A hijacked Kia exposes the concealed boundaries of connected car technology.

      Kia can pinpoint the location of your stolen car, but due to GDPR regulations, it cannot provide that information in real-time. This limitation is the root of the issue.

      If you're considering purchasing a car equipped with connected technology, believing it would aid in its recovery if stolen, you might need to adjust your expectations.

      A recent case in the UK involved a car owner who had installed three tracking devices in his vehicle but was still unable to retrieve it. This prompted the car manufacturer to clarify that connected car technology is not a "certified security vehicle tracker" (according to the BBC).

      So, what transpired in this situation?

      Ian Fogg, a technology analyst from FDM CCS Insight, had his Kia taken from outside his residence in March 2026. While he was abroad, he received a notification on his phone indicating he had lost access to Kia Connect, signaling that something was amiss.

      Intriguingly, the thieves managed to circumvent three layers of security technology. The first layer consisted of a video doorbell that captured the theft on camera. The thieves managed to access the car without the keys and overcame Kia’s connected car security system as well.

      They disconnected his phone through an unsecured process within the entertainment system, which was ironically intended to assist new owners in taking control of a vehicle. As a result, Fogg lost the ability to track his car’s live location. He made eight location requests to Kia Connect, but each response came 24 to 48 hours after the location data was recorded.

      The vehicle's last known location was in Lithuania. Fogg was able to temporarily monitor his car using the AirTag he had placed inside for such emergencies, but the device's anti-stalking alert from Apple gave away its position.

      So, what does Kia actually say about this service?

      Kia stated to the BBC that “Kia Connect is a customer convenience feature, not a certified security vehicle tracker.” The company cited GDPR compliance as the reason it cannot offer real-time tracking.

      The car safety organization Thatcham Research supported this statement, warning of a significant and growing disparity between consumer expectations and the actual capabilities of connected car features. Although Kia provides a legitimate stolen vehicle tracking option for premium subscribers in the US, this service is not available in the UK or elsewhere in Europe.

      Thatcham advises using independently certified devices with their own power source for locating vehicles. While this incident could have been like any other car theft, the fact that the owner was unable to prevent the crime or recover the vehicle—despite having more protective measures in place than most—is noteworthy.

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