Dealerships are a very attractive opportunity for criminals. Packed full of high-value, highly mobile assets, it’s no surprise that they’re the target of so many theft attempts, many of which are successful.

Dealing with security in these contexts as we head through 2026 towards 2027 is complicated, but thankfully, there are a lot of technologies available to make the job slightly easier.

Theft is rising

The basic issue to recognise when talking about dealership security is that theft has been rising in recent years. Data suggests that vehicle theft has increased by a massive 75% over the past decade, getting close to the highest historical figures which we saw during 2008.

In this context, dealership security has become even more critical. Combined with rising rents and energy costs on one hand, and decreased spending power on the side of vehicle buyers on the other, the margin between succeeding and failing as a dealership is increasingly narrow, and needs protecting wherever possible.

Key management

The centrality of key management systems in dealership security overall hasn’t really changed, as it’s always been essential. What has changed is the range of technologies available to integrate into key management systems.

Smart key lockers from providers like Keyper Systems provide levels of control that we likely wouldn’t have thought possible a decade or two ago. Individual keys can have their own, customised access controls, with tracking systems in place that create up-to-date audit trails to trace key losses in real time.

Digital threats

One of the main security issues that needs dealing with nowadays is the broad array of digital threats faced by dealerships.

This includes ensuring an adequate level of data privacy for customers, but also protecting cars from relay attacks, which can render them totally vulnerable at the click of a button.

Dealing with these threats takes a multifaceted approach, one that’s also adapted to match the unique security issues in that specific context. Whether you place trackers in your vehicles or use the latest cloud security audits, it’s not something that you can afford to overlook.

Humans remain central

It remains the case that wherever there is a human in the loop, that person remains absolutely critical to the overall security of that system. You simply can’t create a system that allows someone to interact with it in complex ways and not train them on how to use it properly.

Whenever you integrate a new security technology into your operation, make sure that you properly train your employees on how to use it. This training will likely require regular updates, and should always be tweaked to ensure it’s relevant to the current context.

There’s no single thing that you can do to ensure security in dealerships. Rather, it requires a concerted effort involving the entire organisation, one that covers physical, social and digital security issues. It’s not something you can just do and then forget about, you’ll need to iterate for years to come as new threats and solutions continue to emerge.

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