A relay attack lets thieves unlock and start a keyless car without touching your key: one device near the car, a second near your key, and the signal between them is stretched until the car thinks the key is beside it. It is a real risk for luxury cars with older keyless systems. But in India, the method that keeps showing up in police cases is a different one: thieves get into the car, plug into its diagnostic port, and programme a fresh key on the spot. Protecting a luxury car in India means defending against both, and the cheapest fix for one does nothing for the other.
What a relay attack is, in plain terms
Keyless entry works on proximity. Walk up with the fob in your pocket, and the car and key exchange a short-range radio signal. If the key is close enough (Thatcham Research, the UK insurance-industry security body, puts the working range at roughly two metres), the doors unlock, and the start button works.
A relay attack fools that check. Thieves usually work as a pair. One stands by the car with a device that picks up the car’s signal. The other stands near your house or flat, as close as possible to wherever the key is lying, and the signal is passed between the two devices. The car hears the key, believes it is right there, and opens. Once the engine is running, it will keep running, although it won’t restart after being switched off without the real key nearby. That is usually enough time to get the car somewhere quiet.
The weakness is in older keyless designs that only check that a key replied, not how far away it was. When Thatcham began rating cars for this in 2019, the Porsche Macan was rated Poor because its optional keyless system had no relay protection. In the same round, the Jaguar XE, Range Rover Evoque, Audi e-tron and Mercedes-Benz B-Class were rated Superior, because their keys either used more secure radio technology or went to sleep when left still.
What Indian police cases actually show
None of the Indian police cases we could find mention a relay attack. Look at the car-theft gangs busted in Delhi NCR and the same tools come up again and again:
| Case | What police reported |
| Delhi Police bust announced February 2025 | An Autel key programming machine, engine and body control modules seized. Gang said to have stolen more than 50 cars across Delhi, UP and Haryana, selling each for Rs 1 lakh to Rs 1.5 lakh. |
| Delhi Police arrests, May 2022 | A software hacking device used to reset a car’s software and create working keys, plus a GPS jammer. Over 40 cars stolen, each in two to three minutes. |
| Haryana arrest reported April 2025 | Side mirrors broken with a screwdriver to get in, then the car’s software manipulated. A Fortuner and a Creta among 20 thefts. |
| Rohini (Delhi) bust reported July 2026 | Duplicate electronic keys generated on the spot at night from a makeshift lab, with a GPS detector recovered. Eleven vehicles recovered. |
Sources: ThePrint, Tribune India, Delhi News Live. Full links below.
The pattern is break in, plug in, programme a key, drive off. It is not new. In 2012, a wave of BMW thefts in the UK worked the same way: thieves got inside, connected to the OBD (on-board diagnostics) port, and programmed a blank fob. A relay attack needs your key to be near a door or window. Key programming doesn’t need your key at all.
Two honest caveats. First, most cars in these Indian cases were mass-market SUVs and hatchbacks, not German luxury cars, which generally have tougher immobilisers and more connected-car tracking. Second, Delhi’s numbers have actually fallen: PTI reported 2,468 car thefts in Delhi between 1 January and 15 July 2025, against 2,732 in the same period of 2024. Still, that is roughly a dozen cars a day in one city, and a luxury car is a more valuable target than any of them.
How luxury carmakers have fixed relay theft
The real fix for relay attacks is ultra-wideband (UWB) radio, which measures how long the signal takes to travel. Stretching the signal over a relay adds distance the car can detect, so the trick stops working.
- Jaguar Land Rover says it pioneered UWB keys in 2018 and that UWB-equipped vehicles are not vulnerable to relay attacks. In November 2023 it announced more than £10 million of security upgrades for UK cars built from 2018, and said thefts of Range Rover and Range Rover Sport models built between 2018 and 2022 fell by more than 40 percent after the updates.
- BMW introduced its Digital Key Plus with UWB on the iX in January 2021, saying the precision of UWB makes relay attacks impossible.
- Mercedes-Benz owner’s manuals describe a way to deactivate the key’s keyless functions to protect the car from unauthorised access. The button sequence varies by key, so check your car’s manual.
What this means for an Indian buyer: the newer the car, the less relay theft should worry you, but don’t assume. Indian-spec cars, update programmes, and key types are not always the same as the UK ones in these announcements. Ask the authorised dealer two direct questions about your specific car: does its key use UWB, and are there any pending security or software updates for it?
How to protect your luxury car in India: our priority list
Here’s how we’d spend effort, most important first.
1. Close the OBD route. Since key programming is the method that keeps turning up in Indian cases, this matters more than a Faraday pouch. Ask your authorised workshop whether an OBD port lock or relocation is available for your model and whether fitting one affects your warranty. Do this through the dealer, not a roadside fitter, because an unauthorised electrical modification can complicate a warranty or insurance claim.
2. Add a physical lock. A steering wheel or pedal lock is old-fashioned and that is the point. It defeats both relay theft and key programming, and it makes your car slower to steal than the one beside it. Thieves on a two-to-three-minute clock tend to move on.
3. Keep the keys away from walls and doors. Store both keys, including the spare, deep inside your home, not on a hook by the front door. If you use a signal-blocking (Faraday) pouch, test it: put the key inside, close it fully, and try to open the car. Thatcham’s advice is exactly that, because cheap pouches don’t always block properly.
4. Use the brand’s connected-car app properly. Turn on lock reminders, movement or intrusion alerts and location tracking if your car offers them. JLR’s Remote app, for example, has a Guardian Mode that alerts owners to unauthorised interaction with the car. Gangs in the Delhi cases above carried GPS jammers and detectors, so treat tracking as a recovery tool, not a lock.
5. Park with some thought. Police said the 2022 gang picked spots near housing societies and hospitals without CCTV. A lit, watched spot or a locked basement with guards and cameras does more than any gadget.
6. Ask before you buy pre-owned. If you’re buying a used luxury car, find out how many keys the car has and whether the authorised dealer can confirm every programmed key on record. A car with one key, or with a key nobody can account for, is a security question as well as a price question. Our guide on how to negotiate the price of a pre-owned luxury car covers how to use a missing key at the table.
If the worst happens: theft and your insurance
A comprehensive policy covers theft, but the claim moves on paperwork. ICICI Lombard’s claim guidance lists the RC, the FIR, a completed claim form, the police non-traceable (no trace) report, RTO intimation and transfer documents, and all sets of car keys if available. It says settlement usually takes 30 to 90 days from the theft when papers are in order, and the no-trace report arrives promptly.
That key requirement is the practical point. If you can’t hand over every key the car came with, expect questions. Keep both keys safe, report a lost key to the dealer and insurer straight away, and file the FIR without delay. For EV-specific add-ons, our luxury EV insurance guide explains what’s worth paying for.
Our view
Relay theft makes headlines in Britain because its keyless cars are parked on streets outside houses with the key just inside the door. In our experience, Indian luxury car owners more often park in gated basements and society compounds, and the theft method police keep finding here is key programming through the car’s own electronics. So don’t stop at a Faraday pouch. Lock down the OBD port through your dealer, use a physical lock when the car is parked outside, keep every key accounted for, and treat GPS as a way to get the car back, not a reason it won’t be taken.
If you’re shopping, you can browse new luxury cars and pre-owned luxury cars listed by sellers across India on Motozite, and ask the seller about key count and security updates before you book a test drive.
FAQ
What is a relay attack on a keyless car?
It is a theft method where two people use radio devices to pass the signal between your car and your key. The car believes the key is next to it, so it unlocks and lets the thief start the engine. It works mainly on older keyless systems that don’t check how far away the key really is.
Are keyless cars more likely to be stolen in India?
Keyless entry adds the relay risk, but the method that appears most often in Indian police cases is different. Gangs busted in Delhi NCR between 2022 and 2026 broke into cars and used key programming or hacking devices to create a working key on the spot. A car with a traditional key fob can be stolen this way too.
Does a Faraday pouch stop car theft?
A working Faraday pouch blocks your key’s signal, so it stops relay attacks. It does nothing against thieves who break in and programme a new key through the diagnostic port. Test your pouch by trying to unlock the car with the key sealed inside.
Which luxury cars are protected against relay attacks?
Cars whose keys use ultra-wideband (UWB) technology, or whose keys go to sleep when left still, are much harder to relay. Jaguar Land Rover says it has used UWB keys since 2018, and BMW introduced UWB on its Digital Key Plus from the iX in 2021. Confirm what your specific Indian-spec car has with the authorised dealer.
How can I stop thieves using the OBD port on my car?
Ask your authorised workshop whether an OBD port lock or relocation is available for your model and whether it affects your warranty. Back it up with a steering or pedal lock, which defeats key programming and relay attacks alike.
What documents do I need for a car theft insurance claim in India?
Insurers typically ask for the RC, the FIR, a claim form, the police non-traceable report, RTO intimation and transfer papers, and all sets of keys. ICICI Lombard says settlement usually takes 30 to 90 days once papers are in order. Losing a key before the theft can complicate the claim, so report a lost key immediately.
