In London, drivers of these vehicles must provide proof of secure parking due to a rash of thefts.
Owners of Range Rovers in London, England are suddenly finding themselves with a struggle that is greater than trying to pinch their large vehicles along narrow city streets, as auto insurance companies are now refusing to provide coverage for these high end vehicles unless proof can be shown that they will be parked in secure locations.
The city has seen a massive number of thefts of these vehicles over the last short while and insurers are stepping back.
Auto insurance companies have been simply refusing to cover Range Rovers owned by drivers who don’t have underground or some other form of secure parking. The issue is becoming increasingly important, to the point that brokers and insurance companies, themselves, have requested to meet with Jaguar Land Rover in order to be able to talk about the problem. The vehicles are too easy for thieves to break into, and due to the high price associated with the replacement of these SUVs, insurers don’t want any part of that problem.
The issue at the heart of this auto insurance news is the keyless ignition systems in Range Rovers.
As it turns out, thieves have discovered that there are simple, affordable hand held electronic gadgets that can be purchased in highly accessible places, such as eBay, and that will allow the security feature in these high end vehicles to be bypassed.
According to the automotive research center for vehicle insurance companies, Thatcham Research, between January and July of this year, alone, there were 294 Range Rover Evoque and Sport models stolen in the city of London. Within that same span of time, the figures for a prime rival to that vehicle, the BMX X5, experienced 63 thefts. Clearly, those SUVs are being stolen far more infrequently.
When asked about this auto insurance issue and the complaints that the keyless ignition systems are being bypassed by thieves, a spokesperson for Jaguar Land Rover released a statement that said that “we are taking this issue very seriously,” but pointed out that “Our line-up continues to meet the insurance industry requirements as tested and agreed with relevant insurance bodies.”
