Kia and Hyundai’s anti-theft software upgrades have deterred car thieves, but theft claims remain elevated for the brands even after new software is installed, according to a new report.
After car thefts began to ramp up during the COVID-19 pandemic, the two automakers in early 2023 rolled out a free software update to make it harder to start the vehicle when the owner’s key is not in the ignition.
The software has helped, according to a new report from the Highway Loss Data Institute, an organization that analyzes insurance data. The report says cars with the software upgrade had 53% lower theft claim frequencies than those without. That includes all theft claims, from vehicle part or content theft to whole vehicle theft.
The frequency of whole vehicle theft saw an even more dramatic drop after the upgrade at 64%.
While the software isn’t able to prevent all theft, the institute’s senior vice president Matt Moore said the numbers are significant enough to make it clear that eligible drivers should take the time to get the software upgrade.
“A very optimistic person would look at this problem and this software update and say, well, we’d love to see 100% reduction (in theft claim frequencies),” Moore told USA TODAY. “I don’t know that that’s realistic. A 64% reduction is a big number.”
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