CHOICE has three core values: Truth, Help and Impact. They're at the heart of everything we do, and they guide and inform every single test, article, investigation, research and campaign we run.
Our work influences the consumer landscape, shining a spotlight on dodgy practices, keeping consumers safe and informed, and holding companies to account.
Here's a round-up of the stories that revealed the Truth, delivered Help to consumers, and made the biggest Impact in 2024, including some stories that on-the-ball CHOICE supporters tipped us off about.
Is your car spying on you?
In February 2024, we alerted the Australian public to smart technology in new Toyota cars that collects highly personal information such as location, driving data, fuel levels, and even phone numbers and email addresses.
This information could be shared with third parties like insurance companies and debt collection agencies.
We received an avalanche of correspondence from CHOICE readers wanting to know if their cars were collecting their data too.
So we dug deeper into the story, and in October 2024 we revealed which car brands track and monitor drivers – and what they do with your data once they have it.
Hyundai, Kia and Tesla ranked the worst for data privacy – but they're not the only ones.
Here's how the ten most popular car brands compare.
Retailers capturing your 'faceprint'
It turns out that car manufacturers aren't the only ones watching what we do.
In July 2022, we broke a story about Kmart, Bunnings and The Good Guys using facial recognition technology (FRT), which captures and stores biometric information such as your 'faceprint'.
CHOICE made a complaint to the Office of the Australian Information Commission (OAIC) about the practice, raising concerns about retailers not obtaining consent to collect this sensitive information and the invasion of privacy.
Would you have noticed this sign about facial recognition technology in Kmart?
Our story prompted a public backlash. Not long after The Good Guys announced a 'pause' on FRT.
When the OAIC announced it would investigate the companies' use of FRT, Kmart and Bunnings backed down on using FRT in their stores, announcing a temporary pause on the use of the technology.
In November 2024, the OAIC announced that Bunnings had breached the Privacy Act by using facial recognition technology, and ordered the hardware giant to destroy all sensitive data it had collected using FRT.
It's a big win for Australians' privacy, but there's more work to be done. Sign our petition to rein in facial recognition.
Keeping tabs on supermarkets
In 2023, CHOICE gave Coles and Woolworths a Shonky Award for raking in huge profits during a cost of living crisis.
The award was well deserved: just one month later, Coles announced it would refund thousands of customers for failing to keep its promises about "locked" prices on 20 products, a move prompted by a CHOICE complaint to the ACCC, after keen-eyed CHOICE readers noticed the underhanded practice.
(The ACCC is now taking both Woolworths and Coles to court over alleged breaches of the Australian Consumer Law.)
Mounting pressure around this topic ultimately led to the government announcing a supermarket pricing inquiry, which is currently ongoing.
And in January 2024, CHOICE was given a boost to continue our work of holding supermarkets accountable: the federal government announced a partnership with us to provide transparency around supermarket prices.
Every quarter for three years, we'll publish grocery prices from around the country to track prices over time, and to tell consumers which supermarket has the cheapest groceries.
CHOICE health insurance expert Mark Blades says the system should be fairer.
Insurers behaving badly
We've broken several stories about poor behaviour from insurance companies this year – unfortunately for consumers they just keep giving us more to write about.
First up it was health insurers hiking up the price of premium hospital cover by more than 30% – significantly higher than the advertised average of 8.6%.
Insurers putting up prices is nothing new, but in November 2024, CHOICE research uncovered a particularly mean-spirited health insurance tactic: charging single parents up to twice as much for health insurance than two-parent families who add children to their insurance policy.
If you're a single parent with NIB's Gold Top Hospital, your premiums will double if you add a child to your policy
One of the worst offenders was NIB: if you're a single parent who has NIB's Gold Top Hospital ($750 excess) with Basic Extras, your premiums will double if you want to add a child to your policy – and you'll actually pay more than a couple would for the same policy for two people.
In recognition for its unfair pricing, we gave NIB a Shonky Award for squeezing single parents.
Lindt chocolate packs are smaller, but their prices aren't.
That shrinking feeling
We're all too used to grocery prices going up, but have you noticed pack sizes going down?
As if it's not bad enough that we're paying more for the same products than previously, some companies are sneakily making products smaller while leaving prices the same, or even increasing them – a practice called "shrinkflation".
CHOICE has been keeping a close eye on the supermarkets, and in March this year we revealed 10 grocery items hit by shrinkflation, including breakfast cereals, hot cross buns, biscuits and more.
And sadly some supermarkets are bringing big Scrooge energy to the festive season this year: we found five festive foods affected by shrinkflation, including chocolates, Christmas tarts and Christmas cake.
Fortunately the federal government has announced it'll crack down on shrinkflation by strengthening unit pricing and introducing penalties for supermarkets that shrink pack sizes while inflating prices.
Small batteries causing big problems
Temu has become wildly popular thanks to its super-low prices and seemingly endless variety of products you never knew you needed.
But if you're thinking of shopping up a storm buying toys for the little people in your life, CHOICE testing has some sobering news for you: a number of the toys just aren't safe.
We purchased and tested 15 battery-operated products from Temu, and every single one failed safety tests around button battery regulations. Button batteries pose serious safety risks to small children – if they're swallowed, they can cause significant injury and even death.
Unfortunately Temu isn't the only retailer selling dangerous products: in January 2024, CHOICE testing found 10 of 15 common household products had serious safety failures with regards to button batteries.
CHOICE is calling for a general safety provision that will make it illegal to sell unsafe products in Australia.
We're on your side
In more than 60 years of making a difference for Australian consumers, we've never taken ads or sponsorship.
Instead we're funded by members who value expert reviews and independent product testing.
With no self-interest behind our advice, you don't just buy smarter, you get the answers that you need.
You know without hesitation what's safe for you and your family.
And you'll never be alone when something goes wrong or a business treats you unfairly.
Learn more about CHOICE membership today
Stock images: Getty, unless otherwise stated.
