Software upgrades for Hyundai, Kia help cut theft rates, new HLDI research finds
Anti-theft software upgrades available for Hyundai and Kia vehicles regularly targeted Thefts have more than halved due to thieves, according to new research from the Highway Loss Data Institute.
Theft rates of the affected cars soared after thieves discovered that certain car models lacked engine immobilizers, an anti-theft technology that has long been standard in other vehicles. Thieves used a technique popularized on TikTok and other social media platforms to use the vehicles.
The software upgrade has started in February 2023 following the numerous theft claims that began during the Covid-19 pandemic.
For vehicles with the new software, the car will only start if the owner’s key or an identical duplicate is in the ignition. Vehicles with the software will also get a window sticker that should deter potential thieves.
About two dozen Hyundai and Kia models from 2011-22 are eligible for the software upgrade. The vehicles that received it through December 2023 — a total of 30% of eligible Hyundais and 28% of eligible Kias in HLDI’s database — had theft claim rates that were 53% lower than vehicles that didn’t receive the upgrade, HLDI said.
Those claims don’t just apply to whole-vehicle theft. They also include claims for damage to vehicles that were stolen and recovered, theft of vehicle parts, and items stolen from the vehicle. The incidence of whole-vehicle theft, which HLDI calculates by comparing the cost of the claim to the amount insurers pay for the same model if it’s totaled in a crash, dropped by a larger 64 percent for vehicles with the upgrade.
The HLDI study ended in December. The organization said Hyundai and Kia have continued to implement software upgrades in vehicles since then. The automakers said about 60% of eligible vehicles had been upgraded as of last month.
The HLDI said the frequency of theft claims for Hyundai and Kia vehicles remains high, even for models with the new software. The organization believes one reason for this could be that the software immobilizer is only activated when the driver remembers to lock the vehicle with a key, while many people are in the habit of using the switch on the door handle.