5 tips: prevent car theft

How do you prevent car theft of your (rental) car?

Car theft is something that no one wants to experience. Unfortunately, it does happen in the Netherlands 30 time per day. Fortunately, there are good ways to prevent yourself from becoming a victim of car theft. Read these five tips and discover what you can do to make it as difficult as possible for car thieves.

Tip 1: Park the rental car in smart places

Where can you best rental car parking if you want to prevent car theft? First of all, a garage is the best option. Thieves prefer cars that are easy to take, such as cars parked on the street. If they first have to go through security or have to take into account cameras, that is a big deterrent. This can work for both a public and a private garage.

If you don't have this available, park your car as far as possible on the driveway. It is less attractive for car thieves to have to walk a bit over private property before they can reach the car. In addition, using alarm systems, dogs and good lighting can help protect your car.

Tip 2: Keeping the car keys

Another good tip to car theft to prevent this is to keep the keys of your rental car safe. This means that you never in sight and not keep it with your house keys. Thieves can break into your house to steal your car keys.

Next to that, put never a spare key in the car, because thieves will always look for it and then drive away. Always lock the rental car completely, no matter how short your trip. And never leave the engine running, even if you go inside for a short while.

Tip 3: An empty car is less attractive

Another way to prevent car theft is to make the rental car as unattractive as possible to steal. A car with valuables in it is a popular car for thieves. Therefore, always take your belongings with you when you leave the car. Think of laptops, mobile phones, GPS systems, etc. You can also leave the glove compartment open to show that there is nothing valuable to take.

Finally, two general tips that increase the safety of your (rental) car.

Tip 4: Use electronics against car theft

Nowadays, there are many different electronic options to prevent you from becoming a victim of car theft. For example, you can choose to have an alarm system installed in your car. This will go off as soon as someone tries to break in and will deter thieves.

There are also vehicle tracking systems that can track the car using a GPS system if it is stolen. This makes it easier to track the car again. In addition, there are mechanical security systems for the gear mechanism, for example, or that can block the steering wheel.

Tip 5: Dealing with documents

When you buy a car, you get a number of on-board documents that are essential in preventing car theft. First of all, it is wise to make a copy of all documents and keep them with the original invoice and a photo of the car.

If the car is stolen, you can prove that you are the rightful owner and it makes it easier to track down the car. It is important that you never leave the documents in the car. If a thief steals your car, you immediately give the papers with which he/she can pretend to be the owner.

Would you like to know more about which cars you can rent from us? Here is a current overview of our available rental cars.

More tips about the rent a car, driving in winter, save on vacation, economical fuel consumption, and the prevent theft you read here.

Read more tips about safe car driving.

Do you have any questions after reading this article? Please leave a comment below and we will respond as soon as possible.