General Motors $12.75 Million OnStar Data Privacy Settlement, Did GM Sell Your Driving Data? Here Is What California Drivers Need to Know

Prepared by the AllAboutLawyer.com Editorial Team and reviewed for factual accuracy against the California Attorney General’s official press release dated May 8, 2026, the complaint filed in the Superior Court of California, and the settlement agreement published at oag.ca.gov. Last Updated: May 8, 2026

The GM OnStar California Data Privacy Settlement is a state enforcement action where General Motors agreed to pay $12.75 million in civil penalties after California authorities found the company sold hundreds of thousands of California drivers’ location and driving data to two data brokers without consent or notice, in violation of the California Consumer Privacy Act. The settlement, announced May 8, 2026, is subject to court approval and represents the largest CCPA penalty in California history and the state’s first enforcement of the data minimization principle. There is no consumer claim form — the penalties go to the state — but affected GM drivers have separate options in a parallel federal class action that is still active.

GM OnStar California Settlement — Quick Facts

Field	Detail
Settlement Amount	$12,750,000 in civil penalties
Who Filed	California Attorney General Rob Bonta; DA offices of San Francisco, Los Angeles, Napa, and Sonoma counties; California Privacy Protection Agency
Defendant	General Motors, LLC
Alleged Violation	California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA); California Unfair Competition Law
Who Is Affected	Hundreds of thousands of California OnStar subscribers — 2020 to 2024
Payout to Consumers	None directly — civil penalties go to the state
Claim Form	No claim form for consumers in this settlement
Settlement Status	Proposed — subject to court approval
Court & Jurisdiction	Superior Court of California
Data Brokers Involved	Verisk Analytics, Inc. and LexisNexis Risk Solutions
Official Source	oag.ca.gov
Last Updated	May 8, 2026

Current Status of the GM OnStar California Settlement

• The settlement was announced May 8, 2026, by California AG Rob Bonta alongside DA offices from San Francisco, Los Angeles, Napa, and Sonoma counties, and with support from the California Privacy Protection Agency.
• The proposed judgment is filed and awaiting court approval — it is not yet final
• GM must delete any driving data retained by the company within 180 days of final judgment, except for certain limited internal uses, and must request that Verisk and LexisNexis delete the data as well
• A separate federal class action — covering an estimated 16 million GM drivers nationwide — is proceeding independently in the Northern District of Georgia and may result in direct compensation to affected drivers

What Is the GM OnStar Lawsuit About? People of the State of California v. General Motors LLC

If you drive a GM vehicle with OnStar — a Chevrolet, GMC, Buick, or Cadillac — there is a good chance your car was collecting and transmitting data about you without you realizing it.

From 2020 to 2024, GM sold the names, contact information, geolocation data, and driving behavior data of hundreds of thousands of Californians to two data brokers: Verisk Analytics and LexisNexis Risk Solutions. Both data brokers purchased this data intending to use it to develop a driver-rating product that could be marketed to auto insurers for use in setting rates. GM collected all of this through OnStar, the connected car service marketed to drivers as a safety tool for emergency response, roadside assistance, and navigation.

GM’s own privacy policy stated that it did not sell any driving or location data and that if it did disclose any such data for insurance purposes, it would be at the consumer’s express direction. The California AG found that statement was false. GM sold consumers’ data to Verisk and LexisNexis without customers’ knowledge or consent, despite an internal privacy compliance program that required GM to inform consumers how their personal information would be used and the third parties that may receive it. Between both data brokers, GM reportedly made approximately $20 million nationwide from these data sales.

The CCPA violation here is not just about lack of consent — it is also about data minimization, a principle added to California law in 2023 that prohibits companies from holding onto data and repurposing it for unrelated uses later. GM retained Californians’ driving and location data long after it was used to operate OnStar, then sold this retained data to brokers intending to use it for insurance rate-setting — a practice prohibited under California law.

The good news for California drivers specifically: the investigation determined that California drivers were not directly impacted by GM’s data sales, likely because California insurance laws prohibit insurers from using driving data to set insurance rates. Drivers in other states were not as protected. If you are a GM driver outside California who saw unexplained insurance rate increases, the parallel federal class action covered in our GM OnStar class action lawsuit coverage may be more directly relevant to your situation.

Who Is Affected by the GM OnStar Data Sale?

This California settlement covers hundreds of thousands of state residents — but the broader data sharing affected GM drivers across the country.

You were likely affected as a California driver if:

• You owned or leased a GM vehicle — Chevrolet, GMC, Buick, or Cadillac — with OnStar between 2020 and 2024
• You used the OnStar Smart Driver program or downloaded the myCadillac, myChevrolet, myGMC, or myBuick vehicle app during that period
• You received OnStar services such as automatic crash response, roadside assistance, or turn-by-turn navigation

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You were NOT directly impacted in the same way if:

• You are a California driver — state insurance laws already prohibited insurers from using this data to raise your rates, so your premiums were not increased based on GM’s data sales
• You own a non-GM vehicle — Ford, Toyota, Honda, and other brands are not covered by this settlement, though separate investigations into other automakers have been initiated by CalPrivacy
• Your GM vehicle predates OnStar connectivity features

If you are a GM driver outside California and your insurance rates increased after 2020 without explanation, the federal class action lawsuit — currently in active discovery — may provide a path to personal data breach compensation. A data privacy attorney can evaluate your eligibility for free.

How Much Can California Drivers Get from the GM Settlement?

This is the most important point to understand clearly: no money from this settlement goes directly to individual consumers.

The $12.75 million is paid entirely as civil penalties to the State of California. There is no claim form, no claim portal, and no per-person payout from this enforcement action. The value to California drivers comes from the injunctive terms that stop GM from doing this again.

Under the settlement, GM must stop selling driving data to any consumer reporting agencies for five years, including to Verisk and LexisNexis. GM must delete any driving data retained by the company within 180 days. GM must request that Verisk and LexisNexis also delete the driving data. GM must develop and maintain a robust privacy program, report privacy assessments to the AG, the district attorneys, and CalPrivacy, and ensure ongoing compliance with the CCPA.

If you want actual legal settlement payout money for what GM did to your data, the federal class action is where that possibility exists. The federal MDL proceeding in the Northern District of Georgia is proceeding as a proposed nationwide class action on behalf of an estimated 16 million drivers, and fact discovery is expected to continue into late 2026.

What Should You Do Right Now as a GM Driver?

There is no claim form to file for this California settlement. But there are concrete steps every GM driver should take:

• Request your LexisNexis Consumer Disclosure Report — you are entitled to a free copy under the Fair Credit Reporting Act. Visit lexisnexis.com/risk/consumer-data to request it. This report will show you exactly what driving data LexisNexis received about you and whether it was used in any adverse insurance decision
• Request your Verisk driving data report — visit verisk.com to request your report, noting that the request involves insurance-related data
• Check your insurance history — if your auto insurance rates increased unexpectedly after 2020, your GM driving data may have been a factor, particularly if you live outside California
• Opt out of OnStar data sharing — call OnStar at 1-888-466-7827 or visit onstar.com to review your current data sharing settings and opt out of any programs you did not consciously choose
• California residents can use DROP — CalPrivacy’s Delete Request and Opt-out Platform allows Californians to send one request to more than 575 registered data brokers to delete their personal data at privacy.ca.gov/drop
• If you experienced higher insurance rates, consult a consumer rights lawyer — the federal class action may cover your situation, and most class action lawsuit attorneys working on this case offer a free legal consultation

GM OnStar Data Privacy Settlement — Key Dates

Milestone	Date
GM Smart Driver data sharing with Verisk/LexisNexis begins	2020
New York Times reports on GM data sales	March 2024
GM terminates Smart Driver data sharing partnership	March 20, 2024
CalPrivacy investigation of connected vehicle privacy begins	2023
FTC finalizes consent order against GM and OnStar	January 14, 2026
Federal class action MDL ruling — core claims survive dismissal	April 22, 2026
California AG files complaint and settlement against GM	May 8, 2026
Court approval hearing	TBD — settlement is pending court approval
GM data deletion deadline	Within 180 days of final court approval
GM data broker sales ban begins	Upon final court approval
Federal class action fact discovery ends	TBD — projected late 2026

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to file a claim to get money from the GM California settlement?

 No — and you cannot. The $12.75 million in civil penalties goes to the State of California, not to individual drivers. There is no consumer claim form for this enforcement action. If you want compensation, the separate federal GM OnStar class action lawsuit is the relevant proceeding.

Is this settlement legitimate?

 Yes. This settlement was announced by California Attorney General Rob Bonta, the DA offices of San Francisco, Los Angeles, Napa, and Sonoma counties, and the California Privacy Protection Agency — all official government entities. The complaint and proposed judgment are filed in California Superior Court and published at oag.ca.gov.

Did GM actually sell my driving data?

 If you used OnStar between 2020 and 2024, GM sold your name, contact information, geolocation data, and driving behavior data to Verisk Analytics and LexisNexis Risk Solutions. You can verify what data they hold about you by requesting a free Consumer Disclosure Report from both companies.

Will this settlement affect my insurance rates? 

For California drivers, your rates were likely not impacted — California law already prohibited insurers from using driving data to set premiums. For GM drivers in other states, your rates may have been affected. The federal class action addresses those claims directly.

When will I receive any payment?

 You will not receive a payment from this California state settlement — it pays civil penalties to the government. Payments to individual consumers, if any, will come from the federal class action, which is still in discovery with no settlement timeline announced.

What if I missed the deadline to do anything?

 There is no deadline for consumers in this California enforcement action because there is no consumer claim process. For the federal class action, no claim deadline has been set yet — discovery continues through late 2026. Monitor the case docket at the Northern District of Georgia under MDL No. 3115.

Can I still join the GM OnStar class action lawsuit? 

Yes. The federal class action is proceeding as a proposed nationwide class on behalf of approximately 16 million GM drivers, and fact discovery is underway. You do not need to take any action now to remain eligible — but if you experienced insurance rate increases or want to be proactive, consult a data breach compensation attorney for a free case evaluation.

Sources & References

• California Attorney General Official Press Release — GM $12.75M Privacy Settlement (May 8, 2026): oag.ca.gov/news/press-releases
• California AG Complaint filed in Superior Court of California (May 8, 2026): oag.ca.gov/system/files/attachments/press-docs
• Proposed Final Judgment: oag.ca.gov/system/files/attachments/press-docs
• FTC Final Consent Order — General Motors and OnStar (January 14, 2026): ftc.gov

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Legal claims and outcomes depend on specific facts and applicable law. For advice regarding a particular situation, consult a qualified attorney.