Don’t rely on vehicle trackers to save your stolen car, warns Ian Fogg. His Kia was easy to steal but hard to track, highlighting the gap between consumer expectations and reality.

The car safety firm Thatcham Research says there’s a growing disparity between what consumers believe their connected car features can do and the actual technical capabilities.

Despite Fogg’s attempts with Apple Airtag and Kia Connect, he faced delays and legal restrictions. The company advised him to use the service for convenience rather than security, citing UK laws that prevent live tracking during thefts.

Nearly 55,000 cars were stolen in the UK in 2025, with only about 13% retrieved. Fogg’s experience shows why experts recommend investing in independently certified tracking devices for genuine real-time location monitoring.