We’ve mentioned in a few different blogs that steering locks are a great way to put off thieves. But what should you look for when you’re buying one? Here we review some popular models and discuss what they have going for them.
We’re going in order of cheapest to most expensive. But first…
What do steering locks do?
As the name suggests, they lock your steering wheel in place. That means even if someone breaks into your car and manages to get it started, they won’t be able to drive off with it.
Will a steering lock make your car impossible to steal? No. But it can help a lot. Often, it’ll take power tools to get through one. That means making loads of noise – something thieves usually prefer to avoid.
On top of that, thieves are increasingly going for high-tech tactics – using signal boosters to get into keyless cars. Given these crimes can be a lot easier to pull off than traditional thefts, crooks may not be equipped to deal with a good old steering lock.
The truth is, there’s plenty of cars around for thieves to target. They’ll naturally go for the easiest options. If you’ve got a steering lock, that probably isn’t you.
Alright. With that said, let’s look at some locks…
Streetwize Double Hook steering lock- around £20.
Like a lot of things, you generally get what you pay for with steering locks, so you can expect the cheapest options to be less effective than others. Someone who really knows what they’re doing can remove this kind of lock pretty quick (in about 10 seconds, in fact).
But if you’re on a budget, having something in place is way better than nothing. And of the options around the £20 mark, this seems to get better reviews than its competitors.
Stoplock Original steering lock – around £30.
The yellow elements are eye-catching and it also has a flashing LED to make sure thieves know that it’s there. It’s made of stainless steel, so you’d expect it to be tough to get through – and the fact it comes with a 5-year guarantee backs that up. The combination lock has 10,000 possible combinations, so no one should be able to crack it the easy way.
Some sources say it can be a bit tricky to fit and won’t go under the seats of some cars, meaning you’d need to keep it in the footwell or boot. You can check if it’ll fit your car here.
Streetwize Urban X steering lock – around £40.
It’s very yellow – which sends a strong message to thieves. It covers the entire wheel (like the much more expensive Disklok, which we’ll look at later) and that probably has an intimidation factor. That said it might be a bit harder to use than a bar design.
It comes with a 1-year guarantee. In tests, it lasted 4.5 minutes against attack from power tools. Some pricier models have performed a bit better, but in a lot of real life scenarios, thieves aren’t going to just stand around sawing for almost 5 minutes.
Stoplock Pro Elite steering lock – around £60.
This is the top-of-the-line version of the Stoplock. It’s nearly twice the price of the original, but may well be worth the money. Its deeper curve makes it easier to fit to many cars, the bright yellow bar is more visually arresting and, according to Auto Express, it’s basically as hard to crack as anything on the market.
The fact it comes with a lifetime guarantee shows how confident the manufacturers are in its quality. Given that some locks cost more than double this, it looks like very good value.
Milenco High Security steering lock – around £65.
This one fits in a slightly unusual way compared to some other models, but once you’ve got your head around that, it should work well. In fact, given that it’s 2.5 times tougher than the Thatcham standard, it’ll give any potential thieves a hard time. It comes with a 12-month guarantee.
Disklok Silver steering lock – around £140.
These have a reputation as being borderline indestructible and enjoy the title of ‘the UK’s strongest steering lock’. But that’s what you’d expect at that price. They’re also a bit heavy and unwieldy, meaning they need to be stored in the boot.
If you have a model that you know is a target for thieves – a Land Rover or Ranger Rover, for instance – the Disklok might well be worth the investment.
