Why don’t car burglars go to electric cars or plug-in hybrids?
Research shows that electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids are unlikely to be stolen by car burglars. Please check the reason.
Letting your car steal is something no one has to experience. According to the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB), automatic theft of numbers has been declining, but in 2024 there were still nearly a million automatic thefts. There is a lot of lists of vehicles that are stolen the most, and there is a common trend between them. There are a few reasons why we haven’t heard of electric cars being stolen.
How often is EVS stolen?
Some cars are easy to steal.
According to IIHS (Insurance for Highway Safety) and HLDI (Highway Loss Data Institute), “The smallest-storey vehicle includes eight electric vehicles and two plug-in hybrids. It’s not very appealing to thieves.”
The garage is the safest place to park
One of the biggest reasons why EVs aren’t stolen so often is because they’re parked. Nicholas Zeitlinger of Nicb said, “One explanation for less theft is that EVs are usually billed in the car garage, where they are safer locations.”
The home garage is the safest place to park your vehicle as it keeps your vehicle stored until the door opens. It is much more difficult to steal a vehicle that a burglar cannot see or find.
Electric vehicles and common theft methods
The old-fashioned way to steal a car by taking a key from the owner still works, but EVs have deterrent against some new theft methods. Intruding into modern EVs and trying hat wires is ineffective as there are no wires in the steering column at all.
A more powerful anti-theft system
Many EVs have new unique safety features to protect against potential thieves. Tesla has a feature known as a sentry system that monitors activity around a vehicle while parked. The car displays a message on the centre infotainment screen that “surveillance is ongoing” to alert people who may look into the windows. Mercedes-Benz has a similar system called the Gaurd360, which uses 360 cameras to record and monitor activities around the car.
Keeping your car safe from burglars is very important, but some cars make it easier to keep them safe. Electric cars become more difficult as many owners park in their garages. Another reason is that most EVs do not use wires in their steering columns, so hot wires are not available and there are cameras and motion detection that block people in the shade who get too close to the vehicle.
