Drivers told to keep car keys in microwave as crime surge sweeps England

Motorists have been urged to keep their car keys inside their microwave ovens as thousands of vehicles are stolen every year. Experts at Cinch stressed that microwaves act as an extra layer of protection, with keyless car thefts becoming a major concern.

Data from the DVLA revealed that a whopping 61,343 cars were reported stolen over 2024 with 8,145 models stolen in London alone. The figures were more than double the number recorded back in 2015 and were the third-highest annual total over the past ten years. Previous estimates claim as much as 70% of car crimes are due to keyless entry making it a major worry for motorists.

Cinch said: “Keyless car fobs let you unlock the car when you’re nearby and turn the engine on without putting the key in the ignition. But thieves have exploited this handy feature by ‘cloning’ the signal. You can stop this from happening by blocking the signal with a Faraday pouch, which is lined with metal and stops thieves tricking your car into thinking the key is nearby.”

Those without access to a Faraday pouch or just looking for an extra layer of protection have been told to look no further than their own microwave. Criminals can steal keyless car signals using sophisticated "relay" devices even if they are sitting outside a home.

However, microwave ovens are built using materials that electromagnetic waves cannot pass through, making it harder to steal.

Sam added, “You can even keep your keys in an aluminium tin, or pop them in the microwave, to block the signal. But a proper Faraday pouch or box is the best way forward. You can even get smaller Faraday pouches to keep your keys in when you’re out and about."

AA boss Edmund King previously admitted to storing his own car keys inside a microwave after his wife’s Lexus was stolen. Experts at Ofcom urged road users to consider the microwave as an “extra level of protection” for road users.

Ofcom said: “No Faraday pouch is 100% perfect, which means some radio waves may still get through, although at a much weaker level. Putting the pouch inside a microwave oven means radio waves would have to get through two barriers and the signals would be even weaker on the outside.

“The effect of this is to reduce the distance over which the fob would operate - to an impossibly small distance from the car or a thief’s equipment. And this in turn means thieves can’t be successful if they’re trying to capture the frequency of your key fob from somewhere near your home.”