Insurance Approved Tracking
Car devices like trackers offer the ultimate piece of mind. But this isn't their only advantage - did you know that car trackers could actually lower your insurance premium?
Dont be fooled, Insurance Approved Trackers aren't like a Black Box, They dont monitor how you drive and report back to your insurer, They are theft prevention systems and this page has been put together to help make sense of the different categories and what they do for you!
Systems are split into categories (S7, S5, S5+) these dictate the Thatcham rating, features and are what insurance companies use to work out what they require to have installed to validate a policy. You can have any system installed even if your insurance company doesn't require one.
S7
S5 systems are slightly different as they include Driver Identification systems (ADR Tags/RFID), This is to distinguish who is using the vehicle, Without a tag present the system assumes a possible theft attempt and sends an alert to your providers secure monitoring team
-
Any vehicle activity (Towing, Ignition on) without a tag present is regarded as attempted theft, Alerts are then sent to your providers secure monitoring centre.
S5
S5+
S5+ systems include all the features of S5/S7 with added Immobilisation
-
No Tag/NO START Immobilisation - If the ADR Tag isnt present the vehicle's engine is not authorised to start, This can usually be set by proximity or button press
-
Remote Immobilisation, In the event the keys and ADR tag are taken with the vehicle, Most systems allow you to remotely block the engine from starting on the next cycle. The app overrides the ADR Tag.
If your insurance company have asked to have a system fitted S7 will be the minimum requirement unless stated
-
All systems are backed by a 24/7 Monitoring centre, in the event of an alert they will try to contact you to verify if the vehicle has been stolen, Once confirmed they can issue a level 1 police response and start the recovery process
-
Vehicle motion detection - thieves may attempt to tow or roll a car, but motion sensing means the system will still alert to a theft.
-
GPS system - to monitor vehicle location in real time and provide the best chance of recovering the vehicle if stolen.
Some systems come with more features like OBD immoblisation, Alarm Triggering (if the vehicle alarm goes off you are alerted) and being able to use your mobile phone as a ADR Tag, New systems and new features are released quite frequently.
Thatcham Research are an industry-accredited body, responsible for testing, categorising and approving all new car trackers. In 2019, Thatcham changed how they categorised car trackers.
Previously, there were category 5, category 6 and category 7 car trackers. Now, they have been simplified into two categories: category S5 and category S7 car trackers. Category 5 trackers have became category S5, category 7 have became category S7, and category 6 have been split between the two. You can see this more clearly in the illustration below.
So, if you purchase a new insurance approved tracker, it will be either a category S5 or category S7 car tracker. But don’t worry if you have an old category 5, 6 or 7 car tracker, as these still remain valid.
If your unsure what system you need or want some advice on the system that would work best for your needs, Feel free to get in contact with us and we can help choose with you! we also offer BrightTrak, a self monitored system built for Business fleets but work very well for personal peace of mind tracking.