Electric car drivers told not to connect phones in hacking warning
Defence firm bosses have listed a number of precautions which also include not discussing work inside their electric cars for fear Chinese spies could be listening in.
The advice was sent to British companies working for the UK's military or intelligence services, The i Paper reports.
It specifically concerns Chinese-made electric carswith bosses fearing Beijing could steal sensitive national security data.
However, with soaring sales of Chinese-made EVs in the UK, the warnings could also be of concern to regular EV customers outside the defence industry.
Chinese electric vehicles are rising in popularity in the UK due to their cheaper prices when compared to European models. The average cost of an electric car in the UK is £46,000, but a new BYD - the most popular Chinese model in the UK – costs from £26,195.
The brand saw a 658% increase in UK passenger car sales during 2024, according to EV.com
BAE Systems, Rolls Royce, Raytheon, US defence giant Lockheed Martin and French defence and cyber security firm Thales are some of the UK's leading military production companies The i Paper says has taken measures to protect against Chinese spies.
One UK defence firm executive told the paper: “It is safe to assume that every major defence supplier is concerned about the tech in Chinese-built cars.
“Not only could your car download your journeys, but it could also scrape your text messages, voicemails, and even sensitive work documents from your mobile. That’s the sort of information the Chinese state might like to get its hands on, so it’s just sensible that the industry takes a belt and braces approach to that threat.”
Safeguarding measures include:
- Not parking in production plan car parks
- Not discussing work in a Chinese-made EV
- Not connecting mobile phones via Bluetooth or a charging cable.
As of early 2025, Chinese EV brands hold a 7% share of the UK electric vehicle market. This is higher than their 4% share in Germany and 5% in France, but Chinese EVs account for 76% of sales worldwide, Car Scoops reports.
As well as BYD, brands include Ora, Geely and XPENG. Polestar, MG and Volvo are also owned by Chinese manufacturers.
XPENG denied its cars spy on drivers saying it is "fully compliant" with UK and EU regulations.
What can you do to stay safe from electric vehicle hacks?
Experts say concerned EV drivers can tap the 'don't trust' option when they connect their phone with the car, but this does mean they don't get to access all their phone services such as music streaming, contacts, saved details like locations and messages.
Nate Drier, a tech lead at the cybersecurity firm Sophos, told the Guardian: “I would assume most people are allowing that connection to happen so they can have all the benefits of the features on that phone."
Drivers of hire cars should also heed particular caution, Rafe Pilling, the director of threat intelligence at the cybersecurity firm SecureWorks, told the paper: "In general, it’s a bad idea to sync your phone or device with a vehicle that isn’t yours, as you can leave copies of contacts and other sensitive data in the car entertainment and navigation system and most people forget to wipe this after they leave a hire car."
Regularly updating your EV's software ensures protection against known vulnerabilities, AJay Strong, information security analyst at cyber security firm Trace Security, says.
He adds: "If available, enable automatic updates to receive security patches promptly."
Protect your key fobs as these can be exploited to gain unauthorised access to your vehicle, according to professors at the University of Nevada.
They said: "Hackers can intercept wireless fob signals to trick the car’s perception of the location of the fob. For security purposes, users should store the fob in a metal drawer to attenuate the fob’s signals when unused."
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