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Hello! It’s time to talk about car theft! But not just any car theft. Today we’re going to dive into the dramatically high theft rates of Kia and Hyundai vehicles, which are making headlines and sparking political commentary. But there’s more to it than just your standard smash-and-grab pilfering.
96% of American car manufacturers (i.e., those that aren’t named Kia or Hyundai) build their vehicles with something called an “engine immobilizer.” This helps protect your car because it prevents a person from starting the vehicle with anything but the requisite key. Kia and Hyundai, however, only install immobilizers in 26% of their cars.
That means that across the US (and the world), there are thousands and thousands of Kias and Hyundais that can be started with basically anything — they can be hot-wired, started with a screwdriver, or even turned on with a USB cable. There’s even a whole Tik Tok trend about it!
And now that the news is all over the internet, these super vulnerable cars are being boosted at an alarming rate.
Just because these cars are easy to steal, that doesn’t mean people are actually doing it, right? That’s a crime!
Well, bad news bears, because they definitely are. Per the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, Kia and Hyundais have a combined (reported) theft rate of 2.2 per 1,000 vehicles of a certain year. For context, the rest of the industry combined had a rate of 1.21. So that’s not great!
In Chicago, over 7,000 Kia or Hyundai-manufactured vehicles have been reported stolen this year. And in Seattle, the rate of automobile theft for these cars has increased by more than 500%. So that’s really, really not great — and it’s only October!
Things have gotten so bad that a number of cities across the country have taken the unusual step of filing lawsuits against Kia and Hyundai. As of October 2023, cities suing the automakers include New York, Milwaukee, Cleveland, Chicago, Seattle, Columbus, and San Diego.
All of this has made it difficult for Kia or Hyundai owners to get car insurance. In 2023 major insurers like State Farm, Allstate, and Progressive all stopped offering coverage to a long list of specific Hyundai or Kia models. The affected models include:
If you drive one of these cars and have insurance from one of these providers, don’t stress! First: Sign up for Marble! We’ll automatically start shopping around before your policy expires to make sure you end up with great coverage at a great price.
Next, it’s probably smart to contact your insurance company and ask if they plan to offer you a renewal policy. This will help you plan ahead in case you find out that your vehicle is going to be dropped.
Finally, Kia and Hyundai are both offering aftermarket security upgrades. It’s a smart move to take advantage of anything that can help protect your vehicle.
Just because Kia and Hyundai played it fast and loose with safety features doesn’t mean that you need to skimp on protecting your car. Create your Marble account today and we’ll start automatically shopping for auto insurance for you ahead of your policy renewal. Plus, you’ll earn rewards while you’re at it!
