Hyundai and Kia Theft Rates Plunge 64% After New Software Rollout

The rate of theft involving Hyundai and Kia vehicles in the U.S. has dropped by over 50%, thanks to proactive software upgrades to prevent theft. Experts anticipate that these automakers will soon overcome their previous reputation as easy targets for thieves.

According to the Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI), theft rates for Hyundai and Kia vehicles in the U.S. have decreased by 64% as of the 8th. Since February of last year, this significant reduction follows the companies’ efforts to implement vehicle theft prevention software upgrades for local customers. Hyundai’s mobile service center, established in July of last year, has been instrumental in this improvement.

Previously, Hyundai and Kia vehicles were popular targets for youth crime in the U.S. due to the lack of an immobilizer system—a security feature designed to prevent theft by embedding a unique code into the car key that must be verified each time the engine starts. This feature was absent in models produced locally from 2011 to 2021 and in certain 2015 to 2021 models.

Hyundai and Kia report that approximately 61% of the targeted vehicles (over 2 million units) have received the software upgrade. All cars produced since November 2021 now include the engine immobilizer system as a standard feature.

As theft rates decrease, the insurance claim rates for Hyundai and Kia are expected to align with those of other brands gradually. The companies saw a dramatic 1,000% increase in theft insurance claims from the first half of 2020 to the first half of 2023.

Despite this progress, Hyundai and Kia are not entirely free from theft issues. Many thieves continue to target these vehicles. HLDI’s analysis of insurance claim data indicates that even with the new software, theft, and damage rates for Hyundai and Kia remain higher than those of other brands and models.

HLDI also noted, “You can further enhance crime prevention by placing stickers on windows to inform about the theft prevention software upgrade. Vehicles without stickers sustained more damage than those with stickers.”