van overnight.

Best for Keeping tools in the van overnight

• Sold Secure Gold for van doors
• Resists bump keys
• Visible from outside the van

• Professional fitting recommended
• Covers only the doors fitted
• Check for code 4428: lookalikes exist

Who shouldn't buy it: Don't buy it if your van has a factory deadlock you trust and you empty it every night: the money is better spent on a tracker.

The self-fit tracker for most people: hide it anywhere in the car, no wiring, and if the car moves without its key fob nearby, it phones you within a minute or so. What Car? scored it 4 out of 5, with a call about 90 seconds into its simulated theft and positions every few minutes after. The trade-offs: no live map, a £39-a-year subscription after two months, and no insurer recognition. Fit it only to a vehicle you own.

Best for A phone call the moment your car moves without you

• Calls you when it moves (maker)
• No wiring: up to a year per charge
• What Car? 4 out of 5

• £39 a year after two months
• No live tracking map
• No insurer recognition

Who shouldn't buy it: Don't buy it if your insurer wants a Thatcham-certified tracker: only a certified, professionally fitted system like Rewire's S5 counts.

The motorhome size of the clamp caravanners have used for years: UK-made, with a five-year lock warranty and a foam strip to protect alloys. It's graded Sold Secure Gold for caravans and trailers rather than for cars, which suits a motorhome on its drive or in storage. Size matters: this M16 fits 16-inch wheels with tyres up to 225mm, and a Ford Transit on 235mm tyres needs the M16+.

Best for Motorhomes on 16-inch wheels, parked up for winter

• Sold Secure Gold (caravan and trailer)
• UK-made, 5-year lock warranty
• Foam strip protects alloy wheels

• Heavy and slower to fit than a lock
• Wheel and tyre size must match
• Not graded for cars

Who shouldn't buy it: Don't buy it if it's for a car or a van on 15 to 18-inch wheels: Maypole's Apex is graded for automotive use and covers that range.

The serious option: a Thatcham-certified S5 system, the category insurers ask about, with 24/7 monitoring, a driver ID tag so it knows when the car moves without you, and professional fitting included. It's the only kind of tracker here that can earn an insurer's recognition, but Thatcham itself says certification doesn't guarantee it, so ask your insurer in writing which category it accepts before you buy. Budget for the monitoring: £150 a year at Rewire's prices after the included year.

Best for High-risk keyless cars, or when your insurer asks for S5

• Thatcham S5 certified
• 24/7 monitoring and driver ID
• Fitting included

• £150 a year for monitoring
• Installer appointment needed
• Insurer recognition varies

Who shouldn't buy it: Don't buy it if you just want to know if the car moves: the Monimoto 9 does that with no fitting and a much smaller subscription.

The part the 622GW's parking mode needs: Nextbase says parking mode only works with constant power when the ignition is off, which this kit takes from a permanent-live fuse. It's a fuse-box job, so if you're not confident, have it fitted, and check for the lightning-bolt symbol on the camera's battery icon with the engine off. Nextbase also says its cameras aren't built to run 24/7, so unplug before a long holiday.

Best for Making a Nextbase 622GW's parking mode actually work

• Turns on 622GW parking mode
• Built-in battery protection
• 5m cable with fuse taps

• Fuse-box fitting job
• Series 2 cameras only
• Not for the iQ or Piqo

Who shouldn't buy it: Don't buy it if you don't use, or don't want, parking mode: the 622GW's own car-socket cable is enough for driving.

The steering lock most people actually buy: quick to fit every night and obvious through the windscreen, which is most of a steering lock's job. One correction to what you'll read elsewhere: it isn't on Sold Secure's register (we checked on 10 October 2026), although some magazines and retailers say it is. Treat it as a deterrent, not a graded lock. If your car is a known target, the Milenco High Security is Sold Secure Gold.

Best for A quick, visible deterrent at a sensible price

• Fits in seconds, so it gets used
• Bright and visible through the screen
• 10-year guarantee (maker)

• Not on Sold Secure's register
• Bar locks guard one section of rim
• Thick rims can be a tight fit

Who shouldn't buy it: Your car is a known high-theft model — spend up on a Sold Secure Gold lock such as the Milenco High Security instead.

Police.uk's advice is simple: fix your number plates with tamper-resistant screws, because stolen plates are how thieves disguise a stolen car or dodge speeding and parking tickets in your name. One-way screws go in with an ordinary flat screwdriver and won't come out with one. They slow a thief down rather than stop a determined one, and they do nothing about cloning from a photo of your plate, but for a few pounds they close an easy gap.

Best for Making your number plates a slower, less tempting target

• Police.uk recommends them
• Fit with a flat screwdriver
• Caps in white, yellow and black

• Slows theft, doesn't stop it
• No defence against cloning
• Check the size fits your holes

Who shouldn't buy it: Don't buy it if your plates are bonded to the car with adhesive pads and no screws: there's nothing to swap.

An AirTag isn't a car tracker, but at £29 it's the cheapest way to get a clue. It reports its location only when an Apple device passes nearby, so a car taken somewhere quiet can go dark, and a thief with a phone gets an unknown-tracker alert and can find it: What Car? scored one 2 out of 5 for this job. That alert is also a deterrent. Fit it only to your own property: Apple says using these to track people without consent is a crime in many countries.

Best for A cheap lead on where a stolen car went, for iPhone owners

• £29: the cheapest tracking step
• Battery lasts over a year
• Thieves' phones may flag it

• Not GPS: needs Apple devices nearby
• Can be found and removed
• Needs an iPhone or iPad to set up

Who shouldn't buy it: Don't buy it if you want to recover the car rather than get a lead: a GPS tracker like the Monimoto 9 calls you when it moves.

Police.uk warns that the diagnostic (OBD) port in many modern cars can be used to unlock and start them, and suggests a lockable cover. This aluminium lock is the version you can buy on Amazon, but it isn't independently graded: the two OBD locks Sold Secure rates, from TVL Security and Locks 4 Vans, are sold direct. Check your port first, since some sit deep in trim, and remember it has to come off for servicing.

Best for Covering the diagnostic port thieves use to programme a new key

• Covers the port police.uk names
• Aluminium body, security screws
• On Amazon, unlike the rated ones

• Not independently graded
• Won't fit every port
• Off for every service

Who shouldn't buy it: Don't buy it if you can buy a Sold Secure-graded OBD lock for your car direct from TVL Security or Locks 4 Vans.