Among cars first registered in the UK between 2022 and 2024, the Hyundai Ioniq 5 was stolen at a rate of 16.5 per 1,000 and the Kia EV6 at 15.2, against 2.1 for all cars in the same DVLA data. That puts both among the highest theft rates of any model with 5,000 or more registrations in that period, and Kia had more thefts than any make except BMW.

The two makes are covered together because the evidence pairs them: the EV6 and Ioniq 5 are sister electric models with similar theft rates, and insurer data groups the Sportage with the Tucson.

Kia and Hyundai in the UK theft data

The most useful UK source is a DVLA Freedom of Information response, FOIR12391, published in May 2025. It lists thefts of cars first registered between January 2022 and December 2024, alongside how many of each model were registered, so dividing one by the other gives a theft rate. The DVLA did not publish rates; the figures here are our calculation.

Across the whole cohort, 11,668 of 5,600,649 cars were stolen, or 2.1 per 1,000. Kia had 1,126 thefts, second only to BMW's 1,209, and a rate of 3.5 per 1,000. Among makes with at least 10,000 cars registered, only Lexus, at 7.2, had a higher rate. Hyundai came in at 2.6: above the national figure, but below Kia, BMW (3.4), Land Rover (3.1), Jeep and Toyota (both 2.8). For how other makes and models compare, see the full 2025 make and model table.

Two caveats. The figures are cumulative, not annual: a car registered in January 2022 had the whole window in which to be stolen, one registered in December 2024 only weeks. And the data says nothing about method. It shows which cars were taken, not how.

Insurer data points the same way. In LV= claims figures reported by Which?, thefts of Hyundais rose 81% and Kias 76% between 2021 and 2023, the biggest rises after Lexus (+513%) and Toyota (+103%).

ModelTheftsRegisteredThefts per 1,000
Hyundai Ioniq 526215,91016.5
Kia EV624916,41215.2
Kia Niro44462,6817.1
Lexus RX (comparison)1416,07223.2
Toyota RAV4 (comparison)28422,89912.4
Ford Fiesta (comparison)--2.6
All cars in the cohort11,6685,600,6492.1

Cars first registered and stolen 2022-2024; models with 5,000 or more registrations, variants grouped. Source: DVLA FOIR12391; rates are our calculation.

Ioniq 5, EV6 and Niro: high rates among newer electric and hybrid models

The Ioniq 5 (262 stolen of 15,910) and EV6 (249 of 16,412) both sit ahead of the Toyota RAV4 at 12.4, a model whose theft record we cover in our Toyota RAV4 theft guide. Of the comparison models in the table, only the Lexus RX (23.2) is higher. Both Korean EVs use smart keys and push-button start, so electronic methods are the likelier route, but the DVLA data does not record how any of them were taken.

The Niro is a volume story. Its rate of 7.1 per 1,000 is far below the two EVs but still well above the cohort's 2.1, and because so many were registered (62,681) it had the highest theft count, 444, of any model with 5,000 or more registrations. The grouped figures don't separate its hybrid, plug-in hybrid and electric versions.

Sportage and Tucson: the volume SUVs

The Sportage and Tucson are the two makers' family SUVs, and both appear in UK theft figures. In DVLA figures for 2024 requested by What Car? and Tempcover, which put about 61,343 cars stolen that year, the Sportage was the only Kia or Hyundai in the top 20 models, with 654 thefts. In LV= General Insurance claims data reported by Auto Express, covering September 2021 to September 2023, the Tucson and Sportage made up 45% of their makers' theft claims.

The Sportage also turns up in recovery work. Tracker, the stolen vehicle recovery company, said that in 2024 it and the police closed 60 chop shops and made 144 arrests (up 80% on 2023), and found another 179 stolen vehicles at those sites. It said it was increasingly recovering high-volume models such as the Kia Sportage and Nissan Juke, and linked this to demand for second-hand parts.

A car taken to be broken for parts is unlikely to come back whole, so the window to recover it is short. We have not seen data on where stolen Kia and Hyundai EVs end up.

Key emulators and "Game Boy" devices: what is known

A lot of what is written about Kia and Hyundai theft goes further than the evidence. None of the UK figures above records how each car was stolen: the DVLA counts thefts by model, LV= counts claims, and Tracker describes what it recovers. Here is what can fairly be said.

  • Key emulators. Handheld devices that imitate the car's key so it can be unlocked and started. Industry and media reports widely link them to newer Korean models, including the EV6 and Ioniq 5. The "Game Boy" nickname comes from versions reportedly built into cases that look like a handheld games console. None of the data sources here confirms that link.
  • Relay attacks. On a car with keyless entry, a relay device picks up the signal from a key inside the house and passes it to the car. Insurers quoted by Which? linked keyless technology to the rise in thefts.
  • CAN injection. Thieves reach the car's internal network, for example through headlamp wiring, and send fake messages so it behaves as if the owner's key has been used. None of the sources here ties it to Kia or Hyundai models.

Electronic theft across all makes is better documented. When the Home Office announced in February 2025 that vehicle theft equipment would be banned, it cited the 2022-23 Crime Survey for England and Wales, which found a remote-locking signal had been manipulated in 40% of vehicle thefts, and a Metropolitan Police estimate that signal jammers or electronic devices are used in about 60% of thefts in London. Neither figure is specific to Kia or Hyundai.

The Crime and Policing Act 2026 is aimed at the electronic tools used to steal vehicles. It should make them harder to buy and sell openly, but it won't stop a gang that already has one.

Kia and Hyundai theft in the Netherlands and Germany

The pattern isn't only British. In the Netherlands, Stichting VbV's 2025 report shows Kia EV6 thefts rose from 8 in 2024 to 47 in 2025, and Ioniq 5 thefts from 0 to 24. The current Sportage (NQ5) was the country's second most stolen car, with 162 thefts, up 119%, behind the Toyota RAV4 on 387. VbV does not say how these cars were taken.

In Germany, 2024 figures from the insurers' association GDV, reported by auto motor und sport, put Toyota, Kia and Hyundai fifth to seventh among brands by theft rate. Land Rover was top, at 20 thefts per 10,000 insured cars.

Protecting a Kia or Hyundai: what reduces the risk

No single measure makes a car theft-proof. The aim is to make yours more work to steal than the car next to it, and to find out quickly if it goes.

Manufacturer updates

Ask a Kia or Hyundai dealer whether any security-related software update or recall applies to your car's VIN, and keep the car's software current. An update closes a specific weakness, though. If thieves change method it won't help, and you can't easily check whether your car is still exposed.

Physical locks

A solid steering wheel lock is still one of the best-value deterrents. A thief walking the street can see it, and it has to be cut off, which takes time and makes noise. Pedal-box locks work the same way. A prepared thief can defeat either, so think of them as buying time.

Key storage

Keep keys away from the front door and windows, in a signal-blocking pouch or tin if your car has keyless entry, and check the handbook for a way to switch the key off. If you use your phone as a digital key, keep the phone secure too. This blocks relay attacks, which need your key's signal. It does nothing against an emulator or CAN injection, neither of which uses your key.

Parking

A garage, a gated drive or another car blocking yours in adds time and risk for a thief. On the street, a well-lit spot overlooked by houses beats a quiet corner. A driveway on its own is no guarantee, and a doorbell camera records a theft rather than stops it.

OBD lock and aftermarket immobilisers

An OBD port lock covers the diagnostic socket thieves can use to program a new key. It is inexpensive and worth fitting, but it protects only one route in: it won't stop a relay attack, an emulator or injection through other wiring. An aftermarket CAN-bus immobiliser that needs a PIN sequence on the car's own buttons before it will drive goes further, because a copied key signal alone isn't enough. It costs more and needs a competent installer.

Where a hidden GPS tracker fits

A tracker does not stop a car being stolen. It is not an immobiliser or an alarm. It tells you the car has moved when it shouldn't have, and shows you and the police where it is.

If a Sportage is heading for a chop shop, the time to find it is before it has been stripped, so an alert as soon as it moves gives you and the police a better chance of reaching it while it is still whole.

Where the tracker is fitted matters too. Plug-in OBD trackers are quick to install but easier for thieves to find. A hidden wired tracker such as the 12 mm thin Teltonika FMC920 can be fitted out of sight, which makes it harder to find and remove. The hidden car theft protection trackers we sell can alert you to:

  • movement when the car should be parked
  • towing, meaning movement with the ignition off
  • the tracker being unplugged
  • signs of signal jamming

The alerts work the same on an EV6, Ioniq 5 or electric Niro as on a petrol car: if the car is moved with the ignition off, for example lifted onto a truck, the towing alert is triggered. There's more in our guide to GPS tracking for car theft protection, and on what happens after a theft in stolen vehicle recovery with a tracker. If your car is taken, report it to the police, share the live location with them, and don't try to recover it yourself.

Plans start at £5.99 a month including VAT per vehicle, with a 14-day free trial, no setup fee and free UK delivery by Royal Mail 24. A tracker relies on GPS and mobile signal, a professional gang may find and remove it, and recovery depends on the police being able to respond. It improves your odds of getting the car back but doesn't guarantee it.

Questions owners ask

Is the Kia EV6 or Hyundai Ioniq 5 more likely to be stolen than other cars?

On the DVLA figures for cars registered 2022-2024, yes: 16.5 per 1,000 for the Ioniq 5 and 15.2 for the EV6, against 2.1 for all cars in the same cohort. These are our calculations and cover the whole window, not a single year.

Is the Kia Sportage or Hyundai Tucson a target?

Yes. In LV= claims data from September 2021 to September 2023, the Tucson and Sportage made up 45% of their makers' theft claims. Tracker says it is increasingly recovering high-volume models such as the Sportage, which it links to demand for second-hand parts.

Do key emulators work on every Kia and Hyundai?

We have not seen reliable model-by-model evidence either way. Emulators are widely linked to newer Korean models, especially the EV6 and Ioniq 5, but the UK and Dutch theft data don't record method.

Will a tracker stop my car being stolen?

No. It alerts you when the car moves and helps the police find it. Use it alongside the measures that slow a thief down, not instead of them.

About this guide: Fleetalyse sells GPS trackers, including the hidden wired trackers described above. All theft figures come from the sources named and linked here, and the DVLA theft rates are our own calculations from the DVLA's FOI data. No manufacturer, police force or insurer has endorsed this guide or our products.

Sources