I’m in the market for a new or almost-new car. I can probably limp mine along another couple months if I’m careful.
Are Kias and Hyundais bad ideas since whoever’s looking to steal a car may not bother to notice whether it’s a new model (and therefore not vulnerable to Kia Boyz exploit) before they bust out the window?
I don’t know this. But I suspect insurance has gone up for them.
It might be luck or location or because I don’t think my car has this vulnerability, but I haven’t had any problems with my Kia and I’m in Milwaukee.
It’s a HUGE problem in my region. Supposedly cars 2023 and beyond don’t have the vulnerability. Fixes are being offered but the backlog is massive.
I don’t think a problem so completely solved would affect my car-buying decision, at least not consciously.
No. I drive a 10 month old, 2023 model year Kia Soul bought brand new and my full-coverage insurance is cheaper than what I was paying on my 2020 Honda Civic for the same coverage. My parents (well, dad now… gotta get used to that…) drive a 2021 Hyundai Tucson and his insurance is only a few dollars per month more than they were paying for their 6 year old Nissan Rogue, also for the same coverage. We both use Progressive, FWIW although I was with Geico when I bought the Soul and the prices were comparable.
The Souls were/are one of the target vehicles of the TikTok theft challenge but that only affects older ones. The ones with the push-button start are immune to that vulnerability. Which of course doesn’t mean some asshole won’t try to steal it one day. Getting and using a Club might be a good idea. Parking in a garage where a Rottweiler lives is also a good idea.
The real problem is that Kias and Hyundais have a history of bad engines that failed prematurely, but those issues have largely been addressed and remedied by the manufacturer. Change your oil religiously, change the PCV valve on the early side of the recommended maintenance schedule (so do it every 30K miles or so), do the rest of the scheduled and recommended maintenance, and you should be good. This of course goes for new Kias/Hyundais. If you’re buying used, all bets are off especially if you’re getting one more than 4 years / 60K miles old or so. I would no more buy a used Kia that I would a used BMW.
I have a 2022 Hyundai and it’s fine. It was built after the problem was fixed.
I do get notices for the 2013 Hyundai I traded in for it. Someone didn’t fill out the paperwork correctly.
Having said all that, I really like my Soul. It’s uglier than sin but it has a lot of features that I find useful like heated seats, blind spot monitoring, dual climate control, lumbar adjustment on the driver’s seat, rear intermittent wiper, and a damn good stereo, all for a lot less money than other comparable vehicles. It deceptively roomy inside and can haul a couple of teenagers comfortably plus a couple of week’s worth of groceries simultaneously, something my Civic could not do.
One thing to know if you’re buying new: most car manufactures have trim levels that build on the previous trim, so each trim gets you something new in addition to whatever was on the previous trim. Kia, at least the models I looked at, start with whatever their base model is and then branch off of that. So each trim level is a package of goodies that build off the base model that may or may not be found on their trims. For instance, I wanted heated seats and dual climate control as well as heated mirrors, but the heated mirrors were on one trim and the other features were on another trim, so I had to choose one or the other. Couldn’t have all of them the same car. I chose the heated seats and dual climate. My Soul is the GT line with tech package upgrade, which gave me the good stereo, heated seats, LED headlights, and a few other sparkly bits. For ~$26k no other car would give me the same features and functionality as well as a 100K mile warranty. The only thing I find lacking is AWD which no Soul has.
Edit: I liked my Civic, I really did. 6-speed manual, hugged curves like it was on rails, but no rear wiper, no heated seats or lumbar support… long drives got old fast. The Kia is comfortable and as I get older and fatter the creature comforts (as well as being able to easily get in and out of the car) outweigh the other factors. I didn’t realize how useful things like rear window wipers and lumbar adjustment are until I got a car that had them.
Given the choice to do it again I’d choose another Soul, same trim level. Maybe a different color though. Mine is a deep blue, and I really would’ve preferred white.
A thread I started 4 years ago about Kia Souls, which may or may not be of interest.
A Kia Soul is what I had in mind, pre-pandemic. I like the medium size and the good visibility from inside the car. And the price is good.
I was quite fond of my 2015 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid, but it was a push-button start so no vulnerability to the USB trick. I did have a back of the mind concern about someone busting the window anyway to get in before realizing it was the wrong type but that never happened.
What did happen was a triple rollover accident when a truck rear-ended me at ~80mph on the expressway, I hit the median wall and the car started rolling then skidded another bunch of yards on the roof before stopping. I walked away from that which was a great incentive to buy another Sonata. This one is a 2021 model and standard engine type with a push-button start. I contacted my insurance company first to ask if there would be any issues with getting it insured but there wasn’t so I went through with the sale.
I have watched videos about the theft “trick” (which is barely a ‘trick’, you just bust off the key mechanism and the slot inside physically fits a USB plug which can then be turned like a key) and it’s pretty inexcusable that Kia and Hyundai evaded doing anything about it for so long.
However, with the BMW, you get like-new turn signals.
:flees:
I’m in the market for a 2024 Hyuandi Santa Cruz limited. But I’m hesitant.
I’ve got the 2023 Santa Cruz Limited and love it! I got it in November, 2022 and nobody has tried to steal it. My husband says it’s an old lady truck, perfect for hauling gardening supplies. 
These are high on my list. I haven’t figured out whether a hybrid is worth it for me yet. It’s a close call.
I’ve driven them for many, many years. I have never, ever, had to change a turn signal bulb. They are remarkably reliable. Brake lights not so much. Tis a mystery. 
Brakes? What them?
Glad you like it. I think they’re sharp-looking.
I have a Hyundai Kona and really like it (though I’m not sure why). Good space that I never really use, decent speed. I do dearly miss my totaled Honda Fit and will someday get another. It was a sweet little orange pumpkin.
We have a 2023 Hyundai Santa Cruz. The spouse picked it out because he wanted something that didn’t look like everything else on the road, and so far we’ve been very happy with it overall.
It’s too new to be included in the exploit, but since we don’t have a lot of faith in the intelligence of would-be thieves, he uses a bright yellow Club on the steering wheel when he parks it. So far, no problems.
This is my third Hyundai and I have loved all three. Absolutely no problems with any three of them.