How to stop keyless car theft in Australia
Updated 24 July 2026 · 6 min read
If your car unlocks as you walk up to it, a thief can potentially drive it away in under a minute — without ever touching your key. It's called relay theft, and it's now one of the most common ways late-model cars are stolen in Australia. The good news: the fixes are cheap, and layering two or three of them makes your car a poor target.
How relay theft actually works
Keyless ("proximity") fobs are always broadcasting a short-range signal. Two thieves work as a pair: one stands near your front door with a relay device that captures the fob's signal through the wall, and a second stands by the car with a booster that replays it. The car thinks the key is present, unlocks, and starts. No window is broken and no alarm is triggered — which is exactly why it's so common.
The weak point isn't your car's security. It's that the key keeps talking even while it sits in a bowl by the front door overnight. Stop the key from broadcasting, and the whole attack falls apart.
Step 1 — Block the signal (the cheapest fix)
A Faraday pouch is a small signal-blocking sleeve. Drop your key in it overnight (or whenever you're not driving) and the relay device has nothing to capture — the car simply can't be woken up. It's the single most effective few-dollars step you can take, and it works on every keyless car.
Get one for each key in the house, including the spare. A spare fob left broadcasting in a kitchen drawer is just as exploitable as the one by the door.
Step 2 — Be able to find it if it's taken
No deterrent is perfect, so plan for recovery. A small 4G GPS tracker, hidden in the car, reports its real-time location to your phone and can alert you the moment the car moves unexpectedly. It turns a stolen car from "gone" into "here's exactly where it is" for police.
Hide it somewhere non-obvious and keep it charged (or hard-wire it). A magnetic tracker can sit under a seat, in the boot lining, or in the engine bay.
Step 3 — Add a visible deterrent
Thieves choose the easy car. A visible physical lock or an audible alarm makes yours the one they skip. Disc and cable locks are quick to fit, and even a warning sticker changes the risk calculation. Layering a signal block, a tracker and one visible deterrent covers the three things that matter: prevention, recovery and deterrence.
Frequently asked
Do Faraday key pouches actually work?
Yes. A quality signal-blocking pouch stops the fob's radio signal from escaping, so a relay device has nothing to capture and the car can't be woken. Test yours: with the key sealed inside, stand next to the car — it should not unlock on approach.
Will a signal-blocking pouch damage my key?
No. It only blocks the radio signal while the key is inside; it doesn't affect the battery or electronics. The key works normally the moment you take it out.
My car isn't keyless — am I still at risk of relay theft?
Relay theft specifically targets keyless proximity fobs. If you physically insert and turn a key, you're not exposed to this attack — though a tracker and a visible lock are still worth having for older cars, which are stolen the old-fashioned way.
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Browse the full rangeThis guide is general safety information, not professional advice. For gas, electrical or structural work, use a licensed Australian tradesperson. Safety devices reduce risk but never remove it.