Solihull and the Range Rover go back a long way. Jaguar Land Rover calls its Solihull plant the Birthplace of Land Rover, a 300-acre site that still builds vehicles including the Range Rover. That means plenty of these cars live on driveways in Shirley, Knowle, Dorridge and Olton, many of them with keyless entry and push-button start.
A Range Rover comes with its own factory security. But it's also a car thieves know well, and the methods used against keyless cars don't need your key in their hand. This post explains, at a high level, what the risk looks like and what an aftermarket immobiliser adds.
The picture in Solihull
Solihull town centre is not a hotspot compared with Birmingham, but vehicle crime is still a steady presence. 148 vehicle crimes were recorded within a mile of Solihull town centre between August 2025 and July 2026 (police.uk). On police.uk, "vehicle crime" covers thefts of and from vehicles and vehicle interference, so that figure isn't only cars driven away, but it gives a sense of how often vehicles are targeted close to home.
The manufacturer has taken this seriously too. JLR says it invested more than £10m in security upgrades rolled out to over 65,000 UK vehicles, and that these cut thefts of 2018 to 2022 Range Rover and Range Rover Sport models by more than 40% (JLR, November 2023). If your car is eligible and hasn't had those updates, it's worth asking your dealer. An aftermarket immobiliser is a separate, extra layer on top.
How keyless cars are targeted
We won't go into detail, but the main routes are well documented:
- Relay attacks on keyless entry, where the signal from a key inside the house is passed to the car so it thinks the key is next to it.
- CAN injection through the wiring, where fake messages are sent into the car's internal network to tell it to unlock and start.
- Key programming through the diagnostic port, where a new key is added to the car once someone is inside.
A signal-blocking pouch helps with the first, but not the other two, because neither needs your key at all. Our guide to keyless car theft and immobilisers covers this in more depth.
What we'd fit to a Range Rover
A CAN-bus immobiliser works independently of the car's own key system. Even if the car believes the right key is present, the engine won't start until the immobiliser is satisfied as well. We fit three, and each is authorised a different way.
| Pandora Microbot | CAN-Phantom CP24 | Scorpion X-Series | |
|---|---|---|---|
| How you authorise | Bluetooth tag, PIN on the car's buttons, or both | PIN on the car's own buttons and switches | PIN on the car's buttons, or a paired ScorpionTrack S5 tag |
| Thatcham | Category 2e immobiliser | Not Thatcham-approved | Not Thatcham-approved |
| Subscription | None | Confirmed with your quote | None |
- Pandora Microbot is the one to look at if your insurer has asked for a Thatcham-certified immobiliser. It holds a Category 2e certificate, shows no LED once fitted, and your phone can act as the tag.
- CAN-Phantom CP24 is made in Britain and needs nothing on your keyring: the PIN goes in on buttons the Range Rover already has. It has a valet PIN for garages and car washes.
- Scorpion X-Series arms itself every time the ignition goes off, so there's nothing to remember. If you also want a tracker, a paired ScorpionTrack S5 tag disarms it, so one tag covers both.
There's a fuller comparison in Microbot vs CAN-Phantom vs X-Series.
We don't fit Pandora's vehicle-specific packages. The systems above are the ones we fit, and each is checked against your exact model and year before we quote.
Range Rover questions we're asked
Will an immobiliser work alongside JLR's own security updates?
An aftermarket CAN-bus immobiliser is a separate layer that sits alongside the car's own systems. Whether a particular system suits your Range Rover depends on the model, year and anything already fitted, so we check that first and tell you straight away if a job can't be done properly.
Does my insurer need to know?
Tell your insurer about any security you add. If they've asked for something specific, send us the policy wording: some ask for a Thatcham-certified immobiliser, which is where the Microbot comes in. The policy wording decides what counts, not us.
Can I still use the car's keyless entry?
Yes. The car still unlocks as it does now. The difference is at the start: without your tag or PIN, the engine won't run.
Get your Range Rover checked
Every Range Rover is different under the skin, so the first step is always a compatibility check for your exact model and year. Send us the details and we'll tell you which systems fit and give you a fixed quote before anything is booked. We come to you, at home.
Get a quote, read more about our work in Solihull, or see how we fit immobilisers and security systems.
