UK bans gadgets used to steal cars in 60 seconds
Key Points
- The Crime and Policing Act 2026, in law from 29 April, makes possessing, importing, making or selling devices used in vehicle theft a criminal offence carrying up to five years in prison and an unlimited fine.
- The Act covers relay attack tools, signal repeaters, signal amplifiers, signal jammers and key emulators, with the burden of proof on the individual to show legitimate use rather than on prosecutors to link the device to a theft.
- Electronic devices were used in 40% of UK vehicle thefts in the year ending September 2024, rising to 60% in London, with 732,000 vehicle-related theft incidents recorded.
- Some devices sell online for up to £22,000, with organised gangs recouping costs by stealing up to 10 cars a week per device.
- The Act targets the supply chain rather than fixing the underlying keyless entry vulnerability, meaning drivers should still use Faraday pouches, motion-sensing fobs, UWB-equipped vehicles and visible deterrents.
UK drivers will get stronger protection against car theft after possessing the electronic devices used to steal vehicles became a criminal offence on Wednesday (29 April).
The new offences, contained in the Crime and Policing Act 2026, criminalise the possession, importation, manufacture, adaptation, supply or offer to supply of any electronic device used in vehicle theft, including relay attack tools, signal repeaters, signal amplifiers, signal jammers and key emulators.
Conviction carries an unlimited fine, a maximum prison sentence of five years, or both.
Notably, the burden of proof flips as anyone caught with such a device must demonstrate they had a legitimate purpose for owning it, such as approved diagnostic equipment use, rather than the prosecution having to link the device to a specific theft.
The previous legal position made enforcement near-impossible.
Under section 68 of the Wireless Telegraphy Act 2006, only the use of signal jammers was an offence, not their possession or sale.
Police could pursue suspects under the Theft Act 1968 for “going equipped to steal,” but only when a device could be tied directly to a planned or completed crime.
The new offences allow officers to seize devices on sight when no legitimate purpose can be shown.
The Crime Survey for England and Wales recorded 732,000 incidents of vehicle-related theft in the year ending September 2024, with police recording 132,412 thefts of a motor vehicle and 188,517 thefts from a vehicle in the same period.
Electronic devices were used in approximately 40% of UK vehicle thefts, rising to 60% in London according to Metropolitan Police estimates.
RAC research cited in the Home Office release found that a quarter of UK drivers have suffered some form of vehicle crime.
Relay attack devices work by capturing the radio signal from a key fob inside a home, amplifying it, and transmitting it to a receiver near the vehicle, tricking the car into believing the key is present.
The whole process can unlock and start a vehicle in under 60 seconds without the owner’s home being entered.
Signal jammers operate on the reverse principle: they block the signal from a victim’s key fob to prevent a car locking when the door is closed, then jam tracker signals once the vehicle is driven away to conceal its location.
The devices are sold openly online, with the BBC reporting in November 2025 that price lists for high-end relay tools capable of bypassing Lamborghini and other luxury vehicle security ran to £22,000.
Tracking expert Neil Thomas told the BBC that organised crime groups regularly recoup the investment by stealing up to 10 cars a week per device.
Industry voices welcomed the change while warning it does not solve the underlying vulnerability.
RAC head of policy Simon Williams said in the Home Office release that outlawing possession and distribution of signal jammers “cannot come soon enough,” noting that current car theft convictions lag well behind the volume of cars stolen.
AA president Edmund King said the tougher sentences should make would-be thieves think again before stealing cars.
Thatcham Research chief executive Jonathan Hewett called the Act “a landmark moment” but said devices already in circulation will keep working, and called for closer collaboration with manufacturers on remote inhibit systems and ultra-wide band (UWB) key technology that resists relay attacks.
What this means for UK drivers and car buyers
The Act targets the supply chain rather than the underlying technical vulnerability in keyless entry systems, which means drivers cannot rely on the law alone to protect their vehicles.
Cars already targeted by organised gangs, particularly Range Rovers, Toyota and Lexus hybrids, BMW X-series and certain Ford models, will remain attractive until manufacturers retrofit or upgrade their key fob systems to use UWB or motion-sensing fobs that go to sleep when idle.
The flipped burden of proof is the most significant operational change for police.
Officers stopping a suspect and finding a relay box no longer need to wait for a linked theft to charge them.
The same possession offence applies to anyone importing devices through online marketplaces, which closes a loophole that has allowed sellers based outside the UK to ship into Britain with little risk to UK-based buyers.
Insurance premiums are also set to be an unexpected benefit. The AA’s Edmund King said in the Home Office release that the measure “could also help bring down insurance premiums as every claim for a stolen vehicle adds pounds to everyone’s premiums,” with keyless theft being one of the largest drivers of motor insurance inflation over the last five years.
