Luxury cars targeted by thieves for lucrative markets

The Range Rover took the world by storm in 1970 and was quite unlike anything seen before.

This was a multi-purpose go anywhere 4x4 which appealed to farmers and royalty alike. It spawned a new market and is rightly regarded as the daddy of all 4x4s.

The popularity and luxury increased over the years and now lots of people want one, especially thieves.

There are reports that the Range Rover is Britain’s most stolen car, but this is not actually true. Many luxury marques including Mercedes, BMW and others are equally targeted by thieves to fulfil demand overseas including Africa, Eastern Europe and some of the Middle East.

Additionally, many vehicles end up in chop shops where they get dismantled for their valuable parts.

How does a £150,000 modern car get stolen so easily then you may ask? Thieves target cars parked outside the home late at night when everyone is asleep.

Keyless entry systems can be foiled by advanced electronic transmitters which simulate the actuation signal given out by the owner’s key fob.

The first thief waves the relay box around the front door. This boosts the car key signal inside the house to another receiver held by the second thief who is next to the target car.

The car is fooled into thinking the owner is adjacent so opens up, disables the alarm and the car can be started and driven away.

Faraday boxes and pouches protect the car key from emitting any signal and it is wise to keep keys and phones inside these within the home.

More worrying are reports of house break ins at night by villains searching out the keys, such is the lucrative value of these vehicles.

Should you leave the keys accessible so the thieves can go on their way or hide them, but risk a confrontation inside the sanctuary of your home?

Understandably, many buyers would rather not own one for just this reason and the increasingly high cost of insurance premiums.

The Range Rover has evolved over 54 years but sadly its anti-theft capability is still stuck in the 1970s.