Our body clocks have just about adjusted to British Summer Time coming to an end, Halloween has been and gone and the countdown to Christmas has officially begun. But with the festive period just a matter of weeks away, we now cling onto every minute of daylight we have.
Unfortunately, the long, dark evenings offer criminals the perfect opportunity to pounce. For many homeowners, now is the time to double-check locks, ensure alarms are set, and secure doors and windows. The garage on the other hand - despite often housing valuable items such as tools, bikes, and even highly prized classic cars - is frequently the most vulnerable and overlooked entry point.
Ultimately, failing to secure your garage is a massive gamble. This isn’t a question of simply asking you to lock your garage door; it’s understanding what actually defines a secure garage door.
So, what is the most secure garage door type, and how can you ensure your door is able to resist modern break-in methods?
Our guide provides a run through of the security profile of major garage door types and designs, revealing the critical features needed for best garage door security.
Why Your Garage is a Target for Criminals
However your garage is used, its contents can quickly add up to significant financial value. Criminals will have course have their eyes on the vehicle inside a garage, with remote key cloning a common method for gaining keyless entry to modern cars. However, beyond this, criminals target high-value, portable items, such as power tools, high-spec bicycles, sports equipment and garden machinery. But it’s not just about the contents; failing to properly secure your garage actual represents a three-part financial risk:
1. Stolen Contents: The overnight loss of expensive items, often leading to a stressful and time-consuming insurance claim.
2. Insurance Complications: Importantly, home insurance policies may void or significantly reduce contents claims if access was gained through a vulnerable or unsecure garage door. Insurers typically expect reasonable security measures to be in place. Furthermore, you can expect a hike in your monthly premium following a break-in.
3. Cost of Garage Door Replacement: Even if they don’t manage to steal anything, a would-be burglar often leaves behind a damaged garage door needing repair or one requiring replacement. Having a highly secure garage door in the first place detracts would-be intruders before they have even attempted to get into your garage.
And we haven’t even mentioned the psychological risks of a break in or attempted burglary. People who have suffered a security breach to their property often report emotional problems such as anxiety, and not feeling safe in their own home or neighbourhood. These emotional scars can last much longer than any financial / material impact.
Ultimately, your garage door is your primary line of defence. Choosing a secure garage door type is the best and most proactive way to avoid these costly consequences.
Security Comparison by Door Type
So, let’s take a look at some of the most common types of garage door in the UK - how they measure up from a security perspective, and what inherent vulnerabilities exist in their design.
Up-and-Over Doors
Now relatively old-fashioned from a design perspective, up-and-over garage doors are still very popular due to their simple operation and affordability. However, they also present a number of security vulnerabilities due to their single-panel design.
- Vulnerability Around the Edges: Criminals look at the gaps around garage doors as a possible point of forced entry. For instance, by leveraging the bottom of the door, they can force the panel outward and create a gap large enough to be able to pull the emergency release cord or disable locking bars. Older doors and those made from thinner materials are often more vulnerable to this kind of forced access.
- Handle: If the door features a simple external handle and lock, this can be easily pried or forced open, providing criminals with direct access to the opening mechanism. And even good quality after-market locks provide little defence if the door itself is weak or compromised.
- Flexibility: Non-reinforced steel doors can sometimes be prized open enough to create a gap, allowing tools to be inserted to manipulate its internal components.
Side-Hinged Garage Doors
With a swinging operation, side-hinged doors operate like traditional double doors. Their security rating is largely dependent on material / build quality and installation:
- Seams and Locks: Like the edges around an up-and-over door, the central seam where the two side-hinged door leaves meet presents a clear weak point. If internal security is lacking, this seam can often be leveraged.
- Hinges: Side-hinged doors often feature external hinges, which can potentially be tampered with or unpinned. This risk is mitigated with doors that feature security hinges of an inward-opening design.
- Material: Overall door security is highest when built from thick, reinforced steel; thin timber or single-walled metals simply don’t stand up to forced entry. Similarly, it’s worth remembering that timber doors can suffer weather damage such as warping; this can potentially create gaps or weaknesses that compromise its security.
Sectional Garage Doors
From a design perspective, this type of garage door comprises horizontal panels that rise vertically on tracks. Quality sectional doors offer a strong security profile, making them one of the most secure types of garage door available:
- Interlocking Strength: The multi-panel construction and tightly sealed perimeter provide a solid defence against against forcing or prying. Each panel section interlocks into the next, effectively reinforcing it and making it difficult to breach.
- Opening System Vulnerability: The main weakness in sectional garage doors often lies in the automatic opening system. If the motor is not engaged, criminals may be able to use force to disengage the trolley from the door, allowing manual lifting. Having said this, quality sectional doors feature robust anti-force and anti-prying measures, which prevent the panels from being lifted once the door is fully closed.
Roller Garage Doors
High-quality roller garage doors are widely considered the frontrunners for best garage door security. Their design properties eliminate the key vulnerabilities inherently found in other garage door types:
- Solid, Handle-Free Curtain: As the name suggests, roller garage doors roll vertically into a box at the top of the door opening, eliminating the need for an external handle or lock. Furthermore, quality roller doors have a seamless design, with tight-fitting guide rails and brush seal, meaning no exposed edges or gaps around the door. This all means there are no external leverage points - a significant security advantage over more traditional garage door types.
- Automatic Locking: Quality roller garage doors, like those build by Garolla, feature an integrated automatic locking system. When the door closes, it automatically locks itself into the guide rails, preventing the curtain from being lifted or forced upwards. The fact that the door locks every time the door is a great benefit, eliminating any chance of human error.
- Material: High quality roller garage doors are constructed from strong, double-skinned aluminium slats that are highly resistant to bending and impact. This robust design creates a seamless, reinforced curtain that is extremely difficult to breach.
What Features Define the Best Garage Door Security?
Fundamental design offers a good indication of a garage door’s base level of security. However, it is the integral features and quality of the hardware within that play the most important roles in defending your garage against intruders, as well as your door’s overall longevity and value for money. When looking for a secure garage door, be sure to look for these crucial features:
Secured by Design (SBD) Certification
Put simply, Secured by Design (SBD) certification is the ultimate indicator of excellent security. SBD is the official UK Police initiative that rigorously tests products against common methods of criminal attack. A SBD certified garage door has passed intense physical security testing using tools and techniques commonly employed by burglars. Choosing an SBD-approved garage door also provides industry-recognised evidence to your insurer that you have taken proactive measures to maximise both your home’s security and the security of your car. The SBD certification is the hallmark of quality and resistance.
Automatic Locking / Anti-Lift Mechanisms
Both critical features that mark the difference between a secure roller garage door and a vulnerable one. An effective locking / anti-lift system prevents the door curtain from being lifted or forced open when closed. In high quality roller doors, the locking mechanism is built directly into the guide rails or motor assembly. This provides instant, fail-safe security every time the door is closed.
Material Type, Strength and Construction Quality
A highly secure garage door must be manufactured using material robust enough to withstand significant force. This means you have to look behind the surface:
- Double-Skinned Aluminium: Combining strength and durability whilst being remarkably light weight, double-skinned aluminium represents the premium material choice for roller garage doors.
- Thick Steel: This is commonly used in the manufacture of premium up-and-over and sectional garage doors. The strength of the material ensures door panels cannot be easily flexed or cut. Therefore it’s important to avoid doors made from thin, single-skin, non-reinforced materials.
Operational Security (Remote Systems)
Security considerations extend to the remote control system of electric garage doors. Secure systems need to use rolling code technology. This essentially means that the access code transmitted by your garage door’s remote controller automatically changes with every use. This prevents criminals from using code scanning devices to capture and replicate the entry signal; this is a serious vulnerability often found in older or cheaper systems. From an installation perspective, the control unit should always be securely housed away from external access.
Track Design, Seals, and Installation
A secure door is a rigid, seamless door. The quality of the tracks and the tightness of the weather seals are crucial to the garage door’s overall level of security. Tracks should be robustly fixed, and seals must prevent criminals from easily inserting tools to attempt internal manipulation of opening mechanisms. Professional installation of your new garage door is therefore essential, and this will also pay dividends in the smoothness of its daily operation and longevity.
Garolla: Setting the Standard for Garage Door Security
Garolla electric garage doors are specifically designed to meet the modern standard of the best in garage door security. This makes them one of the strongest contenders on the market. Manufactured with a handle-free, solid double-walled aluminium curtain and leading integrated security features, Garolla garage doors directly address all the vulnerabilities found in other door types.
For the ultimate assurance, Garolla’s Titan model is fully SBD certified. This means the door has been independently tested and proven to withstand concerted, violent attack attempts, giving it industry-leading specification for maximum security.
Fitted with automatic locking system as standard, all of our garage doors are secured instantly upon closing, and without the need for human intervention. Furthermore, the double-skinned aluminium construction provides superior strength and durability, giving you a long-term investment that provides genuine peace of mind against intruders. Choosing a Garolla door is choosing proactive, reliable security for your home, and the contents of your garage.
Proactive Security for Ultimate Peace of Mind
Failing to properly secure your garage is just not worth the risk.The financial and emotional costs - not to mention the inconvenience - far outweighs the investment in a high-quality, secure garage door from the outset (and Garolla garage doors are more affordable than you might think).
In summary, the evidence points clearly to a modern roller garage door as the most secure garage door type. Buying a new electric garage door with automatic locking, robust material strength, and SBD certified features, you are investing in the vital, impenetrable barrier your home needs.
Don't leave your valuables vulnerable this winter; upgrade your home’s security and gain the peace of mind you deserve.