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Wheel clamps are the ultimate way to protect your car against theft. Not only are they a visible deterrent, but provided you buy the right one, will make sure your car isn’t going anywhere.
Of course, to be an effective deterrent, it needs to be an effective wheel clamp. This means being near indestructible and tamper-proof. Unfortunately, not all clamps meet this criteria so we’ve put together this hand guide to share our recommended products that will ensure your car stays where it is.
Buyers Guide to Wheel Clamps for Cars
Here are the key things to take in to consideration when buying a wheel clamp.
‘Sold Secure’ wheel clamps
You may have heard ‘Sold Secure’ before but may not know what it is. Sold Secure is a security product testing company. They quite literally take wheel clamps and try to break or pick them using the same methods as car thieves.
Clamps that pass these tests are awarded the Sold Secure stamp of approval so you know they can be trusted. However, they usually have an extra cost associated with them as well so the decision is up to you.
Wheel sizes
If your wheel clamp doesn’t fit the wheel of your car properly, even a Sold Secure approved wheel clamp is pretty much pointless. The most common wheel sizes in the UK are 16 and 18 inches in diameter and 205 to 270mm wide.
Luckily, most wheel clamps will fit those standards. If you have a few cars that you’d like to use one wheel clamp on, buying an adjustable wheel clamp is the best way of ensuring that it will fit both wheels.
Different styles of wheel clamp
There are various styles of wheel clamps for cars in the UK. As long as the wheel clamp has passed testing and will withstand a lot of force, the style you choose is really personal preference. Just make sure that your wheel clamp has anti-theft safety locks and is made to resist drilling and cutting.
High visibility
A highly visible wheel clamp does two things:
- If your wheel clamp can be seen a mile off, it tells criminals not to bother coming any closer. The first line of defence in car theft is to keep criminals as far away from your car as possible, after all.
- You’ll likely never forget that it’s on the car. Forgetting you have a wheel clamp on your car can be extremely costly!
Best Wheel Clamps for Cars
Our top recommended wheel clamps available in the UK are:
- Stoplock Anti-Theft Wheel Clamp – Best Overall
- Keraiz Heavy Duty Wheel Clamp – Budget Pick
- Maypole Stronghold Wheel Clamp – Best for Long Term
- Bulldog EuroClamp – Sold Secure Standard
- Milenco Wraith Wheel Clamp – Easy to Fit
Here is our full reviews of these clamps with the pros and cons:
Stoplock Anti-Theft Wheel Clamp – Best Overall
Great all-round wheel clamp from one of the most trusted brands in car security
Stoplock is a trusted go-to brand making some of the best wheel clamps and steering locks in the UK. This wheel clamp is very easy to fit, but nearly impossible to remove without the key. It is supplied with three keys which should be kept very safe, as if you lose them all, this wheel clamp will make your car a very expensive ornament!
There’s also a flashing LED light on this wheel clamp to ensure maximum visibility at night to warn off criminals and as a reminder to you that the clamp is in place before you attempt to drive
The clamp is highly adjustable and highly visible which makes a great deterrent. It is also guaranteed for five years. Due to the size of this wheel clamp, it is perfect for smaller vehicles, it will struggle with 4x4s and things.
Keraiz Heavy Duty Wheel Clamp – Budget Pick
This clamp has a basic, easy to use design and won’t set back your bank balance too much either.
If you’re looking for a budget-friendly wheel clamp for your car, then a basic design like this heavy duty clamp can provide peace of mind without costing the Earth. We heard from one owner of this clamp who lost the spare keys and had to spend over 2 hours to get it off his car at the kerbside (keep the keys safe and secure).
Now, this wheel clamp does look pretty basic, but it functions amazingly well. It is easily adjustable and fits a lot of wheels. When you’ve adjusted the wheel clamp, lock it, and a criminal will need over 3,500lbs of force to remove it. However, it has soft coated jaws so it will never scratch your alloys. So it’s soft and tough, a wonderful combination! Thanks to the amazing adjustability of this wheel clamp, it will fit most cars and even a lot of motorbikes too.
Maypole Stronghold Wheel Clamp – Best for Long Term
This heavy duty clamp is perfect for longer term placement and covers the wheel nuts too.
This heavy wheel clamp is one of the best deterrents on the market for car thieves. Firstly, unlike other wheel clamps, this one covers the wheel nuts. Of course, wheel clamps that don’t cover wheel nuts aren’t the most secure as a car theft can simply remove the wheel. This also has corrosion-resistant arms, so even the weather will struggle to destroy it.
The clamp is heavy and takes some moving to get into place. Once on the wheel, even with the key, it can be a struggle to remove this wheel clamp simply because of the weight.
So, this wheel clamp will be perfect for a car that you want to store long-term. If you want to secure your car each night, this wheel clamp will work great, of course, but you’ll need some muscles to remove it and fit it.
Bulldog EuroClamp – Sold Secure Standard
Highly adjustable clamp that’s Sold Secure approved and comes with a 5 year warranty.
This wheel clamp has a very clever and extremely robust design, and thanks to excellent adjustability, it can be used on small and large wheels, so ideal for use on multiple cars. You can use this wheel clamp on your van and your classic car, and it will provide a very strong and near-impossible task for car thieves.
Bulldog, a company based in Birmingham, provides a 5-year guarantee, but it will last you a lot longer than that. The arms of the wheel clamp have soft jaws so they won’t scratch your wheels and the rest of the arms are corrosion resistant so even the weather can’t break this clamp.
This is reinforced steel wheel clamp and one of the best on the market, it is also approved by most insurance companies in the UK too.
Milenco Wraith Wheel Clamp – Easy to Use
The clever design allows you to fit the clamp and leave it on for fast and easy locking/unlocking every time.
This wheel nut clamp is very cleverly designed and extremely easy to use and once it’s been fitted. It replaces one of the wheel nuts and it’s slim size means it can be left on permanently. Once fitted, locking and unlocking it is as simple as turning the key.
It also has the added benefits that it stops any thieves removing the wheel as it fits in place of the locking nut. It is also extremely sturdy and is made from high quality steel with a high visibility plastic covering, it would be near impossible to pry off of your wheel without the keys.
Scott’s love for cars goes back as far as he can remember which is why he’s our go-to guy for all automotive product reviews. When Scott’s not at hotrod shows or drag racing events, he’s dreaming about that E-type drag that will hopefully appear on his drive one day.
