Insurance industry car security award winners

The system from Volvo, known as 'Personal Car Communicator' (PCC), helped Volvo to scoop one of two innovation awards at today's event, hosted by Thatcham - the Motor Insurance Repair Research Centre.

The PCC is a pocket-sized remote control which is used to open the car door automatically, and close it by pressing a button either on the handle or the device itself. However, it goes far beyond solving the problem of being certain whether the car is locked - something that has plagued other automatic systems.

At a range of between 60 to 100 metres when approaching the car, the owner can obtain a what Volvo call a "security status report". Different LEDs say whether the car is locked or unlocked or if someone has interfered with the vehicle. A flashing red light means that the heartbeat sensor has been activated and that there is an intruder inside the car.

The vehicle's lights can also be turned on remotely, including the internal lights - for added security when approaching the car at night, and the headlights can even be turned on for a short amount of time when leaving the vehicle.

'Sophisticated systems'

Accepting today's award, Volvo managing director Stuart Kerr said: "Personal security is one of the cornerstones of the Volvo safety profile and we are delighted that the Personal Car Communicator has been recognised as an important technology to help further reduce vehicle crime."

Citroen was recognised for a system which combines both overt and covert marking, allowing rapid vehicle identification by the police and others, without the need for a third party service provider.

Peter Roberts, Thatcham chief executive commented: "Manufacturers are continuing to keep ahead of the criminal fraternity – committing resources to the development of highly sophisticated systems to keep cars secure. Many car thieves are just having to give up thanks to the industry's continued quest to drive down car crime."

Citroën's domination of the 'supermini' (Citroen C3 Exclusive) and 'small family car' (Citroen C4 Exclusive) security awards continued this year, with the carmaker now having picked up ten BICSA wins in four years. Its new C4 Picasso also won in the compact MPV class, as did the Citroen C6 among executive cars.

Consumer awareness

Among the other cars recognised as the "most secure" in the UK were the Peugeot 407 Executive (family car), the Lexus IS (compact executive) and the Ford S-Max (large MPV).

The Nissan X-Trail was judged the most secure compact 4x4, while the Mercedes Benz S-Class too the luxury car award.

Overall, Audi was judged the best car manufacturer for security - the Audi TT won best convertible, Audi S8 best performance car and Audi Q7 best large 4x4. Volvo was second, followed by Volkswagen in third place and Mazda in fourth.

The awards were established in 2004 to recognise those manufacturers who have produced the most secure cars, and to raise consumer awareness of what is best in vehicle security. They are based on the insurance industry's New Vehicle Security Ratings (NVSR).