For years the Range Rover has been the car most associated with UK theft. That reputation is now partly out of date. Land Rover thefts fell sharply in 2025, yet in 2024 the brand topped theft-rate tables in the West Midlands and Germany, and at least one recovery firm still gets back more Range Rover Sports than any other vehicle.

A hidden GPS tracker can help, but only by raising the alarm and aiding recovery. It does not stop the theft.

Land Rover thefts fell sharply in 2025

QuestGates, a loss adjuster, analysed DVLA data obtained under Freedom of Information and found that Land Rover dropped out of the top three most stolen makes in 2025, with almost 30% fewer thefts than in 2024. Toyota replaced it as the third most stolen make, behind Ford and BMW.

The raw counts depend on who extracted the data. What Car?'s analysis of DVLA records puts Land Rover at 3,690 thefts in 2025, fifth by brand. MotorEasy's FOI-based analysis gives 3,939, fourth by brand, though its overall total conflicts with other DVLA analyses. Either way, Land Rover is still a top-five make by count, and a raw count understates the risk for a brand with fewer cars on the road. Our full 2025 make and model table sets these figures against the other brands.

In the West Midlands, Land Rover had the highest theft rate of any brand in 2024: 774 thefts, or 32 per 1,000 registered cars, according to the police and crime commissioner. Land Rover thefts in the area fell 31% on 2023, and the rate dropped from 43 to 32 per 1,000. Ford, the area's most stolen brand, had a rate of 18 per 1,000. Jaguar, covered by the same JLR security updates, had 295 thefts at 21 per 1,000.

Newer cars carry less risk than the brand's reputation suggests. Our calculation from a DVLA FOI response (FOIR12391), covering cars first registered between 2022 and 2024 and stolen in the same window, gives Land Rover 3.1 thefts per 1,000 against a national average of 2.1. The Range Rover came out at 3.9 and the Defender at 3.2. That is above average but moderate: the Lexus RX, covered in our Lexus theft guide, was 23.2 per 1,000 in the same cohort.

MeasureFigureSource and period
Land Rover thefts, UK3,690 or 3,939What Car? / MotorEasy, 2025
Change in Land Rover theftsAlmost 30% fewerQuestGates, 2025 vs 2024
Land Rover rate, West Midlands32 per 1,000 (43 in 2023)West Midlands PCC, 2024
Land Rover / Range Rover / Defender rate, cars registered 2022-20243.1 / 3.9 / 3.2 per 1,000 (national 2.1)DVLA FOIR12391, our calculation

The models that show up in the data

In 2024, three Land Rover models were in the UK's top 20: the Range Rover Evoque with 1,087 thefts, the Range Rover Sport with 867 and the Discovery Sport with 837, according to DVLA data obtained by What Car? and Tempcover. The Evoque was seventh overall.

In 2025 the Evoque was still in What Car?'s top 10, but down to 895 thefts. MotorEasy lists the Land Rover Discovery at 1,160, sixth by model; it is not clear whether that figure includes the Discovery Sport.

The fall is clearest in younger Evoques. QuestGates found that thefts of Range Rover Evoques under three years old fell 77% from 2023 to 2024, taking them out of the top 10 most stolen cars of that age, even though thefts of under-three-year-old cars overall rose 6.6%.

JLR says only 0.07% of new Range Rover and Range Rover Sport models have been stolen since January 2022, and 0.3% of new Defenders since launch in 2020. These are manufacturer claims, measured differently. The Defender figure, about 3 per 1,000, is close to the DVLA cohort rate. JLR's combined Range Rover and Range Rover Sport figure, under 1 per 1,000, is well below the DVLA rate for the Range Rover alone, but the two are not measured on the same cars.

Global Telemetrics says the Range Rover Sport was its most recovered vehicle in 2025 for the 10th year running. Smartrack said 22% of the vehicles it recovered in 2023 were Range Rover Sports, and Tracker's 2022 list put the Range Rover Sport first for the fourth year running. These are recovery lists, not theft rankings, but they point the same way.

Theft rates in Germany and the Netherlands

German insurers' figures for 2024 gave Land Rover the highest theft rate of any brand, at 20 per 10,000 insured vehicles. In the GDV's 2023 model ranking by theft rate, the second-generation Range Rover Sport was fourth. In the Netherlands, the current Range Rover (L460) was eighth in the 2025 relative theft-risk top 10 from Stichting VbV, the insurers' vehicle crime foundation.

Keyless relay, CAN injection and key programming

Recovery firms say most of the cars they get back were taken without the owner's key. Tracker said 93% of the vehicles it recovered in 2022 were stolen without the key, and 42% of its recoveries that year were Range Rover or Land Rover models. Smartrack put the keyless share of its 2023 recoveries at 68%.

Relay attacks. Keyless entry works when the car detects the fob nearby. One device near the house picks up the key's signal and a second, by the car, repeats it, so the car unlocks and starts. JLR's newer keys are designed to defeat this.

CAN injection. The CAN bus carries messages between the car's control units. Thieves reach part of it from outside, often by pulling back a headlight or wheel-arch liner, and plug in a device that sends fake messages saying a valid key is present. No key signal is involved, so a signal-blocking pouch does nothing.

Key programming. On some older models, thieves get inside and use the diagnostic (OBD) port to program a blank key.

JLR's software updates and newer keys

In November 2023 JLR said it had spent over £10m and fitted security updates to more than 65,000 vehicles, and that thefts of 2018-2022 Range Rover and Range Rover Sport models fell more than 40% between October 2022 and October 2023. By June 2024, updates had reached more than 160,000 UK vehicles, covering 2018-on Range Rover, Defender, Discovery and Jaguar models, under a £15m programme. JLR also says police data showed 49% fewer Range Rover models found at UK ports in 2023 than in 2022. These are JLR's own figures, though the Evoque fall and the lower West Midlands rate are consistent with them.

On many recent models, JLR keys use Ultra-Wideband (UWB), which measures how far away the key really is, so a simple relay attack is much harder. If your car is a 2018-on model, ask a Land Rover or Jaguar retailer to check by VIN that the updates have been fitted. Older cars rely more on the measures below.

Measures that reduce the risk

No single measure covers every method, so layer them.

  • The manufacturer update. Check this first on any eligible 2018-on car. It lowers the risk but does not make the car theft-proof.
  • A steering wheel lock or pedal box. Thieves who have beaten the electronics still have to cut it off, which takes time and makes noise, though a prepared gang can do it.
  • Key storage. Keep keys away from doors and windows, in a signal-blocking pouch or box, and switch off keyless entry or put the fob to sleep if the car allows it. This helps against relay attacks only.
  • Parking. A locked garage is best. On a driveway, a lockable post or another car blocking it in slows the getaway. A camera records a theft rather than stopping it.
  • An OBD port lock. Blocks the port used to program new keys, and nothing more.
  • An aftermarket immobiliser. One that needs a code or separate token is designed to stop the engine starting even when the car believes a valid key is present, so it is one of the few measures aimed at CAN injection. It costs more and depends on a competent installer.

Insurance and tracker requirements

Owners found these cars hard to insure. JLR launched its own Jaguar and Land Rover Insurance in October 2023 in response, and by June 2024 it had given more than 46,300 quotes at an average of £183 a month.

Thatcham Research assesses tracking systems against categories such as S5 and S7, but it does not set insurance requirements. Each insurer decides whether a tracker is needed, which category, who fits it and whether a monitored subscription must stay active, so get your insurer's or broker's conditions in writing before you buy. A general-purpose GPS tracker, including ours, will not satisfy a policy that requires a Thatcham-category system.

Where stolen Range Rovers end up

Of the stolen vehicles NaVCIS intercepted for export between 2021 and 2024, 52% were premium or luxury makes and 79% were SUVs. That covers all intercepted vehicles, not just Range Rovers. The top destinations were the Democratic Republic of Congo (38.5%), the United Arab Emirates (20.1%), Cyprus (6.7%), Jamaica (5.7%) and Georgia (5.1%).

Some leave in containers. NaVCIS found 420 stolen vehicles in shipping containers at UK ports between April 2024 and March 2025.

Others are broken up for parts. In 2024 Tracker and police shut 60 chop shops, made 144 arrests and found 179 stolen vehicles at those sites, across all makes.

JLR Secure Tracker and a hidden second tracker

JLR says all new vehicles come with a free Secure Tracker or Secure Tracker Pro subscription for an initial period. Secure Tracker is JLR's own monitored stolen-vehicle tracking service. Land Rover says its Stolen Vehicle Tracking Centre is alerted if the car is tampered with or stolen, contacts you to confirm the theft, then works with police to find the car. It also says Secure Tracker Pro meets Thatcham's S5 category.

Keep the subscription active after the free period, and ask your insurer whether your version meets its requirement.

A hidden wired GPS tracker can sit alongside it as an independent backup alert. Fleetalyse supplies units such as the Teltonika FMC920, which is 12 mm thin and can sit behind trim where a hurried thief is unlikely to look. It sends movement alerts, towing alerts (movement with the ignition off), and alerts if it is unplugged or jammed. Plug-in OBD trackers are easier for thieves to find and pull out.

A hidden tracker will not stop a CAN injection or relay theft. It tells you the car is moving when it should not be and gives you a live location to pass to the police, ideally before the car reaches a container or chop shop. Our car theft protection page shows how the alerts work, and our stolen vehicle recovery page covers the hours after a theft.

If an alert fires, do not confront anyone; call 999 if the theft is in progress. Plans start from £5.99 a month inc VAT per vehicle, with a 14-day free trial, no setup fee and free UK delivery by Royal Mail 24. Compare the hidden car theft protection trackers in our shop.

Questions owners ask

Is the Range Rover still the UK's most stolen car?

No. The Ford Fiesta was the most stolen model in the DVLA counts for both 2024 and 2025, and QuestGates found the Fiesta, VW Golf and Ford Focus were the top three in 2025. Per car on the road, though, Land Rover had the highest brand rate in the West Midlands in 2024.

How do I know if my Range Rover has had the JLR security update?

Ask a Land Rover retailer to check using your VIN. The programme covers 2018-on models.

Does my insurer require a Thatcham tracker?

Only your insurer can say. Get its conditions in writing before you buy.

Will a GPS tracker stop my Range Rover being stolen?

No. A tracker is not an alarm or an immobiliser. It alerts you when the car moves and helps police find it.

About this guide: Fleetalyse sells GPS trackers. All figures come from the sources linked in the text and listed below. Rates from the DVLA FOI response are our own calculation.

Sources