Protect your vehicle from gas theft

These steps could help to prevent thieves from siphoning out your vehicle's gas.

Car with gas pumping into it.

Thieves have found a new target: the gasoline from your vehicle. When the price of gas rises, so do the number of gas-theft incidents. Here's how you can help protect your vehicle and your pocketbook:

  • Always park in well-lit, well-traveled locations.
  • Park in your garage or driveway whenever possible. If you have to park in the street, do so under street lighting near your house.
  • Avoid parking in public places for extended periods of time. For example, rather than leaving your car in the airport parking lot for a week, ask a friend or neighbor for a ride.
  • Position your vehicle so the fuel door is seen from a main road.
  • Consider installing a locking gas cap, even if your fuel door locks.
  • Remember to call 911 if you see suspicious behavior, such as someone putting a siphon into a gas tank or acting strangely around parked cars.

How to tell if someone is siphoning your gas

It can be difficult to tell if your gas has been siphoned. The best way to tell is to keep track of your fuel level before you leave your car and make sure the level hasn't changed when you return. If you do have a locking gas cap, there might be scratches or damage on it where thieves attempted to access your gas.

The information in this article was obtained from various sources not associated with State Farm® (including State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company and its subsidiaries and affiliates). While we believe it to be reliable and accurate, we do not warrant the accuracy or reliability of the information. State Farm is not responsible for, and does not endorse or approve, either implicitly or explicitly, the content of any third party sites that might be hyperlinked from this page. The information is not intended to replace manuals, instructions or information provided by a manufacturer or the advice of a qualified professional, or to affect coverage under any applicable insurance policy. These suggestions are not a complete list of every loss control measure. State Farm makes no guarantees of results from use of this information.
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