- A class action says the carmakers is sharing data, including trip reports and “hard braking” events.
- The man suing Hyundai and Kia says his driving data was shared and triggered a $250 insurance premium increase.
- Earlier this year, GM was accused of selling data it collects through its OnStar service.
Hyundai and Kia have been accused of collecting driving data from their owners and selling it to insurance companies in the United States without consent. The two car manufacturers are now the subject of a class action lawsuit filed in California federal court.
The class action, filed by plaintiff Mark Will, claims that Hyundai and Kia have violated the Fair Credit Reporting Act with their connected car services, including UVO Connect, Kia Connect, Bluelink, and Bluelink+. These systems allow vehicle owners to remotely locate, start, and lock their vehicles while also providing vehicle diagnostics, roadside assistance, and helping with the recovery of stolen cars.
Read: Senators Want FTC To Investigate Automakers That Sell Our Data
While that all sounds great, the lawsuit alleges Hyundai and Kia also collect vast troves of data with the systems, including trip reports and “hard braking” events. Will believes this data is being sold to data broker Verisk Analytics, which performs a risk analysis of each driver and proceeds to sell this info to auto insurance companies.
Will owns a 2019 Hyundai Santa Fe with a Bluelink subscription. He says that a Verisk report reveals Hyundai shared his driving behavior between December 2023 and April 2024 and claims this triggered a $250 increase in his insurance premium.
As the class action has only recently been filed, Will still needs to secure certification for the class action and is seeking to represent all individuals who own Hyundai and Kia vehicles that share driving information.
This is not the first time a car company has been accused of selling driving data without the consent of owners. In May, a class action lawsuit filed in the United States District Court in Georgia alleged that General Motors has been collecting private driving data through its OnStar service and sharing it with LexisNexis and Verisk Analytics. These firms then reportedly sell the information to insurance companies that proceed to jack up premiums.
