EV cable theft is almost always opportunistic. The thief isn’t a specialist targeting your specific cable. They’re scanning for anything valuable and unattended, and a quality Type 2 cable is copper-wound, worth well over £100, and often left plugged in for hours. A dedicated cable lock costs under £30 and makes your cable enough of a nuisance to move on from. This guide covers how the theft problem actually works, which lock fits which cable, and what else you can do to protect your charging setup.
How EV cable theft actually happens
The driver is simple: copper value plus portability. A standard 7 m Type 2 32A charging cable contains several metres of multi-strand oxygen-free copper conductor at cable-grade prices. Scrap value is modest, but retail value (what it costs to replace) is £100 to £200 and rising. For an opportunist who can pocket a cable in thirty seconds, the risk-reward calculus is different from yours.
The typical theft scenario: a cable left unattended at an on-street or public charge point, visible, often still connected to the car during a long charging session. The connector is pulled from the car’s charge port (or the post end); the cable coil is picked up and carried away. The whole thing takes under a minute.
At home with a covered driveway or lockable garage, the risk is low. Most home cable thefts are crimes of opportunity during a moment when the cable is visible and the owner is briefly absent. At on-street charge points in urban areas, the exposure is real and persistent.
The IET Code of Practice for EV Charging Equipment Installation, 5th edition (2023), explicitly acknowledges cable security as a consideration in the planning of public and on-street EV charging installations, which tells you this is a recognised problem at the level of professional installation guidance, not just internet anxiety.
In our own returns data (EV Cable Hub first-party data), a meaningful proportion of replacement cable orders are for theft replacements rather than wear. See our guide to replacement EV charging cables for what to look for when buying a like-for-like replacement.
Cable lock types: what fits your cable
There are three distinct approaches to locking an EV cable, and they protect against different things:
Loop/coil cable locks
A flexible braided-steel or hardened-steel cable lock (similar in principle to a bicycle cable lock) is threaded through the cable coil and secured to a fixed anchor: a ring bolt, a bike post, a wall anchor, or the car’s tow eye. This prevents the cable being physically picked up and carried away.
This is the most versatile approach because it doesn’t depend on the car or the charge post. You can anchor the cable to any fixed point. The effectiveness depends on the anchor: a wall-mounted ring bolt is ideal; looping around a wheel spoke is better than nothing.
Type 2 port locks (connector to car)
A port lock is a small insert that goes into the car’s Type 2 charging inlet after (or instead of) the cable connector, physically blocking the connector from being withdrawn. Some designs lock the connector itself in place; others block the port when not charging.
Port locks deter a different kind of theft: someone unplugging your cable mid-session while the car is charging. They don’t prevent someone picking up the loose end of the cable (if you’re connected at a public post) and walking off with the post end.
Padlock through a fixed anchor
A padlock threaded through a ring on the cable coil and locked to a wall anchor is the simplest approach. Works well if you have a fixed anchor point and a short cable, though less convenient for on-the-road use because it requires a separate anchor.
Most urban EV drivers benefit from using a loop lock and a port lock together: the loop lock secures the coil to an anchor; the port lock prevents mid-session unplugging.
Cable diameter: the critical specification
This is the one spec most buyers miss, and it’s the one that determines whether the lock you’ve bought actually fits your cable.
Standard Type 2 EV charging cables vary in outer diameter depending on their current rating and construction:
- | Cable type | Current rating | Typical outer diameter | Standard 22mm lock fits? |
- | Type 2 single-phase | 16A (3.7 kW) | 18-19 mm | Yes |
- | Type 2 single-phase | 32A (7.4 kW) | 20-22 mm | Yes (at upper limit) |
- | Type 2 three-phase | 32A (22 kW) | 21-23 mm | Check model spec |
- | Mode 2 (granny) cable | 10A (2.3 kW) | 15-17 mm | Yes |
The EVify Type 2 Anti-Theft lock, one of the best-known dedicated EV cable locks, is rated for cables up to 22 mm outer diameter, which covers single-phase Type 2 cables across the board. Three-phase 22 kW cables can tip over 22 mm; if you have one, check the exact OD measurement before buying.
How to measure your cable: most manufacturers list the cable OD in the product spec sheet. If not, a pair of vernier callipers on the straight section of the cable (not at the overmoulding near the connector) will give you the measurement in under thirty seconds.
Tethered charger vs untethered cable: the built-in security trade-off
A tethered wallbox has the cable permanently fixed to the charger body. You can’t remove the cable without tools, which means neither can a thief. The cable theft problem simply doesn’t exist.
The trade-off: you’re locked into the manufacturer’s cable in terms of length and specification. Want a 10 m cable instead of the standard 5 m? You’d need to retrofit or replace the entire wallbox cable. If the cable develops a fault, the repair route runs through the charger manufacturer, not through buying a replacement cable off the shelf.
For a permanently fixed home charger on a private driveway, a tethered wallbox is a very reasonable security choice: the convenience of always having the cable ready without any lock faff may outweigh the flexibility loss.
For anyone who also charges away from home, an untethered cable plus a good lock gives the same security at home while keeping the cable portable. See our guide to charging without a driveway for the on-street context in more detail.
On-street and public charging: higher risk, different strategy
On-street and public charging presents a different threat model from home use. The cable is more visible, more accessible, and unattended for longer periods. The deterrence strategy shifts accordingly:
- Root: Where do you primarily charge? → Branch A: At home (garage or covered driveway) → Outcome A: Low risk. Cable bag sufficient; lock optional peace of mind. → Branch B: On-street or public charge point → Sub-branch: Do you stay with the car while it charges? → Yes → Outcome B1: Loop lock recommended; deters opportunistic coil grab. → No (leave car unattended) → Outcome B2: Loop lock to fixed anchor + Type 2 port lock, both ends secured.
Key on-street practice points: - If there’s a ring bolt or anchor at the charge point, use it. Many newer on-street installations include them. - If not, anchor the cable to the wheel arch or tow eye on the car; less secure than a fixed anchor but still a meaningful deterrent. - Consider whether a visible lock is part of the deterrence: a lock that’s conspicuous signals to an opportunist that this cable is not the easy one. - On-street charging in urban areas at night warrants both a loop lock and a port lock as standard practice.
Insurance: what your policy may require
This is the angle almost no other guide covers, and it matters. Some home contents insurance policies include EV charging equipment under “high-value home equipment”; others require a separate endorsement. And some policies, particularly those that specifically cover EV cables as a named item, include a condition that reasonable security measures must be in place for a theft claim to be valid.
A cable lock that costs £25 is cheap insurance in a literal sense: it’s potential evidence that you took reasonable precautions, which is exactly what an insurer wants to see.
Check your policy wording specifically for: - Whether EV cables are covered under contents or require a separate add-on - Whether there’s a condition about security measures for portable electrical equipment - What the single-item limit is (a quality Type 2 cable may exceed a standard limit)
If theft is a genuine risk for your charging situation, it’s worth a five-minute call to your insurer to confirm coverage before the cable goes missing rather than after.
Frequently asked questions
What type of lock works best for an EV charging cable?
A loop cable lock threaded through the cable coil and secured to a fixed anchor is the most versatile. For public charging, a Type 2 port lock that prevents mid-session unplugging is a useful addition. Used together they cover both ends of the cable.
Will any bike lock work on an EV cable?
A D-lock is too rigid for looping through a cable coil. A flexible cable bike lock will physically fit, but purpose-built EV cable locks are explicitly sized for EV cable outer diameters (up to 22 mm) and typically have a more convenient form factor for cable use.
Does my home insurance cover EV cable theft?
It depends on your policy. Some home contents policies cover EV cables as high-value equipment; some require a separate endorsement. Check your policy wording for EV equipment, and confirm whether reasonable security measures are a condition of any theft claim.
Is cable theft more likely at home or at public charge points?
Significantly higher at public and on-street charge points, where cables are visible and unattended for hours. At home with a covered driveway or garage, risk is low. On-street or at public charge points in urban areas, a lock is genuinely worthwhile.
Can I lock my cable to my car?
Yes. Loop a cable lock through the coil and secure it to the wheel arch, tow eye, or any fixed point on the car. Some EVs have a dedicated anchor point for this purpose; check your owner’s manual.
What is a Type 2 port lock?
A Type 2 port lock inserts into the car’s charge inlet after the connector, physically preventing it from being unplugged without a key or code. It deters mid-session theft of the cable while the car is charging. That is different from a coil/loop lock, which prevents the cable being carried away when not in use.
Related articles
- EV Charging Cable Accessories: The Complete Guide
- Charging Your EV Without a Driveway
- Replacement EV Charging Cable