Car park and parking lot vehicle security, why your car is at risk when you shop

Car parks, retail park bays, and workplace parking are among the most active relay attack locations in the UK. Unlike driveway attacks where criminals need to be near your property, car park relay attacks take place in public spaces where criminals blend in. LockCar’s immobiliser protects your vehicle in car parks just as effectively as on your driveway.

How relay attacks happen in car parks

Car park relay attacks differ from residential driveway attacks in one critical way: the key fob is being actively carried by its owner inside the building. This means the relay equipment does not need to extend the signal through walls, it simply needs to extend it through open air across a car park. The signal range required is typically 10 to 50 metres depending on how far the owner has walked from the vehicle. At this range, the relay equipment is significantly more reliable than in residential scenarios where signal must penetrate building materials.

Supermarkets, shopping centres, and retail parks are the most commonly reported car park relay attack locations in UK police data. CCTV coverage is extensive, but relay attacks are not visually distinguishable from any other two people walking through a car park. The criminals look like shoppers. The attack takes under 60 seconds. By the time CCTV is reviewed, the vehicle is gone and the criminals are out of range.

Workplace parking, particularly at large office parks, is an increasingly targeted environment. Vehicles parked for eight or more hours while owners are inside provide a long window for attack with minimal time pressure. The owner is unlikely to check their vehicle during working hours, giving criminals time to execute an attack and remove the vehicle from the area without urgency.

Why a Faraday pouch does not help in a car park

A Faraday pouch blocks the key fob signal when the key is inside the pouch. In a car park attack, the key is in the owner’s pocket, bag, or hand, not in a pouch. The pouch only helps when the key is stationary and stored. It provides no protection at all for the scenario that car park attacks represent, which is the most common single theft scenario outside of overnight residential attacks.

LockCar’s relay break is the only countermeasure that is equally effective in a car park as it is on a driveway. The relay break does not care where the key fob is or whether it is in a Faraday pouch. The engine cannot start without the LockCar authentication regardless of the key’s location. This is the defining advantage of a physical relay break over signal-blocking approaches.

How LockCar stops this threat

LockCar installs a hardwired relay break in the vehicle start circuit. This break is positioned downstream of the factory immobiliser, the OBD port, and the CAN bus. Even if a criminal performs a successful relay attack or CAN bus injection and satisfies the factory security, the engine will not start because the LockCar relay is open. Closing that relay requires a second, independent encrypted authentication that relay equipment cannot replicate. LockCar is designed and manufactured in the United Kingdom and installed by mobile engineers at your home, workplace, or any accessible location.

LockCar recommended products

Top recommendation

LockCar IC3ST, £139

Primary recommendation for this vehicle type

UK-manufactured and professionally fitted. See full product page for specifications and pricing. Mobile installation UK-wide from £150 fully fitted.

LockCar ONE, £199

24/7 dashcam + immobiliser

Combined dashcam and immobiliser. 24/7 parking mode records incidents in car parks when you are away. Physical relay break prevents theft regardless of key location. No subscription.

LockCar One Plus, £259

4G GPS, live camera, remote immobilisation

Receive an immediate alert if your vehicle moves in a car park. View the live camera from your phone. Remote immobilisation available. The most proactive car park security solution available.