ALTHOUGH car security improves in tandem with technological advancements, car theft is still rife in the UK — but you can use one of the best car trackers to help protect your precious motor and even save money on your car insurance.
There are a number of options available on the market, including options that can be used for devices other than cars, and others that have been engineered specifically to keep your vehicle on the map.
Is it illegal to track someone's car?
Yes and no. In the UK, you can’t go tracking anyone’s car willy-nilly, since it’s considered an invasion of privacy.
The person you’re tracking has to give consent, and the car should be owned by you.
That's true even if Mum and Dad want to track a young driver in order to receive notifications in the event of a collision or incident.
Employees using company cars can be tracked legally, since companies have a duty of care and may want to track vehicles for safety reasons.
How do car trackers affect insurance?
We put this question to Dan Hutson, head of motor insurance at comparethemarket.com, and he said: “Installing a location tracker can help to keep your car secure and significantly improve the chances that your vehicle will be recovered if it is stolen. These devices usually need to be professionally installed with an upfront cost and sometimes a monthly or annual fee.
“Having a tracker could help to bring the cost of your car insurance down, and for some high-risk vehicles, insurers will insist that you have an approved tracking device installed in order to offer cover.
“However, currently only a small percentage of our customers who enquire about insurance say that they have a tracker installed on their vehicle since they are often only used in expensive cars. If you’re considering having a tracker installed, it’s worth speaking to your insurer to see how this could impact your insurance.”
1.We tested: iTrack
- iTrack Mini GPS Tracker, £45 at Amazon - buy here
Considering its name, you’d expect iTrack to be something of an expert when it comes to digital tracking — and indeed it is.
It felt like the most reliable of the devices we tested, which is probably something to do with the app that accompanies the tracker. It doesn’t have the California-start-up elegance of the Tile app (more on that below), but that’s not a bad thing — it imparts a sense of stolid analogue efficiency. You’d imagine that the people over at the Channel 4 show Hunted would opt for these devices over the Tile — though we have no proof of this.
The device itself has the same no-nonsense vibe as the app; while it’s good looking enough, with its matte black finish and neat proportions (which are dimensionally similar to a pair of wireless earbuds in a charging case), you can tell it’s designed with purpose in mind.
That becomes especially obvious when you see the SOS button on the side of the device. If you press it, the device will send a message to the last phone that called the device.
You can keep abreast of where your car is simply by checking the app. However, you can also get an SMS subscription, which allows you to send a text message and receive an instant reply with a location report and Google Maps link: handy if for some reason you can’t access the app.
There are also a variety of functions that can be activated by texting specific commands: for example, if you send “speed+password+space+080”, you’ll receive an alert every time your car goes over 80mph. There’s a fairly long list of commands like this, making the iTrack the most versatile device we tested.
While we chose to feature the Mini tracker here due to its accessibility, iTrack has a variety of devices, so you’ll be able to find a model suited for your exact needs. If you’re trying to track company cars, for instance, you might be more attracted to its Fleet Series.
Overall, if you’re looking for a tracker specifically designed to keep abreast of your car’s whereabouts, we’d go for this model.
2. We tested: Tile
- Tile Essentials Pack, £59.99 at Amazon - buy here
Tile’s GPS tracker is undoubtedly the best-known in this list — they’ve been the saviour of many forgetful people the world over.
Their devices, which come in various forms including keyrings and credit card-shaped devices for your wallet, connect to their extremely easy to use app — it took us less than five minutes to hook up both a tracker for the car itself, which we stuck inside the glovebox, and a keyring tracker to our car keys.
Because Tile devices rely on Bluetooth, you can pinpoint your car to an exact location — say you forgot where you parked in a labyrinthine neighbourhood or sprawling car park, you can press the “find” button and the tile will play a chirpy (and admittedly slightly annoying) tune that sounds like something from a retro arcade game.
The noise is also a lifesaver when you’re rushing around trying to find your car keys, and there’s even a function that allows you to do it the other way round: if you press a button on your tile keyring, your phone should emit a noise that allows you to find it — although this function was a bit fickle for us.
In the unfortunate event that your car is stolen, you can activate it as lost on the Tile app, which will activate the global Tile network. Every device that uses the app will then scan for the missing car, and if it’s detected you’ll get a notification with its location.
Although the network isn’t as big as the one you’d get from Apple’s new AirTags, Tile has sold 35 million products in 195 countries, so you’re pretty covered — plus, Apple told us that it didn’t feel AirTags would be suitable for this roundup.
3. Invoxia GPS Tracker
- Invoxia GPS Tracker, £110.10 - buy here
French company Invoxia aims for the middle ground between the first two options in this list; claiming to be the "new generation of GPS trackers" it has the sleek aura and versatility of the Tile tracker (it looks a bit like a Juul vape), with a bit of the substantial feel of the iTrack.
It is on the pricer side, but that is a one off-cost: unlike some trackers, you don't need to pay a monthly subscription.
You can set the device to track the location of your vehicle every two, five or ten minutes, and receive an instant alert in the event of any movements the tracker deems to be unusual.
4. Streetwize SWTRACK1
- Streetwize SWTRACK1, £44.99 at Amazon - buy here
The SWTRACK1 by Streetwize is a versatile tracker that can be powered either via its own rechargeable battery or via the car’s battery.
The main selling point of this device is the fact that, while it runs off a SIM card, you won’t have to pay hefty monthly fees to use it.
Instead, simply send an SMS to the SIM card phone number whenever you want your vehicle tracked, and you’ll receive precise GPS coordinates indicating where the tracker is via the Streetwize app.
Because of its built-in battery and compact dimensions, the Streetwize SWTRACK1 can also be used to track other possessions or even pets.
5. Yepzon One
Yepzon’s One utilises a 2G connection in conjunction with GPS and Bluetooth to accurately track the position of items and people outdoors.
This shock-proof and waterproof tracker has a battery life of up to four months, and comes with a non-removable, built-in SIM unit, and one month of free usage included.
After that, you’ll have to pay £3.33 per month as a prepaid, yearly subscription of £39.96.
The app is quite straightforward to use and does not require any specific registration process or passwords to facilitate setup and tracking.
6. Amacam Amatrac AM-T22
- Amacam Amatrac, £49.99 at Amazon - buy here
Unlike many trackers on this list, the Amatrac AM-T22 needs to be installed onto a car’s onboard diagnostics (OBD) port.
While this may sound like a bit of a hassle, it does bypass the need for a separate battery, and, therefore, of charging the device manually.
Most cars today come with an OBD port, so if your vehicle was manufactured after 1996, you can rest assured it is compatible with the Amatrac AM-T22 tracker.
The device tracking works through a 2G connection powered by a SIM card that needs to be inserted into the tracker before installing it in your car.
The global positioning system is quite accurate, with an estimated, real-time position tracking accuracy of fewer than ten meters via the Amacam dedicated app.
7. CARLOCK Advanced Real Time Car Tracker & Car Alarm
- CARLOCK Advanced Real Time Car Tracker & Car Alarm, £49.90 - buy here
Another tracker to be plugged into your car’s OBD port, the CARLOCK Advanced offers a series of interesting features.
For instance, the tracker can send notifications to your phone every time your vehicle is moved when the engine starts, if unusual vibration is detected, and even if the device is disconnected.
Additionally, the CARLOCK Advanced tracker can detect harsh acceleration, hard braking, and sharp cornering, as well as sending alerts when the vehicle’s battery is either extremely low or being drained too fast.
All notifications are sent via the CARLOCK app, but you need to pay a £6.95 fee per month subscription to utilise this tracker (the first month is free, however).
Still, for the number of features it offers, and the price of the device itself, we reckon this is one of the best trackers you can get for your money.
8. TKSTAR TK905
- TKSTAR TK905, £39.99 at Amazon - buy here
The number one best-seller on Amazon for GPS Trackers, the TKSTAR TK905 can be attached to your car in seconds thanks to a strong, built-in magnet.
The tracker is one of the most precise on this list, with a positioning accuracy of up to five meters, and features a number of handy options.
These include real-time tracking, automatic location information display via mobile app, and geo-fencing notifications.
The TK905 is also designed to be rugged, so it comes with an IP58 casing that is waterproof, dustproof, and shockproof.
As a removable tracker, the device needs to be recharged once the battery dies, but with a 5000mAh lithium-ion battery, TKSTAR claims the TK905 can go for around 90 days before needing a recharge.
year of tracking history, and location updates can be configured to be executed every 60, 30 or 10 seconds.
9. Rewire Security DB2 Self-Install Tracker
- Rewire Security DB2 Self-Install Tracker, £34.99 - buy here
Installing the Rewire Security DB2 requires a little know-how, as the tracker needs to be connected to the vehicle’s battery via two wires.
The process is not too difficult, however, and the direct connection to the vehicle’s battery allows the tracker to provide a series of additional information about your vehicle.
For instance, the DB2 can send notifications to your smartphone when the vehicle leaves a specific zone, or when ignition is detected.
The tracker can also detect movement, measure battery voltage, and issue power loss and tow alerts.
Unlike most of the options in this list, the Rewire Security DB2 tracker doesn’t require recurrent payments, instead providing pay-as-you-go tracking (average costly month is estimated at £6.67).
How much is a car tracker?
As with anything, there’s a spectrum of price tags when it comes to car trackers. However, there’s no real reason for you to be paying more than £50 or £60 for one. As is to be expected, ones bearing a higher price tag tend to have more sophisticated accompanying software.
Does my car have a tracker?
Many new cars have tracking devices already installed — Mercedes came under fire a few years ago when it was revealed that the car maker was using tracking to pinpoint customers who had missed their finance payments. Some companies, like Land Rover — whose wares tend to top the list of the most stolen vehicles — offer a subscription to a tracking service upon purchase of a car.
However, older cars tend not to have any pre-installed tracking device.
What does a car tracker look like?
Car trackers take various forms — not all of them look like the ones installed on the underbody of a car in spy films or police dramas. For example Tile’s trackers are simply neat little discs, while Invoxia’s are similarly elegant cylindrical devices.
More from Sun Selects motoring
Enjoyed our roundup of the best car trackers? Check out our dedicated Sun Selects motoring section.
Keen for more motoring gadgets, why not take a look at our round-up of best dash cams?
Or to browse our full range of Sun Selects recommendations, be head back to the Sun Selects main page.
This article and any featured products have been independently chosen by The Sun journalists. All recommendations within the article are informed by expert editorial opinion. If you click a link and buy a product we may earn revenue: this helps to support The Sun, and in no way affects our recommendations.
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