Tracking Your Vehicle For Free

[Umbelina Baublitz]

Trackerscome in an array of shapes, sizes, and prices, with many requiring a monthly subscription for their services. Our expert review team has tested the best GPS trackers for cars to narrow down the top choices on the market.

There are many useful functions of having a GPS tracker either in your car or in an owned car. That said, GPS trackers can be easily abused, so carefully consider how you plan to use this product before purchasing. We do not condone using these devices to track people without their consent and in most states, installing a GPS tracker this way is illegal.

We named car GPS trackers from Bouncie, LandAirSea, and BrickHouse as our top three picks for car GPS trackers. Other models that made our list include offerings from Tracki, Vyncs, and Spytec, which are more specialized options.

The car GPS trackers in this article went through two rounds of reviews. We started by searching retailers like Amazon, RealTruck, and Advance Auto Parts for top products, looking at factors such as warranties, updates, customer ratings, and prices.

Because of its ease of use and affordability, the Bouncie GPS Car Tracker is our pick for Best Overall car GPS tracker. Downloading the app, signing up, and plugging in the device takes only a few minutes and instantly gives you access to real-time tracking.

Bouncie uses 4G LTE to transmit driving data, so a subscription is required. Most GPS tracker subscriptions are anywhere between $20 and $25 per month, while Bouncie only costs around $9 and even offers more features than competitors. Below are the pros and cons of the Bouncie GPS Car Tracker:

We recommend the Bouncie Car GPS Tracker for anyone who wants an affordable, accurate means of tracking themselves or their loved ones on the road. Its ease of use makes it perfect for anyone unfamiliar with GPS devices.

The total cost of the Bouncie, including a year-long subscription, is roughly $175. This gives you access to resources including location tracking, reports on car health, and insights to improve your driving. Many competitors charge extra for features like these, making Bouncie a great value.

The device latches onto metal surfaces of your car with its built-in super strength magnet. Its battery normally lasts between one to two weeks when providing updates, but can survive up to six months when in low-power mode. Below are the pros and cons of the LandAirSea 54 GPS Tracker:

At the lowest monthly subscription rate of $19.95, the LandAirSea 54 GPS Tracker will run for about $270 per year. This includes a free one-year warranty as long as you are enrolled in a subscription. Users who prepay for an annual subscription can get a rate as low as $9.95 per month.

While this tracker will work to monitor your personal vehicle, the subscription plan may be a little costly for just this purpose. If you want to monitor a commercial vehicle or a fleet of vehicles, the data, geofencing options, and ability to manage multiple trackers at once may be very helpful. Below are the pros and cons of the BrickHouse Security Spark Nano 7:

BrickHouse offers three tiers of service: basic, plus, and premium. Depending on the tier, location updates are provided every five seconds (premium), thirty seconds (plus), or sixty seconds (basic). According to some customers, the tracking information at the lower tiers is less precise.

We tested these devices at the highest level of service, which was accurate to within several feet. However, the tracking works best when the GPS tracker is moving. While parked, the live tracking software would sometimes misplace the tracker by a couple hundred feet.

Because the Spark Nano 7 is battery-powered, it must first be charged. It takes about five hours to fully charge this device, but once charged, it can run for a long time without dying. A full day of use only drains about four percent of the total battery life.

The BrickHouse Security tracking software is simple to use, though there are a lot of options. It is designed to easily generate reports and data about the activities of multiple tracking devices. It also has features useful if you are only tracking a single car, such as the ability to set up text alerts whenever your vehicle leaves (or enters) a certain area.

Most reviewers claim to use this GPS tracker to monitor either a commercial vehicle or a teenage child. In both cases, most are satisfied with this tracker. The magnetic mount is effective and the long battery life allows the Nano 7 to operate for several days without charging.

Some appreciate the amount of detail that goes into the tracking software and are happy with how accurately locations are tracked. Multiple reviewers described a responsive and helpful customer service team.

Not everyone considers these trackers accurate. For several reviewers, the 60-second update interval is too inconsistent. Another complaint has to do with the cancellation process, which cannot be done simply online but requires calling customer service.

The Tracki 4G Mini GPS Tracker is a highly versatile device you can attach to your car using a magnet, belt clip, keychain, or lanyard, making it perfect for use beyond your vehicle. It can provide updates every 15 seconds and has highly accurate geofencing capabilities, too.

This tracker also comes with a lifetime warranty. Should the 4G Mini stop working at any time, you can reach out to Tracki and receive a replacement device free of charge. Below are the pros and cons of the Tracki 4G Mini GPS Tracker:

Not only is the versatility of the Tracki 4G Mini GPS Tracker device useful, but the app comes preloaded with a number of features to help you have a productive experience. The only real con is the battery life, but overall we rated the Tracki at 4.8 out of 5.0 stars.

With its great design and navigable app, we recommend the Tracki 4G Mini GPS Tracker for anyone who likes to have customizable tracking options at their disposal. Users should be willing to commit to a prepaid subscription plan for the best value.

At first, we were a bit overwhelmed by the sheer amount of features provided by the Tracki app. It lets you do everything from geofencing to viewing your driving history from up to five years ago, but after a few uses, we felt comfortable with the app. The 4G Mini was very easy to place anywhere in our car, and the additional attachments allowed undercarriage installment.

We give this product a score of 4.7 out of 5.0. Its tracking capabilities and features for the basic plan are good, plus we like how simple the setup is. The only real kicker is the cost of the upgrades.

The tracking features on the Vyncs were thorough for a basic plan. We were able to receive driver scores, notifications for safe and unsafe driving patterns, and even vehicle health updates including fuel level and emissions.

We give this product a score of 4.2 out of 5.0 stars. While the GL300 can be stored nearly anywhere in a vehicle and updates vehicle locations frequently, the setup and cost lost it some points in our book.

Setting up the GL300 was slow. Spytec required multiple password inputs that were more confusing than secure, and after all this, the device still took hours to activate on the app. Besides this, the app had a similar interface to Google Maps that we enjoyed using.

Before you shop for GPS trackers for your car, consider the following factors to help you determine how you want it to function. It is also important to be sure that you have a clear understanding of how GPS trackers work before making your purchase.

Many car GPS trackers require a subscription to function. These subscriptions are generally monthly or annual depending on the company. The average GPS tracker subscription is anywhere between $20 and $25 per month for a basic plan but can cost more for premium features such as driving habits. Trackers can sometimes also have activation and cancellation fees as well.

Not all GPS trackers have a monthly subscription cost. Some allow you to pay an annual fee, which can range between $100 and $300 depending on the data plan. Although, similar to car insurance, many providers will offer a discount for paying an annual fee versus month-to-month plans.

In this article, we explained some of the benefits of a car GPS tracker and some of the common costs associated with the investment. Additionally, our team examined how GPS trackers can be installed and the differing levels of data brands can provide. Below are our top picks:

For each GPS tracker, we bought the base-level tracking subscription. All tracking apps were accessed using iOS 15 on an iPhone 12 Pro. Next, each of the GPS trackers we tested was placed in the same testing vehicle and tracked over 24 hours. It should be noted that the Bouncie and Vyncs GPS trackers were tested separately since our vehicle only has one OBD-II port.

You want a GPS tracker that works consistently without failure or faulty tracking. Trackers in this review that had real-time updates and accurate readings received a good rating. Trackers that stayed powered on even when the car was not running scored highest in this category.

To determine the value of each GPS tracker, we not only considered the initial price but also the monthly or annual subscription options and what amenities were included. GPS tracker subscriptions that include driving tips, precision tracking, car health reports, and more, all at a fair price, scored highest in this category.

Each year, we test over 350 auto products on vehicles and in our testing lab. Our team of product testers thoroughly researches top products, unboxes and puts our hands on each component, and tests the items on real vehicles before making recommendations to readers.

We publish hundreds of product and service reviews to bring car enthusiasts detailed guides on automotive tools, detailing kits, car seats, pet products, and much more. For more information on our testing methodology and how we evaluate every product, check out our methodology page here.

As a member of both the APA and IMPA, Charles Noyes has devoted himself to creating and refining quality content covering automotive products and accessories, motorcycle products, RV products, and more. As the lead editor serving the product review team, he has personally reviewed, critiqued, and fact-checked over 200 product reviews.

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