Jaguar Land Rover to slash drivers’ insurance costs as it battles car theft fears

Range Rover theft

Jaguar Land Rover has slashed the average price of its in-house insurance by more than 80pc as a wave of luxury vehicle thefts pushes up premiums for drivers.

The West Midlands-based car maker on Wednesday sought to reassure drivers that if they purchased a new car the company would pay £150 per month towards their insurance costs for up to three years.

It comes after JLR launched its own cover, Land Rover Insurance, in October following reports that a string of thefts were leading to motorists being quoted sky-high premiums by mainstream providers.

In the most extreme cases, drivers were facing demands for as much as £30,000 per year from insurers amid reports that Range Rovers were among the cars most targeted by criminal gangs.

Since its launch, the JLR insurance scheme – which is underwritten by Allianz – has provided more than 37,500 quotes averaging less than £180 per month, however.

The new offer applies to anyone who buys a new Range Rover or Range Rover Sport that was registered between May 1 and September 30 this year.

It will see JLR pay £150 towards a motorist’s monthly premium, in theory taking the average cost under the company’s scheme down to just £30 per month.

At the same time, JLR is still pushing for other insurers to lower premiums for Range Rover owners by providing them with more information about the security features the cars are equipped with.

On Wednesday the company said it had delivered a batch of new information to insurers that it hopes will lead to a new system where they can instantly check what protections a car has using its number plate.

Two of the main methods gangs are using to steal luxury vehicles, many of which now employ keyless security, are known as “relay theft” and “BCM theft”.

Relay theft involves using specialist equipment to fool a car into thinking the owner’s key fob is nearby, while BCM [body control module] theft involves hacking into the vehicle’s diagnostics system and disabling its immobiliser.

BCM theft typically requires the car to be unlocked already.

JLR has invested £15m in trying to upgrade security systems for its cars and says it has mostly put a stop to relay theft through new ultra-wideband technology.

None of the most recent Range Rovers which are equipped with the ultra-wideband technology have been stolen so far, the company says.

However, the company is still in the process of upgrading the software of cars made since 2018 to protect them against BCM theft – and has urged customers to bring in their vehicles to receive the update.

The company also continues to work on software for vehicles made in 2016 and 2017.

A spokesman said the newest generation of Range Rovers were “highly resilient to thefts”, with police data showing that only 0.2pc of them have been stolen since January 2022.

Meanwhile, only 0.3pc of Defenders sold since 2020 have been stolen.

Adrian Mardell, JLR’s chief executive, has previously criticised insurers for the premiums quoted to Range Rover drivers, arguing that they relied on out-of-date information.

“There is no reason whatsoever why any insurance company should not gladly and readily insure those new vehicles,” he said in February.

“They are very slow to respond to data. That’s the facts and the reality.”

On Wednesday Patrick McGillycuddy, managing director of JLR UK, said: “We’re working hard to support our clients every step of the way and are pleased to offer a further, bespoke insurance initiative.

“JLR has an ‘all-fronts’ strategy to tackle the negative impact organised criminality is having on clients, insurance premiums, and the insurance industry itself.

“Our efforts and investments include a raft of initiatives with police forces, port authorities, international law enforcement agencies and, of course, UK insurers.”

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