Best Steering Wheel Locks (Top 5 Picks)

The Original Club Steering Wheel Lock brought to the market by Winner International, is the same lock that’s been available and so popular over such a long period.

The lock relies on three principles to keep thieves away from your car.

Firstly, there is the strong visual deterrent – seeing the lock on your steering wheel ill be enough to stop most would-be thieves from attempting to steal your car.

Secondly, there is the deterrent of time - a thief does not want to have to take any period of time to steal a car, especially so clearly out in the open of the steering heel area.

And thirdly is the difficulty of removing the Club Lock itself. The lock is made from Cro-Moly steel which is strongly resistant to sawing, prying, hammering and freon attacks.

It engages solid steel hooks inside the locking mechanism which are almost impossible to disengage without a key.

The Club Original Steering Wheel Lock is universal so will fit any vehicle including van and light trucks. It’s quickly and easily fitted with a single click and quickly removed by unlocking with a key.

The Club Original hasn’t changed in its design because it hasn’t needed to – the patented design is simple yet incredibly effective still.

The LC Prime Steering Wheel Lock uses a 5-digit passcode locking/unlocking system rather than a physical key.

It fits securely on to the steering wheel of your vehicle, is tightened manually into place using the retractable arm, and then locked with the code.

Removing it is just as easy by entering the digits again to unlock it and retracting the arm to free the device from the steering wheel. The lock features a twin ‘U’ shaped fork design (padded to avoid scratching) for secure attachment to the steering wheel.

It takes no time at all to lock and release the lock.

The LC Prime lock is extendable and retractable for fitting and securing it to the steering wheel. It will fit most vehicles with steering diameters between 7 – 15.5 inches (18 – 39 cms).

The body of the wheel lock is made from reinforced alloy moulding which is highly resistant to tampering and breakage with tools of any kind.

The device doesn’t have a lock which can be drilled out either. And the visual deterrent to thieves is a significant part of the value of the LC Prime Steering Wheel Lock.

The lock is also useful to have in your car on its own as a self-defence weapon.

The Oklead Baseball Steering Wheel Lock (presumably called that purely because of its appearance) is another adjustable tensile lock which secures on to the steering wheel of your car to prevent thieves from driving the car away even if they do manage to start it.

This one is a little unusual from the traditional looking wheel locks. It has a single point of attachment to the steering wheel which is a wide ‘hook’ right in the centre of the lock itself. And it sits on the top of the steering wheel rather than across it.

The Oklead is made from strong steel which is highly resistant to damage by sawing or hammering or other tools.

It employs a key lock mechanism which is quick and easy to use. The body of it is solid, the hooks which are secured to the steering wheel are covered with a thickened soft plastic to avoid scratching, and the handle has an anti-slip sponge cover as well.

The bright fluoro orange colour is a strong deterrent to thieves, as is its mere presence on your steering wheel. Thieves don’t want to spend much time at all on a ‘job’ because of the greater risk of discovery and apprehension.

The Okead Steering Wheel Lock will fit any vehicle with a steering wheel thickness up to 1.5 inches.

Another Club steering wheel lock from Winer international, the Club Twin Hooks is an innovative variation on the Original Club lock.

The Twin Hook design has quite a few design differences from the Original Club.

The two hooks lock on to the steering wheel at two points, making it impossible for a thief to drive the car even if they do get in.

The twin hook design means that a would-be thief would need to cut through two hooks or twice through the steering wheel.

Made with Cro-Moly Alloy, the Twin Hooks is also tougher and more durable, harder to defeat with tools like saws and hammers, or bending.

And the twin hook design has a keyless self-locking feature so there’s nothing for a thief to drill out and it’s easier and quicker to use with just one pull.

And, of course, there are the deterrent aspects of using a steering wheel lock. A thief will more likely go for a car without a lock than one with a lock.

The Twin Hook lock is universal and will fit most vehicles, including vans and light trucks. It’s quite light so is easy to manage on a daily basis, or several times a day, without feeling like you’ve done serious weight training.

The Club Twin Hooks Steering Wheel Lock is a good choice.

The Blueshyhall Auto Anti-Theft Car Wheel Lock is a simple yet effective car lock design which attaches to the top of your steering wheel with a keyed clamp fitting and the handle sits on the dashboard.

As it is locked in position the steering wheel cannot be turned.

The lock relies on the car having airbags because that is a major part of how it functions if it is effectively disabled by a thief.

This is because when a thief attempts to cut through any part of the wheel lock he will engage the airbag apron which will automatically set off the car’s horn. No thief will hang around after that’s happened!

The lock is truly universal - it has a 360-degree Lock Fork which means that it can be fitted to any steering wheel, even those with particularly thick covers.

The Blueshyhall Auto Car Lock is finished in a nice-looking brown PU leatherette and is made from hardened steel for strength and durability. The leatherette means that the lock won’t scratch your dashboard or steering wheel.

Most steering wheel locks talk a big game on their sales page such as indestructible build quality. Most of these are created with industrial grade steel which is difficult to penetrate with a crowbar, saw or angle grinder. 

You should ensure your steering wheel lock is made with a high quality such as steel because other materials are weaker and can be defeated, a good example is aluminium. It's lighter and stiffer but it's easier to damage and break. 

You really want a model that features 'cro-moly' which is a much more exotic steel packed with titanium and carbon fibre. It's often available from USA suppliers as it's much more affordable there compared with Australia. It's pretty much indestructible without industrial tools which a thief isn't going to be carrying down the road. 

Of all the locks we looked at today, the Original Club vendor offers cro-moly steel as the material of choice for the build quality but if you decide to buy other brands be sure to check if it's steel or aluminium. 

A simple design with one click installation is often the preferred option for most consumers. However, a dual locking mechanism can offer increased protection and if you've got an expensive classic car, i'd recommend choosing such a design.

Other designs include a baseball design which fits across the top of the steering wheel. These look amazing but the wheel can be turned ever so slightly. 

Other designs offer brake locking as well although it's rare to find such models these days with modern cars now requiring the physical keys to actually start the car. 

Whatever design you're looking at, be sure to choose a steering wheel lock that is highly rated online and securely locks the wheel in place. 

Choosing a steering wheel lock that is lightweight can have it's benefits but can also have a negative impact. Often lighter brands are due to their inferior materials such as aluminium which we've already recommended against buying. 

Choosing steel or cro-molly is the best option and with that unfortunately the weight of the steering lock will be heavier. However these should be easily lifted with two hands and suitable for both men and women. 

Most people overlook the visibility of a steering wheel lock but it can be one of the best deterrents as thieves can easily see the lock and will probably skip your car, instead choosing a similar car with no security measures in place.

From our experience, a bright orange or yellow colour is best. Blue is another common colour but it's far less visible, especially at night time. If given the option choose a colour that you can view at night time which includes yellow and orange. 

The last factor to consider when buying a steering wheel lock is the unlock mechanism and whether you're going to choose a key which you can attach to your car keys (recommended) or a digit lock.

Digit locks often have 3 or 4 numbers which can be cracked by thieves if they have enough time in your car. For example most people choose similar numbers and often with a 3 digit lock there's only 500-1000 combinations.