Concerns about security and hacking has led to 70% of motorists saying they would think twice before buying a keyless car.

Some car security devices are vulnerable to close-range wireless communication attacks, which clones a key¹s built-in immobilisers. This means cars can be unlocked remotely, without their owners’ knowledge. 

"Tens of thousands of cars are vulnerable to thieves using electronic devices," said Andy Barrs, police liaison officer at Tracker, which carried out the survey.

"This method relates to the microchips embedded in vehicle keys, whereby the thieves intercept and copy the signal emitted by the key to start the car.

“The fact that so many of our customers confirm they still have both sets of keys when their vehicle is stolen suggests that electronic key cloning could have taken place."