This is how much it costs to insure a Range Rover Sport in Lancashire - with prices differing by £18,000

Much has been spoken about recently on the price of insuring a Range Rover in the UK.

If you listen to so-called experts on social media, prices of the luxury 4x4 are tumbling because of rocketing premiums - with tales of how some people have even had to walk away from cars they've put deposits down on. Others claim to have sold their vehicle rather than renewing and pay the huge insurance costs.

This Range Rover was stolen on a test drive in Blackpool

Why is insurance so high?

Not only are the cars expensive in their own right, they are also being targeted by criminals hijacking keyless technology. According to the Daily Mail, Land Rover is the most stolen brand, with 924 stolen per 100,000 in the 12 months to March 2023. Data from LeaseLoco in February last year also showed there was a 47 per cent rise in the number of Range Rovers reported stolen to police between 2021 and 2022.

However, in November, Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) announced that security has been improved on new Range Rover models resulting in a reduction in thefts. Vehicles manufactured from 2022 onwards are built on what the manufacturer describes as its "most advanced electrical architecture", which includes the latest security features. JLR says that since January 2022, only 0.07 per cent of new Range Rover and new Range Rover Sports on the road have been stolen, while only 0.3 per cent of new Defenders have been affected since 2020.

Our experiment

To see what difference location makes, we typed in 21 Lancashire residential postcodes into confused.com for a second-hand, 70-plate Range Rover Sport currently on sale at a dealer in Preston for £47,334.

Each time, only the postcode would differ - all the other details would remain the same. The quotes were based on a 38-year-old female journalist with a clean motoring history over 20 years and more than 10 years No Claims Bonus (NCB), driving 10,000 miles a year and the car being parked in a driveway. The prices are for a fully compehensive cover with protected NCB and a £250 voluntary excess.

Here's what we found

Most of the quotes are in the £6,000 price range - and most of them do not offer legal cover or breakdown cover as standard. Some even require a black box to be fitted, and/or a tracker.

The cheapest area found was Lancaster, with an annual quote of £2,443.85. This was followed by £26,26.50 in Morecambe.

The most expensive postcode tested was in Burnley, where the same cover cost a staggering £20,848.80 - almost half the price of the vehicle. A Darwen postcode came a close second with a quote of £16,867.20.

In Preston areas, prices differed by a few thousand. A Longton quote came out at £6934.66 against £5,400.06 in Bamber Bridge, £8,063.22 in Fulwood and £6490.53 in Cottam.

On the Fylde coast, a residential postcode in Blackpool gave a quote of £4371.24, a Poulton postcode was quoted as £4,792.63 and in Lytham, a quote came back at £3,846.02.

What do JLR say

JLR say their latest security and technology can also be deployed to previous generation vehicles, including those out of warranty. They said: "Since 2022, more than 65,000 eligible vehicles from 2018 models onwards have so far received security updates via their retailer. JLR has carried out this extensive rollout out by contacting clients directly and remaining owners are being urged to take up these updates."

Patrick McGillycuddy, managing director of JLR UK said: "While vehicle theft in the UK is affecting the whole car industry, at JLR we understand the negative impact this can have on the ownership experience for our clients. Our investment of more than £10 million demonstrates our ongoing commitment to tackling this issue. Through our long-standing collaboration with law enforcement and key partners, our expert team will continue to develop and deploy effective anti-theft measures to ensure clients are protected. It is my personal priority."