The company’s list of tips are:

20. Always lock and secure the vehicle

19. Never leave driving documents or spare keys inside

18. Leave your glove box open to show it’s empty

17. Keep belongings out of sight when you leave a vehicle. This includes gadgets such as sat navs and tablets.

16. Don’t leave keys in the ignition, even when de-icing the vehicle 

15. Keep the keys with you, eg at ad-hoc car washing establishments

14. Make it tougher for thieves by fitting a stereo with a removable panel and take it with you when you leave your car.

13. Where possible try to ensure that you park in a busy area and if at night, make sure it is well-lit. Attended car parks with CCTV cameras are amongst the safest places to leave your car.

12. If you have a garage or driveway, use it. If there is space, a garage is the perfect safe house for your vehicle.

11. Exercise caution with winding down the windows – especially in built up areas. It is possible for a thief to open your door and pull you out when stopped if you have the window wide open. Similarly always keep the doors on your car locked when driving, no matter what.

10. Don’t lead thieves home. Make sure you either take a sat nav with you when you leave the car, or do not insert any important addresses.

9. If you have to have sporting equipment such as golf clubs in the car, leave it well-hidden.

8. Fit locking wheel nuts to avoid coming back to a car stacked on bricks.

7. Have the car registration or the last 7 digits of the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) etched onto all windows, both windscreens and the headlamps to make it that bit harder for thieves to disguise stolen cars.

6. If you are buying security accessories, ensure they are accredited by a recognised provider such as Thatcham, Secured by Design or Sold Secure.

5. A visible steering lock will put thieves off, especially for older vehicles that may not have the advanced security features of newer vehicles.

4. Fit anti-tamper screws on the number plates . The first thing a thief will try to do once they have the vehicle in their possession is to remove the number plates to hinder efforts to trace it.

3. Leave your keys in a safe place where they can’t be seen or taken by someone from the outside.

2. Don’t give thieves access to your address by leaving correspondence with your personal details on it.  

1. Consider tracking technology such as TRACKER’s, which enables the police to pin-point a stolen vehicle, even if it is hidden in a container, garage or even underground where other systems do not operate, and also when criminals are using ‘jamming’ technology.

Stephen Doran, managing director for TRACKER, commented: ‘Our 20 years experience have provided TRACKER with a wealth of insight into the way car criminals operate, and enables us to consistently stay one step ahead. To date we have recovered more than 22,000 stolen vehicles worth more than a staggering £500 million, and have helped police arrest over 2,285 criminals.

‘These top tips will hopefully help ensure car owners protect their vehicles correctly – and make life even harder for the thieves.’