Car insurers are hitting Range Rover house owners with robust new penalties — despite the fact that the producer insists thefts of the autos are falling.
A Money Mail survey of insurers discovered Aviva has launched a brand new further ‘theft excess’ which applies solely to Land Rovers and Range Rovers.
Other insurers — together with main model Direct Line — received’t tackle any new Range Rover prospects, whereas over-50s large Saga refused to supply cowl to a buyer of 15 years when their coverage got here up for renewal.
Aviva’s new theft extra signifies that if a automobile is stolen and has a market worth of £25,000 or extra, an extra equal to five per cent of the automobile’s worth will probably be charged. This is on high of the usual coverage extra. That’s equal to a £2,500 cost for a £50,000 Range Rover.
Currently, this extra extra applies solely to small enterprise house owners who’ve a industrial fleet coverage with Aviva. It has acquired a combined reception.
Irritated: Nigel and Christy Barker would must pay an additional £1,750 extra on their Avia coverage if their Range Rover was stolen
Nigel and Christy Barker from Todmorden in West Yorkshire are usually not impressed.
They run a office sourcing firm, Dennons UK, and lately requested a dealer for insurance coverage quotes for his or her Land Rover Discovery Sport and Mini Electric — automobiles they use of their household enterprise.
The most cost-effective cowl was from Aviva, however it included the extra theft extra clause. ‘It irritated me,’ Nigel informed Money Mail.
‘I love Land Rovers and have owned them for 12 years. But this insurance tirade against the brand is testing my love affair to the limit.’
The further theft extra applies on high of the £250 coverage extra, and for Nigel would end in an additional £1,750 if he wanted to say.
Some consultants imagine such excesses might change into commonplace as insurers search methods of constant to supply cowl to drivers whose mannequin is focused by criminals.
Ian Hughes, chief govt of insurance coverage consultancy Consumer Intelligence, mentioned: ‘Applying additional theft excesses to policies for owners of high-risk vehicles such as certain Land Rovers and Range Rovers represents a middle ground.
‘It allows insurers to offer reasonable premiums to all drivers while managing the heightened risk associated with specific models.’
The means some insurers are discriminating towards Land Rovers and Range Rover drivers has antagonised the boss of JLR, the corporate which manufactures them.
Adrian Mardell mentioned vital reductions in theft final yr throughout its Range Rover fashions meant there was now ‘no reason’ why insurance coverage firms ought to do something however ‘gladly’ insure new autos — ‘zero reason, in any part of this country’.
Data collated by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) exhibits that final yr, thefts of fashions Range Rover, Sport, Velar and Evoque fell by 27, 29, 15 and three per cent respectively.
The solely blot on JLR’s panorama was a 15 per cent enhance in theft of the Land Rover Discovery Sport, making it one of many nation’s high ten stolen automobiles (together with Range Rover Sport and Evoque).
Data collated by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency exhibits that final yr, thefts of fashions Range Rover, Sport, Velar and Evoque fell by 27, 29, 15 and three% respectively
Since the beginning of 2022, JLR says solely 11 of 12,800 new Range Rovers and 15 of 14,868 new Range Rover Sports have been stolen.
JLR has additionally invested in ‘security updates’ (bodily and digital theft prevention measures) to autos constructed between 2018 and 2022 and has now prolonged this again to 2016 fashions.
Last night time JLR mentioned: ‘In demonstrating that our new vehicles are resilient to theft and older vehicles are being updated to the same levels of security, we’re assured that the insurance coverage choices and competitiveness of premiums on the open market will enhance.’
Evidence of enchancment is scant, as each our survey and mailbag point out. We requested insurers what their stance was in direction of Land Rovers and Range Rovers.
Direct Line Group, embracing automobile manufacturers Churchill and Privilege, mentioned it continues to supply current Land Rover and Range Rover prospects the chance to resume their cowl ‘subject to a review of their individual circumstances’.
Its stance in direction of new prospects is harsher. Although it should cowl ‘select makes and models of Land Rover’, it mentioned it was not providing new cowl for Range Rovers.
It added: ‘We continually review our insurance offering based on the latest data available, taking into account factors such as crime statistics and car security measures.’
In distinction, Liverpool Victoria (LV) is (on the floor) extra welcoming. It insures each Land Rovers and Range Rovers and doesn’t impose further theft excesses.
It mentioned: ‘JLR has improved the vehicle security on recent models and has been asking customers to visit their dealerships to upgrade security on models made between 2018 and 2022 that are more vulnerable to theft.
We would encourage Money Mail readers to take up JLR’s safety improve in the event that they haven’t already finished so.’
Aviva mentioned it was ‘able’ to insure these autos, topic to its standard standards — embracing the automobile to be insured, the shopper’s driving expertise and different components, together with the place the automobile is saved.
It added: ‘There may be instances where we are not able to provide cover to individual customers.’
LV wished to extend Simon Conquest’s annual premium on his six-year-old Land Rover Discovery Sport from £295 to £1,358 when it renewed on the finish of this month. Simon, 67, of Belper, Derbyshire, mentioned.
‘Nothing has changed — no accidents or penalty points. It’s one other instance of rip-off insurance coverage for house owners of Land Rovers and Range Rovers.’
The retired electrician has now purchased cowl from Esure for round £435. He additionally checked out JLR’s personal insurance coverage.
This was launched final October and thus far has supplied 16,000 purchasers with quotes averaging £182 a month.
Those eligible for canopy embody house owners of latest and used Range Rover, Defender, Discovery and Jaguar autos. For Simon, it was too costly at £1,085.
‘My fear is that if insurers continue to push premiums skywards, they will price many motorists off the road. Even worse, it could persuade some to drive without insurance.’
jeff.prestridge@dailymail.co.uk