CHARLOTTE — According to national news reports, two major insurance companies are refusing to cover older Hyundais and Kias.
Multiple news reports say Progressive and State Farm have decided to stop covering certain models in certain cities.
Those reports don’t say if any cities in the Carolinas are on the list. Action 9′s Jason Stoogenke has been asking local agents for both companies, but they say they haven’t heard about restrictions for new customers.
Technically speaking, those reports also don’t say which Hyundai and Kia models. They say thieves are twice as likely to steal some 2015-2019 Hyundais and Kias compared to other cars from the same years, according to the Highway Loss Data Institute. But they don’t say if those are the exact model years the insurance companies aren’t covering anymore.
Here’s why these cars are easier to steal: if the chip in your key and the chip in your car don’t recognize each other, some cars have electronic immobilizers so the car can’t go anywhere. Older Hyundais and Kias don’t have that tech.
Stoogenke exchanged emails with both Hyundai and Kia. They both say immobilizers are now standard on their vehicles and that they’re coming up with software for vehicles that didn’t come with them. The companies say it’s free and will be ready very soon -- February. They also say they’re giving some police departments free steering wheel locks to hand out.
It’s not clear when Progressive and State Farm plan to stop covering the models in question. According to the national news reports, if you already have Progressive, you’re fine and you can keep your coverage. It’s not clear if State Farm is doing the same.
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