A recent car with keyless start can be stolen without a single window being broken, without any lock being forced, and without the owner hearing a thing from the living room. The key stays on the hall table throughout.
What the insurers' report says
According to the France Assureurs report published in March 2025, 70,459 vehicles were stolen in France in 2024, up 5% after an 11% rise in 2023. The most significant point is not the total but the method: in 70% of cases, the theft takes place with no visible break-in, using techniques such as an air wedge to force a lock or a relay attack that captures and relays the signal from the keyless key.
How a relay attack works
The method was described by the French Gendarmerie following an arrest in the Paris region: one person stands near the vehicle or the home to pick up the key's signal with a tablet, which amplifies it and sends it to an accomplice standing next to the car. Fooled, the vehicle believes the key is nearby and unlocks. The whole operation takes a few dozen seconds, and the key never leaves the house.
What we cannot say for certain
To be honest on one point: none of the official French sources we consulted explicitly recommends an anti-theft pouch as the answer to this risk. Most government guidance on vehicle theft still online predates the spread of this technique and sticks to classic advice: do not leave a spare key in the ignition, keep your keys on you. What physics says, however, is not in doubt: a shielded pouch acts as a Faraday cage and stops radio signals getting in or out. It is a proven principle, not a marketing promise, even if no institution has endorsed it by name for this specific use.
What the pouch actually does
The RFID anti-theft pouch blocks RFID and Bluetooth signals thanks to a shielded compartment. A keyless key slipped inside can no longer send or receive a signal, which makes a relay attack useless: there is simply nothing left to capture. The habit fits into an existing routine: you put the key in it when you get home, just as you would hang it on a hook.
What it does not do
It only protects against signal hacking. The 70% of thefts without break-in in the France Assureurs report also include other methods, such as the air wedge that mechanically forces a lock, against which a shielded pouch has no effect. And if the key is simply left in the ignition or taken out of its pouch at the wrong moment, the protection is gone.
The matching product
The Car Key Anti-Theft Pouch is made of PU leather, compact, and fits in a pocket or bag. The rest of the range is in the SentinHome catalogue.
Further reading
To secure a home without building work, see our 5 no-drill solutions. And to stop losing your keys or your bag, what an anti-loss tracker is for.