Modern cars look like normal vehicles on the outside, but inside they behave more like internet connected computers. They contain SIM cards, microphones, cameras, apps, and dozens of small systems that quietly collect information about where you drive, how you drive, who you contact, and much more.
If you care about privacy or cybersecurity, you cannot ignore what your car is doing behind the scenes. Your vehicle may be gathering and sharing data in ways you never agreed to in any meaningful way.
Cars are no longer just machines. They are data centers
Inside a typical modern car, you will find up to around 150 small computers called electronic control units. These sit behind the doors, in the trunk, near the wheels, and throughout the vehicle, constantly talking to each other.
Some cars can generate nearly 25 GB of data every hour from more than 100 different data points. That is not just technical details like engine temperature. It is information about you and your behavior.
This data usually comes from two main sources:
- Built in sensors and systems, such as GPS, cameras, driver monitoring, and microphones
- Devices you connect, especially your smartphone, which brings in contacts, messages, calendar, and location
So when you sit in your car, you are not just using a machine with a computer inside it. You are using a computer that happens to move.
What your car knows about you
Let us break down the types of data many connected cars collect today.
Where you go and how you drive
Your car tracks routes, speed, hard braking, acceleration, and the time of day you travel.
Biometric data
Some models, from brands like BMW, Hyundai, and Tesla, use fingerprints or facial images to unlock the vehicle or identify the driver.
Voice data
Built in voice assistants listen for wake words and record what you say when you use voice commands. In noisy environments, they can trigger by accident.
Health and emergency information
Cars can store data used for emergency services, like crash severity, and sometimes health related information linked from connected devices.
Financial and home details
In car purchases, saved payment methods, login credentials, your home address, and connected features such as your garage door code can all be stored.
Activity inside the cabin
Driver monitoring systems can detect when you look away from the road and trigger warnings if you turn toward a passenger.
Governments are paying attention to this too. In China, for example, Tesla vehicles have reportedly been restricted from certain sensitive government and military areas because of concerns about what their sensors and cameras might capture. If entire governments are worried, everyday drivers should be asking questions as well.
A real world example: when your data gets misunderstood
The data your car collects does not just sit there. It gets uploaded, analyzed, and often tied to your identity as a driver.
In 2024, a Chevy Volt owner named Mike requested a copy of the information his car's OnStar telematics system had collected. The report showed something unusual. Almost every day, at the same time and location, the car logged a "near miss collision with a small object."
It looked like he was constantly nearly crashing into something, until you learn that his cats used to run out to greet him when he drove home. The car interpreted his excited pets as "small objects" that it nearly hit.
Technically, the data was accurate. But without context, it was completely misleading. That misleading data was then fed into his insurance profile, increased his risk score, and led to higher premiums.
This is one of the biggest problems with connected car data. You pay for the vehicle with money, and then you pay again with your data. That data can later be used against you financially, legally, or in ways you never clearly consented to.
McKinsey estimates that by 2030, the market for vehicle data monetization could reach over $750 billion. Your driving patterns are being recorded, packaged, scored, and sold, especially to insurers, and you are the one who pays the bill.
Who sees your car data?
Once your car collects data, it can flow through many hands:
- Insurance companies. They use driving data to adjust risk scores, premiums, and sometimes financing terms.
- Manufacturers and their apps. Carmakers and app providers collect and store data for analysis and product development.
- Data brokers. These companies receive data and resell it to other businesses for marketing, risk assessment, and more.
- Law enforcement. In certain situations, they can request access to your car's data.
You might think you agreed to this, but most "consent" is buried inside privacy policies written in dense legal language. These documents appear when you are simply trying to connect Bluetooth or use a navigation app, and most people click "Accept" without understanding the full consequences.
A privacy expert has described this as unfair and deceptive, and noted that it can even be punishable by law.
Mozilla examined the privacy policies of 25 car brands and found that every single one failed their privacy tests. Most automakers shared data with third parties, and 84 percent sold it. Your car is no longer just a private space for you and your passengers. It is a data source for anyone connected to the account.
Can you stop your car from tracking you?
You cannot turn a modern connected car into a completely private machine without breaking many of its key features. Data collection is part of how these cars were designed, not a small add on that you can easily disable.
However, you can reduce the amount of data your car gathers and shares, and you can limit who has access to that information. Here are practical steps you can take.
1. Change your car's privacy and data sharing settings
Start by exploring the settings menu in your car. Look for options and categories such as:
- Data sharing
- Connected services
- Analytics or diagnostics
- Location services
- Personalization
- Voice assistant
- Insurance or driver score programs
- Driver monitoring
Turn off anything that sends non essential data out of the vehicle. This reduces how much information leaves your car.
There is a trade off:
- Disabling location services can affect navigation.
- Turning off connectivity may disable remote unlocking and some app features.
Your car will still drive, but it may behave like a phone in airplane mode. Basic functions work, but many smart conveniences disappear.
2. Think twice before pairing your phone
When you connect your smartphone to your car, you may be sharing:
- Contacts
- Call logs
- Messages
- Calendars
- Music apps
- Location data
If you do not truly need full phone integration, consider skipping it. You will lose some convenience like seamless music control and hands free calling, but you will greatly reduce the amount of personal information available to the car.
Fewer connections mean fewer paths for data leaks. This same principle applies beyond the car as well, which is why we cover it in our guide on how to reduce tracking online without breaking everything.
3. Factory reset before selling or returning your car
Always perform a factory reset before you sell your vehicle or return a rental. This reset:
- Wipes stored personal data
- Removes saved accounts and logins
- Deauthorizes connected services and apps
Even if your phone is no longer paired, your car may still be linked to outside services through telematics and your online account. A factory reset helps clear that link.
4. Understand telematics and built in SIM cards
Most connected cars rely on telematics. These are communication systems that often use an internal SIM card. Through this connection, the car talks to the manufacturer's servers to support:
- Remote unlock and lock via an app
- Real time location tracking
- Emergency support services
- Remote diagnostics
- Over the air software updates
Technically, you might be able to remove the SIM card, but for most people that is not a realistic or safe option. It can be hard to access, may trigger warning messages, and can disable navigation, radio features, emergency services, and updates.
A better approach is to:
- Disable connected services you do not use.
- Opt out of data sharing programs when possible.
- Cancel insurance tracking you never knowingly agreed to.
- Check the manufacturer's online privacy portal, not just the car's screen, because some controls are only in your web account.
If you want a broader look at how carriers and connected devices collect data even outside your car, read our article on how phone carriers track everything and how to protect your privacy.
5. Review camera and voice assistant settings
Many newer cars have cameras outside and inside the cabin. You should:
- Check whether cabin monitoring can be limited or switched off.
- Disable camera data sharing or cloud uploads when you can.
Your car may not record every conversation, but it often listens for wake words used by the voice assistant. In a noisy car with music and passengers, false activation can happen, and pieces of conversations can be recorded without your knowledge.
If you do not rely on voice controls, consider turning them off. The same risk exists with other always listening devices, as we explain in our post on smart gadgets hiding backdoors in your home.
The real question: how much privacy do you want?
You probably cannot stop your car from collecting data completely. Not without losing many of the features that make it feel modern and convenient. Data collection was part of the design from the very beginning.
But you can make your car less revealing:
- Reduce the amount of data it collects.
- Delete stored data where possible.
- Restrict who can see and reuse that information.
In the end, it becomes a personal decision. How much convenience are you willing to sacrifice for stronger privacy and control? Privacy is not about disappearing. It is about knowing who is watching, what they are collecting, and which doors you still have the power to close.
For a deeper look at why this matters, our existing guide on how modern cars spy on you and the hidden surveillance system on wheels covers the history and data broker ecosystem behind connected vehicles. To understand the difference between staying private and staying anonymous, you may also find our guide on privacy versus anonymity and what most people actually need useful. And if you want to start with ways your phone leaks data on its own, see our article on how your phone is tracked in 2026 and how to actually stop it.