Hiding valuables in your car isn’t always the wisest choice, but it’s sometimes unavoidable. Store valuables in the glovebox or trunk to hide them, or disguise them.

Written by Mindy Hood

Reviewed by Carrie Adkins

Updated on Dec 12, 2023

Table of Contents

Hiding spots
Disguise
Assess the risk

If you're wondering where to hide valuables in your car, take advantage of enclosed areas out of view of onlookers.

We’ve all done it. When we’re in a rush and our valuables suddenly become inconveniences, we throw them on the floor and bury them in blankets and empty fast food bags.

When you need to leave something in your car, there are better ways to hide it than with a

giant mess

. We’ll show you how to discourage thieves and keep your property out of sight.

We’ve examined a few of the best ways to keep valuables safe in your vehicle. Our tips may not help you hide a wide screen television, but they can protect things like tablets, phones, and purses.

Best hiding spots in your car

Every car has some form of built-in storage. It may not always be a large space, but it’s there. One of the best places to hide things is under seats and other pockets of empty space.

Many newer family vehicles include wells for rear pilot seats to fold into, and these are perfect hiding places for your valuables when they aren’t occupied by a seat. Even putting your valuables in the glove compartment could keep them safe. After all, the idea of hiding valuables is to reduce the temptation for potential thieves.

The classic storage technique is to hide valuables in the trunk. While this is a very obvious move, and a potential thief may even see you placing things in the trunk, it’s still effective for a very simple reason. It’s much harder to pick a lock without being noticed than it is to smash a window, grab an item, and split.

Hiding valuables in the trunk is most effective in cars that do not provide

trunk

access through the backseat. Although these little hiding holes are convenient, they allow anyone who smashes a window to directly access the trunk.

The second weakness comes in cars with rear hatch buttons on the dashboard. It’s a popular feature, but it does undermine the value of the trunk as a hiding place. Again, however, if your goal is simply to keep valuables out of sight rather than actually securing them, then the trunk is one of your best options.

Key Takeaway: You can make your car a less attractive target by putting valuables where thieves can't see them. Putting stuff in the trunk can also do this if it's not accessible from the rest of the car, as it makes getting to it harder.

MORE:

Common car insurance myths debunked

Disguise them as something else

If you know you will have to leave your valuables in the car and you have a little time to plan, it’s best to create a disguise. Keep one or two cereal boxes and other dry food storage items on hand. They’re great for hiding smaller items, such as tablets and even laptops.

No one is going to break into a car to steal a box of kids’ cereal. In a pinch, a paper grocery sack will work, too. Groceries aren’t particularly tempting to thieves since they have little to no resale value.

The best way to utilize this disguise is to keep a bag of fake groceries in your car, or in a place where you can grab them on your way out the door. A bag full of cereal boxes will draw even less attention than a lone cereal box.

Choosing disguises that would put off a potential thief are even better. Small electronics may be hidden in boxes saved from women’s sanitary products. Such items make the vast majority of men uncomfortable, and men are more likely than women to violently break into a car.

Key Takeaway: You can put your things inside things like cereal boxes, grocery bags, or boxes of women's sanitary products. These can disguise your valuables as items thieves won't bother with.

Assess the risk

Ultimately, the best way to keep your valuables safe is to keep them on your person or leave them at home, so if possible, try to break the habit of leaving things in your car. Keeping your tablet at home can can be safer than taking it to the movie theater. If your friends want to leave their purses in your trunk, ask to make sure nothing irreplaceable is in their bags.

Park in well-lit areas. The more visible your car is, the less likely it is to be vandalized. If you see a security camera in the area, try to park within its range.

If in spite of everything you still get your stuff—or even your whole car—stolen, you'll definitively want to have the right insurance to cover your losses.

Jerry

can get you there by helping you find and compare affordable quotes from 50+ top providers.

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