What is Sold Secure?
In the UK, motor and bike thefts are all too common, with 77,300 car theft cases and 63,500 bike thefts left unsolved. So, whether you’re a car or bike owner, knowing that you have good security in place is essential.
Sold Secure is an independent security product certification agency that works with companies and police forces worldwide to test and assess the performance of security products against rigorous attacks. The agency holds the industry standard for security testing and certification and provides a comprehensive testing procedure with four classification levels.
How does Sold Secure work?
Sold Secure has a comprehensive list of test standards, and within each standard, there are various grades that can be achieved.
There are four different possible grades for which a product can gain the Sold Secure approved quality mark. However, it’s important to note that the grade must be taken in conjunction with the test standard itself. (For example, SS101 Motorcycle Gold grading is not the same as SS 104 Bicycle Gold grading).
What are the different Sold Secure ratings?
| Sold Secure standard | Threat level | Environment |
| Diamond Approval | Extra-high security grade used only for specific products such as lock cylinders, security chains, ground anchors and portable wheel locks for the caravan market | Should be used in the highest-risk environment |
| Gold Approval | The top level of resistance against the dedicated thief | Should be used in a higher-risk environment |
| Silver Approval | A greater level of resistance against the more determined thief | Should be used in a high-risk environment |
| Bronze Approval | Good level of resistance against the opportunist thief | Should be used in a normal risk environment |
Why use Sold Secure-approved products?
Most locking and security systems are preventive or delaying, which means they’re designed to slow down or deter thieves, as opposed to making your car or bike impossible to steal. With advances in technology occurring almost daily, it’s very difficult to make a security product that completely eliminates risk.
However, most passing thieves are looking for a quick steal, and don’t want to waste time and energy dismantling a complex security system, so the longer it takes to remove a product, the better. Sold Secure’s ‘attack test’ measures how long a product can withstand attempted removal, within a specific time frame and against a comprehensive list of standards. A Sold Secure approved product significantly improves the chances that the attempted theft will fail, and the thief will give up for an easier target.
Sold Secure for your car
Thanks to advances in technology, thieves can enter your car without a key by cloning the signal emitted by your key fob. Since entering modern cars illegally is now easier, strong internal security products are becoming more and more popular.
Even if a thief manages to enter your car, a wheel lock can stop them from physically moving it. Plus, many steering wheel locks are now designed to spin on the wheel when it’s attacked so that your car’s steering wheel and column aren’t damaged.
Check out our range of Disklok steering wheel locks, which come with a gold Sold Secure rating. Made from reinforced steel that completely covers the steering wheel, Disklok products offer maximum protection against thieves and are available in small, medium, and large to suit your vehicle.
Sold Secure for your bike
Again, the main purpose of bike locks is to deter a thief or make removing the product so difficult that they give up and move to an easier target. For bike locks, there are a number of security options.
D locks, chain locks, and cable locks are all popular choices, and we have Sold Secure rated versions of each over on Halfords.com. The best way to use them is to make sure that they’re secured to an immovable object, so the mooring can’t be picked up and taken with the bike.
No matter how secure it is, no lock is 100% thief-proof. They will only ever act as a deterrent to a committed thief, but the tougher the lock, the stronger the deterrent. For this reason, it’s worth using two bike locks instead of just one to double the deterrent.
Sold Secure at Halfords
Any products that have been through the Sold Secure assessment should have their approved logo on their product and packaging. Here at Halfords, we’re proud to include these in our car, motorcycle, and bike security ranges and if you’re looking online, you’ll spot the Sold Secure logo with each product description. You can confirm their Sold Secure approval by checking on www.soldsecure.com.
Check out our Motorcycle Locks, Bike Locks, and Car Security guides for our favourite security products, or head to your local Halfords store to talk through your options with one of our experts.