JLR is Upgrading Security For Older Models

Following on from last month’s Turner's Torque, where I wrote about JLR’s poor reputation on vehicle security and the problems that many owners have experienced being unable to insure them, JLR have recently announced they are investing more than £10 million in upgrading the security of some of its older vehicles.

According to the DVLA, Range Rovers were the second most stolen cars in the UK last year, with more than 5200 stolen, and embarrassingly, JLR was forced to stop its own insurance offering last year after partner Verex said it would no longer extend coverage.

This year, JLR says it has upgraded the security of more than 65,000 cars built between 2018 and 2022, including those out of warranty, to ensure "the same levels of protection as current models”.

JLR is now asking remaining owners to take their car to a dealer or book an appointment with a mobile technician to have work carried out - ‘a rare approach’ taken by JLR to accelerate the process.

JLR said that although it had upgraded a large number of cars, they say "a sizeable amount are still outstanding; we're still working hard to reach clients who haven't yet taken up their updates”.

Thefts were being conducted by thieves hacking the keyless entry system and driving away without a key, but an update to the car's body control module (BCM) makes this no longer possible.

This technology means car keys don't need to be stored in a Faraday pouch, but the company still recommends owners use the JLR app to make use of vehicle lock reminders and Guardian Mode, which sends an alert if there's any 'unauthorised interaction' with the car.

The good news for new JLR owners is that since January 2022, only 0.07% of current-shape Range Rovers and Range Rover Sports have been stolen, and since the latest Land Rover Defender was introduced in 2020, JLR says that just 0.3% have been stolen.