The Land Rover is Britain’s most stolen car, with one in 100 flashy SUVs stolen by thieves last year.
Land Rovers are three times more likely to be stolen than a Mercedes-Benz, which came in as the second favorite for criminals, according to figures from confused.com.
Of the UK’s 896,948 licensed Land Rovers, 8,284 were reported stolen in the year ending March 2023.
There is growing concern that the valuable 4x4s, which can cost more than £100,000, are being targeted as the latest figures from AA insurance show car thefts are up 25 per cent.
Last Wednesday, a Range Rover was stolen from a driveway in Gloucester within minutes when thieves used technology to break into the keyless car.
Britain’s most stolen car brand is Land Rover, with one in 100 flashy SUVs stolen by thieves
The shocking CCTV footage showed two crooks approaching the car several times before managing to get in and reverse the car away in the high-speed robbery.
A police spokesman said it was likely that the tech-savvy thieves would have used a transmitter to amplify the signal from the key found in the home to break into the car.
The car was eventually dumped after the criminals failed to disable the tracker device in the car, but not before colliding with another car and damaging the rear.
Police are currently seeking information to anyone who saw the vehicle driving in the area or has CCTV footage of the June 7 theft.
Opportunistic criminals have gotten smarter in how they break into vulnerable vehicles, some of which are keyless and can be hacked.
Devices that can be bought for £1300 could enable car thieves to hack into keyless cars and, according to The Times, can drive off in your motorbike in under 90 seconds.
Teeside has suffered a scourge of car thefts, with criminals targeting the high value cars that have even been snatched straight from the dealership.
A spokesperson for Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) told TeesideLive: ‘Protecting our customers from this level of organized crime is our priority.
The shocking CCTV footage showed two crooks approaching the car parked in a driveway in Gloucester several times
The tech-savvy thieves would likely have used a transmitter to amplify the signal from the key that was inside the house to break into the car
The shocking CCTV footage shows the pair of thieves backing the Range Rover down the driveway in a theft that lasted minutes
‘We have a team of dedicated experts who work closely with police and partners – our proactive approach enables us to support criminal investigations; spot emerging trends sooner; and quickly determine and roll out measures to combat this crime.
‘One of those solutions includes UWB (ultra-wideband) technology – JLR was the first manufacturer to integrate this into our vehicles to prevent ‘relay attacks’ (keyless).
‘Our cars with this technology have been independently verified by the Which? and the ADAC.
‘Our production vehicles are fitted with industry leading security systems and vehicles are fitted with Secure Tracker vehicle tracking systems – recently rated ‘superior’ by Thatcham Research.
“We recommend that customers take all available measures to protect their vehicle, including our ‘remote’ app to access a range of security features such as vehicle lock reminders and ‘guard mode’ which monitors the vehicle and issues an alert if there is any unauthorized interaction.”
Police have advised Teeseide residents with expensive keyless cars to use Faraday bags that can block signals used by thieves to hack into the vehicle.
Car brand Mercedes-Benz is the second most popular for thieves with no fewer than 323 stolen cars per 100,000.
Ford came in third on the list of most targeted autobards, followed by BMW and then Audi.
Toyota, Fiat, Volkswagen, Vauxhall and Hyundai also made the list of car brands that were being watched by thieves.
Color also appeared to be a factor in how thieves target motorcycles, with black cars being stolen more often than any other color, according to the same data.
The Association of Master Locksmiths said ‘keyless car theft occurs when thieves are only within a few feet of your car keys to pick up the signal’ and can take 20-30 seconds.
They added that thieves use a device that relays a key’s signal to anyone else standing by the victim’s car.
This tricks the car into thinking the key is nearby, allowing the doors to open and the ignition to start.
They urge drivers with keyless cars to keep keys well away from doors and windows, and suggest putting them in a Faraday bag to prevent thieves from amplifying and intercepting the signal.
They also suggest turning off a keyless fob’s wireless signal and using a steering wheel lock or car alarms to deter criminals.
A Land Rover Discovery was stolen from an address in Marchwood in October 2021 and went in convoy to an address in Ipley
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