The post-2018 facelift cars use ultra-wideband keys which can’t have the signal recorded or relayed - so the thieves use CAN injection (on L494/L405s, they chop a hole in the right hand side of the tailgate to access specific CAN bus wires, then connect an electronic device which communicates with the various ECUs by injecting fake messages to convince the car that the correct key is there).

Problem is that for several thousand euros you can buy an OBD dongle that can programme a new key even if the alarm’s active - just pick the lock and a few seconds later, you’re away:

https://youtu.be/uRe2evNbWsg?si=C90raCNjJs0Wi76b

Ended up paying £282 to AXA for 5,000 miles.

Clive

Another year passes & it's time to renew the insurance. I have the P38 plus a Smart FourTwo. Last year the cost was about £350 for each car with LV. The price on the Smart is higher than normal as my wife only passed her test just over a year ago & LV wouldn't even insure her on the P38. The renewal price was £380 for the Smart & £535 for the Ranger Rover so I started to look at comparison sites & ring around. I was happy to stick with LV for the Smart. I got a remarkably wide variety of quotes for the P38 including my wife driving. On one comparison site it was about £400 with Aviva & on another £350 with RAC Online (minimal customer service via web chat). Footman James was £866 Lancaster £755

Finally I entered my details for a quote from NFU Mutual & got a call back the following day. I had a forty minute call with a nice Scottish gentleman called Graham. The upshot is that the P38 is now insured fully comprehensive for £338.34 & the Smart for £272.55. I thoroughly recommend NFU Mutual who are not on any comparison site so you do need to speak to them on the phone to get a quote. It's nice that like LV they are a mutual so aren't going to rip off customers to pay out shareholder dividends.

https://www.nfumutual.co.uk