The Volkswagen Phaeton Ranked Most Secure Luxury Car

For the second year in a row the Volkswagen Phaeton has won the Luxury Car category at the British Insurance Vehicle Security Awards (BIVSA), presented by Thatcham, the Motor Industry Repair Research Centre, in Berkshire.

The Volkswagen Phaeton was found to be the most secure vehicle in its class, due, in part, to every glass surface, including the sunroof, being laminated. This serves a dual purpose - it not only allows the Phaeton to be incredibly secure but also extremely quiet when on the move. In addition, every Volkswagen Phaeton is fitted as standard with an alarm with interior protection; inclination sensors to prevent the vehicle from being towed away; an electronic immobiliser; deadlocks; and anti-theft wheel bolts.

Vehicles were judged on a number of criteria identified by the creators of the New Vehicle Security Ratings (NVSR) scheme. Those that had a maximum five stars for 'theft from', had double locking, and an' E' insurance suffix (indicating they had a feature that exceeds the required standard) were shortlisted for final evaluation and ranking.

The Volkswagen Group also won the Innovation Award for its advanced new electronic key. A new standard feature on all Volkswagen Touareg 4x4 and Phaeton models, the key maintains a record of whether the car has been locked and alarmed. By simply pressing a button on the key and looking at the red light indicator, an owner can check, even when they are not with the car, the 'locked' status of their vehicle.

Not only does this give peace of mind to owners, allowing them to avoid the classic "did I lock the car or didn't I?" scenario; it can also provide vital evidence to insurers as they can confirm by interrogating the car key's data chip whether the vehicle was secured before any theft or break-ins occurred.

The Volkswagen Tiguan was highly commended in the awards while the Volkswagen brand retained second spot in the overall rankings of vehicle manufacturers.

Franco Iannotta, Insurance Ratings and Vehicle Security Manager for the Volkswagen Group commented: "In a fiercely competitive market it's a testament to the Phaeton's inherent strength and depth of engineering that it should retain the luxury category award. Furthermore, for the Volkswagen range to secure such a high ranking in the overall standings is a tremendous achievement and one we're very proud of."