Whether your car is old or new, green or blue, steering locks are definitely for you. With increasing car crime across the board, especially on newer models which feature keyless start, it’s definitely worth spending a few extra quid to properly secure your vehicle against thieves.
If your car is vulnerable to the new high-tech theft known as “relay theft”, then a good steering lock is a necessity. Given your car has a push to start button, there’s a very real chance that thieves could steal your car right off your driveway without even needing to have the keys. Having a massive bright yellow slab of metal between them and a quick getaway is a really great deterrent, which is why steering wheel locks have become increasingly popular over time.
Without further ado, let’s take a look at the best steering wheel locks of 2023. We’re going to cover the best overall lock, as well as a range of budgets, from under £30 all the way up to £150+ for the best of the best.
Stoplock Pro Elite – Best Overall Steering Wheel Lock
This will come as no surprise to long time readers of this site – the Stoplock Pro Elite is a fantastic little device, with very little design changes for years. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. The Pro Elite is very similar to the pro, and isn’t necessarily better – this version simply has a larger range of cars it is compatible with than the standard “pro” model.
This Pro Elite was mainly made to accomodate the larger steering wheel sizes of many larger SUVs, so it’s got a larger dip in the bar, and it’s also slightly longer.
To see my full in-depth review of the Stoplock Pro Elite and see why I think it’s possibly the best steering lock on the market in 2023, check it out here. That brings me onto the second best option, which might feel like Déjà vu…
Stoplock Pro – Joint Best Steering Wheel Lock
I’ll keep this one short and sweet. This brilliant little lock is almost indistinguishable from the Pro Elite, but is ever so slightly shorter and the dent is smaller, making it better suited to smaller wheels. Although both of these models do work with a majority of cars, this one will provide a tighter fit for many cars.
Stoplock have a full compatibility chart for both models which is very comprehensive – you can check that out here. As you can see, the Pro Elite is compatible with a lot more cars than the Pro, but if your car is compatible with both, I would opt for this smaller lock, as it should provide a tighter, more secure fitment.
Disklok Steering Wheel Cover – Best Premium Steering Lock
The Disklok is great. Like the Stoplock, the design hasn’t changed for a number of years, because there is simply no need. The main reason this didn’t steal the top spot from the Stoplock (tongue twister) is the price. It’s considerably more expensive, and a majority of this site’s readers have historically decided to go with the cheaper Stoplock instead.
The Disklok comes in three sizes – small, medium and large. It’s worth measuring your wheel to see which is going to provide the tightest fit:
- Small – 35-39 centimetres
- Medium – 39-41.5 centimetres
- Large – 41.5-44 centimetres
If you can get past the big, bulky size of this chunk of metal then you will certainly not be disappointed by just how secure this thing is. An underrated factor in steering wheel locks is how good of a deterrent the lock is. Some highly effective locks are just too discreet to act as a good deterrent, so there’s a good chance that even if the thief doesn’t manage to steal the car, they will still have smashed a window by the time they realise there is a lock.
On the other hand, this big yellow lock can be easily seen from across the street, and screams “don’t even bother trying. Go and find another car to steal”.
The Disklok performs pretty well under intense testing, and is challenging to remove without making use of some pretty heavy equipment – either a really long crow bar or power tools are going to need to be involved. There is one potential design flaw if you encounter a super aggressive criminal though…
Like many other steering wheel locks, it can be possible to drive the car without removing the lock, just not very far. The same applies to the Disklok. A determined thief could drive away by trying to steer the wheel by reaching around the backside of the lock, and steering using the back of the wheel. If you don’t believe me, take a look at this really funny video by AutoAlex cars:
The Disklok has been accredited with a “Secured by Design” award, which means that it’s been built to a specification which the police approve of. Secured by Design products are definitely worth paying a premium for in my opinion – another of my favourite car security products, the Disklabs KS1 faraday bag, is also SBD accredited.
Goodyear Elite Wheel Lock – Best Cheap Option
If you need to secure your car without breaking the bank, the Goodyear Elite is definitely one of the best options on the market. At just a scratch over £30 at the time of writing, this is the most affordable lock on the list.
Unlike a majority of the other potential alternatives at this price point, the Elite is made by a large company with a fantastic reputation, Goodyear. Now I’m not outright dismissing the generic unknown brands, but generally with something where quality is paramount such as a lock, it’s generally a good idea to stick with the established names.
Thanks to the extending pole design, this wheel lock can extend and retract to fit just about any car’s steering wheel. Goodyear themselves actually claim they “can’t find a car that it doesn’t fit on”.
This lock also comes with another handy feature, which I’ve never seen before – it’s got a build in glass breaker for emergencies! This is actually a really good idea, since Goodyear know their lock is likely to be in the car at all times. Good thinking. Just remember not to keep the lock in the boot if you feel like it.
To really sweeten the deal, they are also currently throwing in a faraday bag!
Summary
So there you have it, four of the best wheel locks on the market in 2023. As a reminder, here’s a quick summary of the winners:
- Stoplock Pro Elite – Best Overall
- Stoplock Pro – Joint Best Overall
- Disklok – Best Premium Option
- Goodyear Elite – Best Cheap Wheel Lock
Remember that strangely the effectiveness of these devices come from two equal parts – how hard they are to remove, and how intimidating they are. The most effective form of theft prevention is to make your car look difficult enough to steal that potential thieves simply don’t want to even attempt it in the first place. Another way to increase the effectiveness of these locks is to take into account how you park your car before fitting the lock to the wheel. Park on full lock, and ideally park your car in with another vehicle to maximise the effectiveness of your
Additional Ways to Thief-Proof Your Car
Pairing one of the above with some of the following effective theft-prevention ideas will really help to make sure your car isn’t targeted – the more of these you add, the less and less likely anyone will try to steal your beloved car:
Use a Faraday Bag
This is specifically for keyless vehicle owners – to make thieves lives even more difficult that a wheel lock already makes it, keep your keys in a great quality faraday pouch like the Disklabs KS1. These little bags prevent the technology which lets you walk up to the car and open the door from working, which makes your car no longer susceptible to relay theft.
Even if technologically advanced thieves are outside your property with the tech required to break in and open the door, by mimicking the car key’s signal, they will no longer be able to pick a signal up to do so.
Install Security Cameras to Monitor Your Driveway
There’s nothing criminals hate more than security cameras, except for a lengthy prison sentence. There are a number of great outdoor wireless security cameras which are cheap to buy and easy to install, which are brilliant theft deterrents, but will also catch any suspicious people taking a bit too much of a looking at your cars on the drive.
Good wireless outdoor security cameras can be bought for under £100 these days, so buying a few for whole home coverage isn’t too expensive anymore.
Park With Full Lock
Parking with full lock before you lock the steering wheel with your new lock (nice!) is a good idea. This means that even if somehow a thief manages to start your car, the wheel has been turned to full lock, making it almost impossible to drive without removing the lock. This can be super useful if the front wheels are turned in tight against the curb because it’s really difficult to drive or tow the car away when the wheel is locked to this position.