This $49.99 Ring Device Could Stop Your Car From Getting Stolen Tonight

What the Ring Car Alarm Actually Does

If your car lives on the street, theft feels random until it happens to you. The Ring Car Alarm is a $49.99 plug-in that tries to make your car a worse target in about 30 seconds. You pop it into your OBD-II port, pair it in the Ring app, and it can send alerts if your car gets opened, bumped, towed, or messed with—plus it can trigger an audible alarm. Ring says there’s no subscription required for the car alarm itself. (Details are on the Ring Car Alarm product page.)

The real hook is the stuff that still works when your phone can’t “see” the car. Ring says the unit has built-in GPS and uses Amazon Sidewalk so it can keep talking even when your car isn’t on your Wi-Fi. It also claims a backup battery that can last up to seven days if the device loses vehicle power. That’s the difference between “cute gadget” and “useful security layer” for people who park in apartment lots, curbside, or airport garages. For the bigger CES-style context, Ring’s broader Sidewalk push (including the car alarm mention) shows up in The Verge’s CES 2026 Ring coverage.

Even with theft rates trending down, car theft is still a volume game. The National Insurance Crime Bureau reported 334,114 vehicle thefts in the first half of 2025—that’s hundreds of thousands of chances for a thief to go shopping for the easiest target on the block. Most thieves don’t want a fight; they want speed, silence, and zero attention. That’s where a plug-in alarm helps. It adds noise, a phone ping, and one more “not worth it” moment. Pair it with the basics NHTSA keeps pushing—lock up, park in well-lit spots, don’t leave keys inside—and you’ve built a cheap, real-world deterrent layer.

My Verdict

Now the grown-up caveat: an OBD plug-in isn’t a force field. A determined thief can still smash a window, yank the device, or flatbed the whole car. But thieves are lazy and fast. Anything that adds noise, friction, and phone alerts can push the