Why Your Car's Tracker Won't Save It From Thieves

Ian Fogg had video of the theft, a hidden AirTag, and live GPS access to his stolen car. None of it brought the car back.

Fogg's vehicle was stolen from outside his house in March. Despite the manufacturer being able to view its live location through the Kia Connect service, he still hasn't recovered it, and the car's last known location was Lithuania.

A Gap Between What's Promised and What's Delivered

Car safety organization Thatcham Research says there's a "genuine and growing gap" between what consumers expect from connected car features and what those systems are technically built to do. Kia told the BBC that UK law prevents Connect from being used for live tracking, describing the feature as intended for "convenience" rather than security.

"This car was incredibly easy to hack but incredibly difficult to track," Fogg said. "It shouldn't be this easy to nick a car when they cost an order of magnitude more than a phone and have similar radio technology."

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How the Theft Happened

Thieves broke into Fogg's car without a key and disconnected his phone from the vehicle via the entertainment system, using an unsecured process designed to let new owners take over from previous ones. He watched the car drive away on his video doorbell and briefly tracked it via a hidden Apple AirTag, until the thieves found and discarded the tracker, which had made a noise as part of an Apple feature designed to prevent stalking.

When Fogg contacted Kia, he was told he'd need to submit a form each time he wanted the car's location. He submitted eight requests, and each time the location arrived 24 to 48 hours after the car had actually been there.

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Why the Data Moves So Slowly

The delay traces back to data protection law. Under GDPR, and the near-identical UK version, organizations have up to one calendar month to respond to a data access request. Police also have no formal power to demand this location data directly from a manufacturer without specific consent from the Home Office, which is rarely sought in routine vehicle theft cases.

That leaves it up to individual manufacturers' own policies to decide how, and how quickly, they share tracking data with law enforcement. Kia does offer a dedicated security vehicle-tracking service to premium subscribers in the US, but that service isn't currently available in the UK or Europe.

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What Actually Works

Thatcham Research recommends vehicle owners seek out devices independently certified specifically as stolen-vehicle-tracking products, rather than relying on manufacturer convenience apps. It says these dedicated devices should carry their own independent power source and offer genuine real-time monitoring through a professional monitoring center — something standard connected-car apps generally aren't engineered to provide.

New UK legislation, the Crime and Policing Act 2026, has also introduced fresh offenses targeting the electronic devices — including relay attack tools and signal jammers — that organized gangs commonly use to steal keyless vehicles.

The Bigger Picture

Fogg said he was struck by how much further phone security has advanced compared to car security, despite both devices sharing similar underlying technology. "While the phone industry has strengthened theft protection measures in recent years, the situation in the car industry is worse," he said.

For now, his car remains missing, and his case stands as a reminder that a connected dashboard app is not the same thing as a certified anti-theft system.

TL;DR

• Experts warn manufacturer-connected car apps aren't built to recover stolen vehicles

• Kia says its Connect feature is for "convenience," not live security tracking

• One owner's eight location requests each arrived 24-48 hours too late to help

• GDPR rules and limited police data-access powers slow manufacturer data sharing

• Thatcham Research recommends independently certified, dedicated tracking devices instead

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