“Kia Connect is a customer convenience feature, not a certified security vehicle tracker,” the firm told the BBC.
“Therefore, it does not provide live‑tracking functionality for stolen vehicles.
“Release of location details of a vehicle via Kia Connect is possible, however this must be done in full compliance with all applicable laws, in particular GDPR, and the authorities to minimise risk to the customer.”
GPDR is Europe’s data protection law, and an almost-identical version applies in the UK.
According to the Information Commissioner’s Office, Britain’s data regulator, users have the right to access their information and organisations need to respond to the request from someone who can be identified from personal data within one calendar month.
In the event of standard vehicle theft, the police have no formal powers to demand this data without specific consent from the Home Office, which is rarely sought on these occasions, the BBC understands.
It is up to individual car manufacturers to share data with law enforcement depending on their own policies.
Kia does offer a security vehicle tracking service in the US to subscribers who take out its premium package, but this is not available in the UK or Europe.
Fogg said he was stunned by the difference in security measures between his car and his phone.
“Both cars and phones include mobile phone radios, satellite location chips, short-range wireless activity and sophisticated software,” he said.
“But while the phone industry has strengthened theft protection measures in recent years, the situation in the car industry is worse.”
Thatcham Research advises vehicle owners to seek out devices which have been independently certified as dedicated stolen vehicle tracking products.
It says devices should carry their own independent power source and provide genuine real-time location monitoring via a professional monitoring centre.
It adds that “these products exist precisely because most connected car apps, however sophisticated, are not engineered to perform the security function that owners may assume it provides”.
Nearly 55,000 cars were stolen in the UK in 2025: an 11% decrease on the year before. On average, around 13% of stolen vehicles are retrieved, according to the car seller Cinch.
Additional reporting by Philippa Wain.
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