Vehicle theft is on the rise, with currently more than 900 vehicles being stolen in the UK every week!
An extremely high percentage of these thefts were as a result of keyless car thefts. Keyless car theft is where thieves take the vehicle using relay technology to receive the signal from inside the house and transfer it to a portable device allowing them to unlock and drive the car.
As you can imagine, this and the overall increase in theft is a big concern to insurers, hence why we are finding them to be clamping down on security for higher valued vehicles.
Many insurers are now insisting that vehicles valued over a certain amount (most commonly £50,000) are fitted with Thatcham S5 category trackers. Without this fitted, theft cover would either be excluded or Insurers will impose a large excess until the installation has been carried out. This Tracker is monitored by a Central Tracking Station which has the ability to detect if the vehicle is moving out of your designated hours of use; if necessary, it will stop the vehicle in the event of being stolen.
If you are purchasing a vehicle of this value or higher, we would recommend speaking to us prior to your vehicle collection day to check any security requirements required. We appreciate that a Tracker is an additional cost, but not as costly as having your vehicle stolen to then find out you are not covered.
94% of vehicles fitted with trackers were recovered by the police last year. This equates to more than 9 million pounds worth of stolen vehicles. With these statistics you can understand why insurers are clamping down.
So, when you’re choosing your next new car, perhaps you won’t just base it on the brand and if it’ll be diesel, petrol or electric. We urge you to consider the value of the car and whether or not you will need to purchase additional security to be factory fitted.
If you choose to have extra security fitted whilst the vehicle is being built, it can much more easily be hidden. This also gives you time to ensure that you have the correct security as some trackers are not acceptable to insurers.
Can you afford not to keep track on which security is fitted to your new vehicle?
Contact us today if you’re uncertain that your vehicle is fully protected.
By Helen Parsons – Commercial Broking Manager