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Yes, connected cars collect far more information than many owners realize. A 2023 Mozilla Foundation review found that all 25 car brands it examined failed its minimum privacy standards. The policies covered data such as precise location, driving behavior, phone-linked information, payment details, biometrics, and driver inferences—and often reserved the right to share or sell some of it.
That does not prove every automaker actively sells every category of data. Practices vary by brand, model year, connected-service enrollment, feature, and state. But the exposure is real. Here is what your car may collect, who can receive it, what “selling” means legally, and how to reduce the flow without accidentally disabling essential safety features.
The short version
- Connected vehicles may collect driving behavior, precise location, vehicle diagnostics, phone-linked information, voice data, camera measurements, and account details.
- Data can move from the automaker to connected-service providers, analytics companies, dealers, insurers, advertisers, data brokers, or consumer-reporting agencies.
- “Selling” data may mean more than a cash transaction. Under some state privacy laws, transferring information for valuable consideration, targeted advertising, or analytics may qualify.
- Turning off one feature rarely stops every form of collection. Safety, emergency, diagnostic, billing, warranty, and legal-retention exceptions may remain.
- The safest approach is to disable optional programs through official controls, submit privacy requests, and document every opt-out.
Mozilla’s finding is best stated precisely: all 25 major brands it reviewed failed its privacy criteria. It is not proof that every automaker currently sells every kind of vehicle data.
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What a connected car can collect
Not every vehicle collects every category below. Equipment, model year, software, subscriptions, phone pairing, and local law all matter.
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| Data category | Examples | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Driving behavior | Speed, acceleration, hard braking, cornering, seatbelt use, trip duration, mileage, charging behavior, and driver scores | May be used for telematics, safety programs, usage-based insurance, analytics, or risk scoring. |
| Location | GPS coordinates, routes, home and work locations, dealership visits, and frequently visited destinations | Trip patterns can reveal sensitive medical, religious, political, relationship, or employment information. |
| Vehicle data | Diagnostics, battery status, charging activity, maintenance information, crash events, and vehicle health | Often needed for service and safety, but may also be shared with providers and business partners. |
| Phone and infotainment data | Contacts, call history, navigation destinations, device identifiers, voice commands, and app information | Pairing a phone creates a privacy issue separate from the vehicle’s cellular telematics. |
| Cameras and sensors | Exterior-camera measurements, driver-monitoring information, microphones, occupant detection, and potentially biometric or voice-related data | Capabilities differ substantially by vehicle. GM, for example, says some 2025-and-newer vehicles may request consent for video and measurements from built-in external cameras and sensors. |
| Accounts and transactions | Connected-service accounts, payment information, dealer records, financing information, and service history | These records may be controlled by different companies with separate privacy policies. |
Apple CarPlay and Android Auto do not automatically make the entire vehicle private. They may limit what the car’s native infotainment system can access in some situations, but the vehicle can still transmit telematics through its own cellular connection. The exact behavior depends on the vehicle and software.
How the data leaves the vehicle
A typical data chain may look like this:
- The vehicle records information through its telematics unit, sensors, infotainment system, or connected app.
- The automaker or connected-services provider receives and stores some of that information.
- Cloud, analytics, and service vendors process it for diagnostics, customer support, navigation, safety, or business analysis.
- Other organizations may receive information under contracts or privacy-policy permissions. These can include dealers, insurers, advertisers, data brokers, consumer-reporting agencies, and government authorities where legally permitted.
This does not mean an automaker automatically sends every driver’s information directly to an insurer. In the documented GM case, third-party telematics companies including LexisNexis and Verisk were part of the reported ecosystem. GM announced in April 2024 that it had ended those relationships for third-party telematics products and discontinued Smart Driver. That was a GM-specific change, not proof that industry-wide sharing ended.
What “selling your data” really means
Privacy policies use several different terms: sell, share, disclose, transfer, business purpose, and service provider. They are not interchangeable.
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“We do not sell your data” therefore does not necessarily mean “no outside company receives information.” Read the policy’s definitions and look for sections covering connected services, telematics, targeted advertising, analytics, affiliates, business partners, insurance, and consumer reports.
The GM case: the clearest U.S. example
In January 2025, the Federal Trade Commission alleged that General Motors and OnStar collected and sold precise location and driving-behavior data from millions of vehicles without adequately informing consumers or obtaining affirmative consent. The FTC finalized an order in January 2026.
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The order includes a five-year prohibition on sharing certain driver data with consumer-reporting agencies. It also requires consent, access, deletion, location-disablement, and opt-out mechanisms for connected-vehicle data for the order’s 20-year term, subject to the order’s exceptions and terms.
The order should not be described as a blanket ban on GM selling all driver data, and it does not apply to every automaker. It is evidence of a specific enforcement action and a reminder that connected-car data can have consequences beyond convenience features.
GM’s current privacy statement says customers can change consent through the account’s Data and Privacy section or the vehicle brand’s website. For OnStar, GM says customers can disconnect and unenroll by contacting an advisor at 1-888-466-7827 or pressing the blue OnStar button. OnStar’s consent page also describes withdrawal and unenrollment through an advisor.
Can driving data affect insurance?
It can, depending on the insurer, program, state, and data source. Driving data may be used in usage-based insurance, risk scoring, eligibility decisions, discounts, underwriting, or claims investigations. Not every insurer accepts manufacturer-supplied data, and a poor score alone does not prove that telematics caused a premium increase.
If an insurer says information affected a decision, ask:
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- Which company supplied the information?
- Was an adverse-action notice issued?
- How can you obtain the relevant consumer report?
- How can inaccurate information be disputed?
LexisNexis provides a consumer-access portal at consumer.risk.lexisnexis.com/consumer. Availability and rights depend on the report, business unit, state, and applicable law. A report request is not automatically an opt-out or deletion request.
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What each privacy action does—and does not do
| Action | May do | May not do |
|---|---|---|
| Disable driver scoring or insurance features | Stop that named program from collecting new score data | Stop other telematics or erase historical data |
| Unenroll from connected services | Limit service-linked collection | Preserve remote commands, emergency assistance, live traffic, or app features |
| Turn off precise location | Stop GPS collection where the vehicle supports that control | Stop diagnostics, cellular communication, or legally required collection |
| Delete the manufacturer account | Remove account access or some account data | Erase dealer, service, vehicle, legal, or third-party records |
| Submit a state privacy request | Request access, correction, deletion, or opt-out where available | Guarantee deletion; exemptions and coverage vary |
| Delete phone data from the car | Remove locally stored contacts, calls, and destinations | Recall information already transmitted |
| Disconnect the cellular modem | Possibly stop wireless transmission | Avoid loss of safety and convenience functions; it may be difficult or unsafe |
What to do now: a practical privacy plan
1. Identify every connected service
Check the owner’s manual, manufacturer account, infotainment privacy settings, mobile app, connected-service enrollment screens, dealer paperwork, trial subscriptions, and insurance programs. Search for terms including telematics, connected vehicle data, driving insights, drive score, safe driver, usage-based insurance, vehicle data sharing, and research and analytics.
There is no universal menu path. Controls vary by brand, model year, infotainment platform, software version, and region.
2. Disable optional driver-scoring programs
Turn off manufacturer driver scores, insurance-linked telematics, and research programs if you do not want to participate. If an insurer operates the program, opt out with both the insurer and the automaker. Save screenshots and confirmation emails.
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3. Adjust location and data-sharing controls
Disable precise location or optional sharing where the vehicle allows it. Before doing so, check whether the setting affects navigation, emergency response, roadside assistance, stolen-vehicle recovery, charging services, or theft notifications.
4. Unenroll from connected services when necessary
Ask the provider to distinguish between subscription cancellation and privacy consent withdrawal. They are not necessarily the same action. Request written confirmation of which services stopped collecting data and which safety or legal exceptions remain.
5. Submit a privacy-rights request
Use the automaker’s privacy portal and connected-service provider’s portal. Ask for:
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- Categories and specific items of information associated with your vehicle or account.
- Sources and purposes of collection.
- Categories and names of recipients.
- Whether information was sold, shared, transferred, or used for targeted advertising or profiling.
- Retention periods.
- Correction or deletion where available.
- Opt-out of sale, sharing, targeted advertising, or profiling.
Some companies separate requests involving the automaker, dealer, finance company, insurance subsidiary, and connected-services provider. Submit each relevant request separately.
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Ask the insurer for the data source and any adverse-action notice. Request the relevant report, then dispute inaccurate information with the reporting company and insurer. Keep copies of every request, response, and correction.
7. Clean the vehicle before selling, trading, leasing, or renting it
- Delete paired phones, contacts, call history, and navigation destinations.
- Sign out of music, email, streaming, and other apps.
- Remove garage-door, home, digital-key, and location information.
- Remove the vehicle from the manufacturer’s mobile app.
- Cancel or transfer connected-service subscriptions.
- Factory-reset the infotainment system.
- Notify the manufacturer and finance or lease company of the transfer when required.
A factory reset removes local records; it cannot erase information already sent to the manufacturer or third parties. Services such as Privacy4Cars may help organize vehicle-data and infotainment deletion requests, but no service can necessarily erase records retained by independent companies or override legal retention requirements.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What you lose when you turn connected features off
| Feature | Possible effect of disabling connected services |
|---|---|
| Remote app commands | Remote start, locking, unlocking, horn, and vehicle-status updates may stop. |
| Emergency assistance | Automatic crash response, emergency calling, roadside assistance, or advisor services may be limited or unavailable. |
| Navigation | Live traffic, cloud destinations, connected search, and location-based services may stop, although offline navigation may remain. |
| Theft recovery | Vehicle location and stolen-vehicle assistance may no longer work. |
| Diagnostics | Remote health reports, maintenance alerts, charging notifications, and service scheduling may be reduced. |
| Software and app features | Some notifications, subscriptions, digital services, or over-the-air functions may depend on connectivity. |
Do not pull a fuse, remove an antenna, disconnect a modem, or use a cellular signal blocker as a general privacy solution. Such actions can interfere with emergency communications, theft recovery, diagnostics, airbags-related communications, warranty-supported service, or legal obligations. Signal blockers may also be unlawful.
How to shop for a more private car
Before buying, ask the dealer to demonstrate the actual consent and privacy screens for the specific vehicle and model year. Score each candidate on these questions:
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- Is collection opt-in, or bundled into activation?
- Can precise location be disabled independently?
- Can driver scoring be disabled without disabling emergency assistance?
- Does the policy identify data brokers, insurance partners, or advertising partners?
- Can you access, correct, and delete collected information?
- Does the car require an online account for core functions?
- What happens when the connected-service subscription expires?
- Can the telematics unit be disabled without losing safety functions?
- Does the manufacturer publish model-year-specific controls?
An older vehicle may reduce connected-service exposure, but it does not guarantee privacy. It may still collect information through a paired phone, aftermarket device, dealer service system, navigation unit, insurance plug-in, or other connected equipment.
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What regulators are doing
The FTC warned in May 2024 that connected cars can collect biometric, telematic, geolocation, video, and other personal information, and that unlawful collection or disclosure can trigger enforcement. The FTC’s 2026 GM order adds concrete controls for one automaker, but it does not create a universal privacy switch or apply automatically to other manufacturers.
Consumer rights also depend heavily on state law. Access, deletion, correction, sale and sharing opt-outs, targeted-advertising restrictions, and consumer-report rights can differ by state and by the entity holding the data. A company may retain information for safety, security, warranty, billing, fraud prevention, legal compliance, or dispute resolution even after honoring part of a deletion request.
Common mistakes to avoid
“I opted out, so all tracking stopped.”
The opt-out may cover only a named driver-score program, targeted advertising, or legal “sale.” Diagnostics, crash data, emergency data, billing, and service records may continue.
“I canceled the subscription.”
Cancellation and withdrawal of privacy consent may be separate actions. Ask for both.
“I deleted the app.”
Deleting an app removes the local interface, not necessarily the manufacturer account, vehicle connection, or historical records.
“I reset the infotainment system.”
That usually removes local records but cannot recall data already transmitted.
“The data is deidentified, so it cannot affect me.”
Detailed timestamps, vehicle identifiers, and repeated locations can still create reidentification risks. “Deidentified” is a claim to examine, not proof that the data has no personal consequences.
“The manufacturer does not sell data.”
It may still share information with affiliates, service providers, analytics firms, advertisers, dealers, insurers, or other business partners. Compare the policy’s definitions and recipient categories.
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