Why a tracker cannot be a one-off purchase

A cheap self-monitored GPS tracker sends a location to your phone and that is it. A Thatcham-approved tracker is different: behind it sits a secure operating centre staffed 24 hours a day. When the tracker raises an alert, a person checks it, calls you, and if the vehicle has been stolen tracks it live and works with the police to recover it. That service, together with the SIM and data the tracker uses, is what the subscription pays for. Without it the unit is just a box under the dashboard.

What the plans cost with us

We fit Meta Trak trackers and you choose the plan when you book, so there is one payment and nothing to set up afterwards. Both plans include the same 24/7 monitoring, police liaison, app access and UK and European coverage.

  • Meta Trak S7 ATS: £229.99 fitted, plus £119.95 for 1 year or £329.95 for 3 years.
  • Meta Trak S5 VTS with driver ID tags: £409.99 fitted, plus £189.95 for 1 year or £499.95 for 3 years.

The three-year plans work out noticeably cheaper per year, and they save you renewing at a time when it is easy to forget.

Renewals: Meta Trak contacts you before a plan ends. Renew before it lapses and the tracker stays live without a gap. If it does lapse, the control room stops monitoring it, and an insurer who required the tracker can treat the vehicle as uninsured for theft until it is reactivated.

What happens when I sell the car

The tracker stays with the vehicle and the remaining subscription can usually be transferred to the new owner, which is a genuine selling point on a high-value car. Alternatively you can have it removed and refitted to your next vehicle; ask us for a price when the time comes.

Are there trackers without a subscription?

Yes, but not insurance-approved ones. Self-monitored trackers with no control room can be useful for a caravan or a classic in storage, but they will not satisfy a policy that asks for Thatcham S5 or S7, and in a theft you are the one doing the tracking and calling the police. For anything your insurer cares about, or anything you cannot afford to lose, budget for the monitored option.

Immobilisers have no running cost

If the ongoing cost puts you off, remember that an immobiliser is a one-off. A Pandora IMMO or CAN-Phantom stops the car being driven away in the first place and costs nothing after fitting. Many of our customers fit an immobiliser on its own, and add the tracker only when an insurer asks for it.