IONIQ 5 stolen in London…anyone else had issues?

Electric Vehicles News
21

Sorry to hear about this. Can I ask which part of London you’re in? Just trying to assess how risky it might be.

22

Trunk monkey or trunk viper anyone?

23

Sparrow said:
Trunk monkey or trunk viper anyone?

Trunk monkey for the win! Classic reference.

24

How exactly do they steal the car? Are they hacking Bluetooth or using some other method?

25

Uma said:
How exactly do they steal the car? Are they hacking Bluetooth or using some other method?

They use a device that mimics the key fob by intercepting the signals from the car. It takes just a few minutes, and once they have the code, they can unlock and drive off.

26

Uma said:
How exactly do they steal the car? Are they hacking Bluetooth or using some other method?

It’s the so-called ‘Gameboy’ hack—a device that acts like a wireless lockpick.

27

Where exactly in London was this? Harrow seems to be a hotspot for IONIQ 5 thefts lately.

28

What year is your IONIQ 5? I’ve heard that 2023 models are supposed to be harder to steal.

29

Blair said:
What year is your IONIQ 5? I’ve heard that 2023 models are supposed to be harder to steal.

I’d love to know that too. I’m in the South of England, and I was considering getting an IONIQ 5, but not if they’re this easy to steal.

30

I’ve talked about this with some MPs and developers at gov.uk. Since the government already has vehicle registration data, we could use that system to add a secondary layer of security. You could report a stolen car through your gov.uk account, and if verified with a police report, you could track the vehicle.

31

Did you get your car back?

32

Zan said:
Did you get your car back?

Yes, the original poster mentioned getting it back after tracking it with AirTags.

33

So did you confront the thieves when you found the car? Did you get it back?

34

Jade said:
So did you confront the thieves when you found the car? Did you get it back?

No, they found the car unattended. Confronting thieves would be a terrible idea.

35

Consider getting a Ghost immobilizer for extra security. Tesla’s PIN-to-drive system is another good option, if applicable.

36

Why did you call friends instead of the police? Seems like a risky move.

37

Christopher said:
Why did you call friends instead of the police? Seems like a risky move.

The original post explained that they didn’t trust the police to act fast enough.

38

Forget AirTags, you should check out this tracking device instead: https://www.tagtracking.ca/