Keyless tech blamed for theft claims surge

MOTOR insurers are paying out a record £1million a day to drivers following a rise in keyless car thefts.

Police say a sudden increase in vehicle thefts after years of decline is partly due to keyless technology.

This lets drivers open their cars just by pulling the handle if they have the fob, and they start the engine with a button, not a key.

A Mail investigation has exposed how high-tech thieves can hack into these systems in seconds.

The problem was highlighted as the Association of British Insurers said the amount paid out in vehicle thefts claims soared by 29 per cent last year to £ 376million as the number of claims rose by 12 per cent to 56,000 – with a new theft claim every six minutes. Home Office data says car thefts have gone up 50 per cent in five years.

Laurenz Gerger of the ABI called for action by manufacturers ‘ to tackle this high-tech vulnerability’.

In tests, six out of 11 new cars, including the latest Ford Mondeo and Toyota Corolla, had a ‘poor’ keyless security rating.

However, Audi, Jaguar LandRover and Mercedes were praised for beefing up their defences.