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Published: 23:43 AEST, 18 June 2023 | Updated: 21:30 AEST, 19 June 2023
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Land Rover is the most stolen car make in Britain, with one in every 100 of its expensive SUVs snatched by thieves last year.
Land Rovers - including Range Rovers, which fall under the brand - are three times more likely to be stolen than a Mercedes-Benz, which came in as the second favourite make for criminals, according to figures from confused.com.
Among the 896,948 licensed Land Rovers in the UK, 8,284 were reported as stolen in the year ending March 2023.
There is growing concern that the valuable 4X4s, which can cost over £100,000 new, are being increasingly targeted as latest figures from AA insurance show that car thefts have gone up by 25 per cent.
Last Wednesday, a Range Rover was stolen from a driveway in Gloucester within a matter of minutes, as thieves used technology to break into the keyless car.
Relay attacks often involve two people working together - with one standing by the vehicle and the other standing near the house with the device to pick up the signal
Last Wednesday, a Range Rover was stolen from a driveway in Gloucester within a matter of minutes as thieves used technology to break into the keyless car
1. Land Rover
924 cars stolen in every 100,000
2. Mercedes-Benz
323 cars stolen in every 100,000
3. Ford
292 cars stolen in every 100,000
4. BMW
290 cars stolen in every 100,000
5. Audi
216 cars stolen in every 100,000
6. Toyota
185 cars stolen in every 100,000
7. Fiat
152 cars stolen in every 100,000
8. Volkswagen
149 cars stolen in every 100,000
9. Vauxhall
145 cars stolen in every 100,000
10. Hyundai
135 cars stolen in every 100,000
The shocking CCTV footage showed two crooks approach the car several times, before managing to get in and drive the car out in reverse in the speedy theft.
A police spokesperson said it was likely the tech-savvy thieves would have used a transmitter to boost the signal from the key that was inside the house in order to break into the car.
The car was eventually ditched after the criminals failed to disable the the tracker device fitted, but not before colliding with another car and damaging the rear end.
Police are currently appealing for information from anyone who saw the vehicle being driven around the area, or may have CCTV footage of the theft on the 7 June.
Opportunist criminals have become smarter in the ways they break into vulnerable vehicles, some of which are keyless and can be hacked into.
Devices which can be bought for £1,300 can allow car thieves to hack into a keyless cars and speed off within 90 seconds
Mercedes-Benz is the second most popular brand for thieves with as many as 323 cars stolen per 100,000.
Ford came in at third place of the list of most targeted car bards, followed by BMW and then Audi.
Toyota, Fiat, Volkswagen, Vauxhall and Hyundai also made the list of car brands eyed by crooks.
The tech-savvy thieves would have likely used a transmitter to boost the signal from the key that was inside the house in order to break into the car
The shocking CCTV footage shows the pair of thieves drive the Range Rover out of the driveway in reverse in a theft that took minutes
President of the AA Edmund King keeps his car fobs in a Faraday pouch, in a box, in his microwave (pictured)
Colour was also found to be a factor in the way thieves target motors, with black cars being more likely to be stolen than any other colour, according to the same data.
The Master Locksmith Association has tips to avoid theft. It says : 'Keyless car theft happens when thieves are only within a few metres from your car keys to capture the signal' and can take 20-30 seconds.
It added that thieves use a device which transmits the signal from a key to somebody else standing by the victim’s car.
This then fools the car into thinking the key is near it, allowing the doors to be opened and ignition to be started.
The organisation urges motorists with keyless cars to keep keys well away from doors and windows, and suggests putting then in a Faraday bag to prevent thieves from amplifying the signal and capturing it.
They also suggest turning off a keyless fob's wireless signal and using a steering wheel lock or car alarms to deter criminals.
A thief barged this 4x4 through a level crossing barrier and went past stunned commuters who were waiting for a train at Cheshunt station, Hertfordshire, before stopping 200 metres down the track and fleeing on foot
This is the 'creepy' moment a car thief was able to steal a mother's keyless Mercedes by using a metal loop to boost the fob's signal
A Land Rover Discovery was stolen from an address in Marchwood in October 2021 and made its way in convoy to an address in Ipley. Police later put out an appeal to anyone who may have seen a Mitsubishi Shogun being transported on a Ford Transit low loader between Somerset and Southampton, in connection with the theft
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