Land Rover insurance woes

Apparently a lot of insurers are turning down the opportunity to quote on Range Rovers or any other LR product. Just too many being nicked and too little being done by the manufacturer to improve security.

Personally, I would have summary execution for any car thieves.

I didn't know the newer JLR keys turned off after they stop being moved and I think that's a great idea. Prior to learning this was possible I couldn't understand why keys didn't have an on/off switch - not as convenient but much less inconvenient than having your car stolen.

Are insurance companies just using this as an excuse to completely shaft the motorist with huge increases?

To be fair I think they themselves are being shafted by the costs of repairing vehicles and providing hire cars so the cost is inevitably passed on to us.

What have you read that presents any of that as fact ?

JLR was one of the first to use UWB frequencies for keyless systems (makes it much harder to isolate and signal boost) and on the latest cars, the keys go dormant after a few minutes of not being moved, so it’s not possible to signal boost.

When Thatcham tested a range of keyless systems in 2020, Land Rover was one of the few manufacturers to have secured a rating of superior.

JLR was also one of the first manufacturers to offer factory fit tracking systems (2015/16) and these have the relevant Thatcham ratings for effectiveness. Additionally you can enable Guardian mode which will notify you if anyone messes with the car (including being opened with your own keys) and at any point you can check to make sure the car is fully locked with the app.

I’ve not seen anything from any official ratings agency that says JLR have been selling cars that have inferior security to any other manufacturer at any given point in recent years and the figures for Defender, RR and RRS support this ( cars that have been on sale for 3 years, 2 years and 18 months respectively).

I’ve also not seen any data that differentiates signal boost thefts from thefts involving burglary of the vehicle keys. I don’t suppose vehicle and parts shortages have helped matters at all, but to say that JLR have had a poor attitude towards vehicle security doesn’t appear to be supported by the above.

They are popular, desirable cars which have offered scrotes and scumbags huge returns as whole vehicles or in bits. It would be good to know what the police are doing about finding the gangs responsible and breaking up their distribution networks.


I wonder if this is why 2023 Jaguar F-Pace has required new key batteries almost monthly since I have had it - one just failed completely overnight - maybe the kwy is doing  somethign to use up more juice!

I've only made my comments based on anecdotes I've seen in the press and on social media. I'm happy to be proven wrong though and if you think I'm just some tit on an Internet forum spouting unproven bilge that's fair enough.

Perhaps this is one of those instances where one manufacturer gets a particularly bad reputation despite most other manufacturers vehicles suffering the same problems. Almost a bit like VW taking the rap in dieselgate despite no other manufacturer being able to produce diesels with such low emissions since or Lancia being pilloried for rusting cars despite most other cars from the same time being equally prone to rot. You hear a lot too about Mercs and BMWs being nicked in this way and there was a point a couple of years back when Fords with keyless were really prone to theft but I don't recall reports that insurance companies were refusing cover so either JLR are being treated particularly unfairly or their products are just costing insurers more.

I agree too that the gangs commiting these offenses should be targeted rather than just the little scrotes doing the pilfering.

Cars are simply too easy to steal. Perhaps not "easy" per se, but most if not all seem to have specific vulnerabilities that thieves are able to find out about. Range Rovers may not be any easier to steal, but they are more desired by thieves, and now it has finally reached a level that affects sales and residual values.

This is a big worry for me now. All Alfa Giulias/Stelvios have a radar sensor on the front that thieves can use to access the CANbus and presumably then make a new key. It's clearly well known by thieves. Many VAG products have the same module, and anyway all cars by law have an OBD port accessible inside, but the sensor makes it simpler to access without breaking glass. Nothing to do with keyless (mine is not). Quadrifoglios, with expensive parts, are being targetted a lot - not many were sold but just on the Facebook owners group two were stolen in Reading recently, on days my car was parked in Reading all day! I use a steering wheel lock now but that only takes around two minutes to cut off (cutting through the wheel with an angle grinder). At least that doubles the time it takes, and makes it noisy. I would not be at all suprised if QF thefts were now at a level that affected insurance, though luckily where I live seems reltively low-risk, in a premium sense at least. And mine is tracked - they do often seem to be just left nearby for a while to see if this is the case. 

I get the impression the Police see car theft as almost a victimless crime, but - a bit like scamming old people, or shoplifting by organised gangs - it does need focus, and the proceeds are in many cases going to organised crime, which costs all of us in all sorts of ways. If the Police 100% defocus on certain crimes, of course they will surge in popularity, as there is no chance of being caught.