Some bike lock manufacturers offer their own internal safety ratings for guidance. These may help, but the safest locks we tested used standard ratings from target sources, including Secure, which provides ratings for a variety of vehicle types between bronze and diamonds, while the ART used digit ratios of 1 to 5.
So what do these ratings actually mean? Here is a guide to two top lockdown companies and their rating systems:
Safe for sale Founded in the UK by Northumbria and Essex police. The brand is now owned and operated by the nonprofit trading group Master Locksmiths Association. It uses a four-level rating system as shown below.
Safe rating level for sale: Bronze (minimum, safe for basic tools); silver (mid-range, prevent enhanced tools/determined attacks); gold (second best, resist special tools/attacks); diamond (highest, prevent destructive attacks and “special tools”).
The company also uses separate ratings for different vehicle types, such as bikes and motorcycles (now called pedal cycles and power cycles, respectively). For example, Hiplok DX has a safe Pedal Cycle Diamond Rating and Safe for Sale Power cycle gold grade. This is a good score, but it’s not as safe as a lock like the Litelok X1 or a stronger lock like the Litelock X3 and Hiplock D1000, both categories earn diamond ratings. Sandstone-resistant locks can also be said directly on the brand’s website. If in doubt, you can always go to the sold security website to check if your lock is rated.
Art is a Dutch independent security company that uses a five-star security system centered on vehicle type, durability, weather, environmental resistance and resistance to attacks.
Art rating level: 1/5 (Minimum safety rating, only suitable for the second bicycle lock); 2/5 (represents a higher safety rating for bicycle theft protection, the minimum for most insurance companies); 3/5 (Bicycle safe theft risk, also suitable for mops and scooters for insurance purposes); 4/5 (The bike has a high safety rating and provides good theft protection for motorcycles when traveling); 5/5 (The highest safety rating, sometimes it needs to be guaranteed to be stored at home).
