Britain’s most stolen car revealed and how gangs use keyless tech to steal motors worth £55k straight from YOUR driveway
THE Land Rover is the UK’s most stolen car as professional thieves use key fobs to make off in the £100k SUVs in under 90 seconds.
The latest figures show one in every hundred Land Rovers were stolen in the year ending March 2023.
Criminals are using technology to simply drive the cars away while the owners are tucked up in bed.
Land Rovers have a theft rate of 924 thefts per 100,000 , according to the latest figures obtained by Confused.com.
Mercedes-Benz were the second most popular target for thieves, with 323 cars stolen per 100,000.
After Mercedes the most targeted cars were Ford, BMW and then Audi. The same data revealed that black cars were likely to be stolen than any other colour.
Although brands such as Land Rover and Mercedes feature ever increasingly sophisticated security systems, crooks are using technology to stay ahead of the curve .
The Times has reported how car hackers were using hardware that could override a car’s security system.
The devices, sold online for around £1,300, allow crooks to simply drive the cars away in less than 90s seconds.
Ken Munro, of Pen Test Partners, a security firm, said: “I think they underestimated the ability of technologists to weaponise these attacks.”
Teeside Live has reported on how some of the stolen Land Rovers have been involved in serious incidents on the roads.
A taxi driver was seriously injured after a suspected stolen Range Rover being pursued by police collided with the vehicle at Stockton’s Bridge Road, with the junction of Parkfield Road in the early hours of the morning on June 1.
A stolen black Land Rover plough into the ground floor of a Thornaby flat after being briefly pursued by police.
In January, a schoolboy was arrested after driving a Range Rover in a police chase along the A17
A spokesperson from Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) said: “Protecting our clients from this level of organised crime is our priority.
“We have a team of dedicated experts working closely with police and partners – our proactive approach enables us to support criminal investigations; spot emerging trends earlier; and quickly determine and roll out measures that counter this criminality.
“One such solution includes UWB (ultra wide band) technology – JLR were the first manufacturer to integrate this into our vehicles to prevent ‘relay attacks’ (keyless).
“Our cars featuring this technology have been independently verified by the Which? and the ADAC.
“Our production vehicles are equipped with industry-leading security systems, and vehicles are fitted with Secure Tracker vehicle tracking systems – recently being rated by Thatcham Research as ‘superior’.
“We recommend clients use all available measures to protect their vehicle, including our ‘remote’ app to access a suite of security features such as vehicle lock reminders, and ‘guardian mode’ which monitors the vehicle, providing an alert if there is any unauthorised interaction.”
A Cleveland Police spokesperson said: “After a recent spate of ‘keyless’ thefts of vehicles across Cleveland, drivers are being reminded to store digital key fobs securely. Predominantly the incidents happen between 10pm and 6am.
“Ford Fiesta’s are one of the main cars stolen, with Range Rovers and other Ford vehicles also targeted.
“Whilst officers continue to gather intelligence and work to identify those responsible, we would remind drivers to keep taking steps to help protect their vehicles.
“Cars with keyless entry unlock automatically when the key comes within a short distance of the car. This can be from inside a pocket or bag. If you have to push a button on your car key to open your car, you don’t have keyless entry.
“Keyless car theft or ‘relay theft’ is when a device is used to fool the car into thinking the key is close by. This unlocks the car and starts the ignition.
“Thieves only need to be within a few metres of your car key to capture the signal, even if it’s inside your home. This means that even if your car and home are secure, thieves can still unlock, start and steal your car.”