Land Rover Come Second

[Beowulf]

As a proportion of motors stolen, Land Rover come second highest, according to analysis of motor insurance claims by Tesco Bank. Although its relevance for our vehicles is probably doubtful.

In the year to August 2024, 16% of claims for stolen motors were for Ford models. Land Rovers were second, also 16%.

Black cars were the most commonly stolen, accounting for 27% of all Tesco Bank claims made in 2023-24, grey 18% and white 17%.

In terms of age, vehicles between 5 and 9 years old account for 52% of claims, those 10 to 14 years old 23%, and cars aged 4 years or less 15%.

And if we didn`t already know it, stolen cars are sometimes broken down overnight and sold-on for parts in the morning.

Claims data from Admiral shows between 60% and 70% of stolen cars were keyless. 

ONS data shows that in the 12 months to March 2024 vehicle-related crimes were beginning to fall, down 6%.

Series LRs are easy to get into and to take apart, a perfect combination for the illegal second-hand parts market, but are many of them stolen 

Maybe the moral of all this is that owning a black 5 to 9 year old keyless Land Rover really isn't a good idea 

[Ken]

I was in Burford earlier in the 'summer' The side streets had large numbers of black modern range rovers parked, all with the bright yellow anti theft stick thingy which bolts across the steering wheel.
Looked strange to see really high value cars using a gadget I'd associate with an old mini. You've just explained why.

[Richard]

Over here Land Rover isn't even in the Top Ten (2023). Toyota is the number one. And the runner up too. The RAV-4 and the C-HR respectively. One in five vehicles stolen is a Toyota. This according to the Landelijk Intelligence- en expertisecentrum Voertuigcriminaliteit (LIV, the National center for car crime intelligence and expertise – source: AutoWeek). Volkswagen is the runner up. Compare these figures to those for car sales, well, in fact registrations: Volkswagen was the number one car brand sold/registered in 2023 (34,958), Toyota only coming 3d (25,576), according to the Bovag (Garage owners' and car dealer's association).

Overall car theft has decreased by 11% compared to 2022. In total 5,844 cars were reported stolen, of which 47% were eventually recovered. Cars 2 to 4 years old were most popular with the thieves guild. Vehicles of more than 20 years old less so.

Richard

[Exile]

Damn!

Unfortunately my Freelander 1 is blue and 22 years old.

I leave it lying around with the keys in the cubby box, and have always wondered why the local low-life don't steal it.

Now I know why - wrong colour, wrong age - and am really disappointed.


I could do with the insurance money.......

[Archie]

You can do anything with statistics.

The least likely vehicle to be stolen is a 1980 pink Relient Robin.

Why?
There are not many about.

The LRs stolen are generally the high end Gerry McGovern designs.
They fetch big money, either whole or parted out.
Adding to this is that with a simple computer programme, thieves can grab the security signal from the key in the house, to open the car, reprogramme a new key for the vehicle, then drive it away all in less than 30 seconds.

Why nick a series LR (modern thieves don't hot-wire) and get a few grand passing it on, when you could get 70-100K for a modern Range Rover.

I've seen 4 of these stolen LRs stuffed into a shipping container, often bound for Africa or Eastern Europe.

Never seen a Series though.

[diffwhine]

Huge market for Land Rover spare parts in Russia at the moment for obvious reasons. Quite staggering the parts volumes being sold to neighbouring markets at the moment. So much for sanctions.

[Beowulf]

Huge market for Land Rover spare parts in Russia at the moment for obvious reasons. Quite staggering the parts volumes being sold to neighbouring markets at the moment. So much for sanctions.

A few days ago the BBC broadcast footage showing them following daylight convoys of small transporters, carrying one or two cars each, over mountainous roads through Georgia (I think) and into Russia. Apparently most were German but there were also Land Rovers and Japanese cars but they were all very high-end vehicles. JLR gave a statement which basically said they had been sold legally into other third-party countries.

I see this analysis of car thefts has been picked up and reported in the current issue of CLR. Titled Lock Up Your Land Rovers, they also provide another couple of facts, Greater London is the top hotspot for car thefts, no surprise there then, accounting for 23%. And Land Rovers are the most stolen vehicles in London and the West Midlands.