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Want to keep track of your car or truck? We've compiled a list of the best GPS trackers for vehicles, trailers, and other high-value items you want to keep tabs on.
Cars, trucks, trailers, and campers are expensive investments. Adding a GPS tracker to your vehicle is a great way to get peace of mind, keep tabs on usage, and most importantly, prevent loss when it comes to theft. Modern GPS trackers are relatively affordable, small and easy to stash, and even keep connected in case of emergency.
There are a variety of reasons you might want to add a GPS tracker to a vehicle. Whatever the reason and whatever the use case, we’ve tested the most popular GPS trackers on the market to help find the perfect one to fit your needs.
In this guide, we cover GPS trackers that use cell service, satellite networks, and phone Bluetooth to track items from anywhere in the world. We’ll go over the different price points for both the units themselves and monthly service charges, key features of each tracker, what network they operate on, weights, and sizes of all trackers.
We searched the web to find the most popular GPS trackers available and put them to the test side by side across a variety of cars, trailers, snowmobiles, and more — all in search of the best GPS tracker for any vehicle. To learn more about the details of GPS trackers and a more in-depth analysis of how these can vary, be sure to check out our comprehensive buying guide, FAQ, and comparison chart below.
Otherwise, scroll through to see all of our recommended buys for 2024.
By far, our favorite GPS tracker for tracking a car goes to the Bouncie ($90). The tracker works by plugging into your vehicle’s OBD II port. From there, it not only gets power, so you don’t have to worry about charging or replacing batteries, but it also connects to your vehicle’s computer and can start tracking a plethora of your vehicle’s data. This data includes the health of the vehicle’s engine and battery, fuel levels, hard acceleration/braking, speeding, idle time, trip fuel economy, distance driven, impact detection, and curfews.
Not only did the tracker monitor and alert us via email and SMS, but it also did so on a very easy-to-use app. The app shows your vehicle’s location in real-time and logs every data point above. You can easily see where your vehicle is headed and how fast it’s going at any point while the vehicle is powered on and in cell range.
While the price of the tracker is considerably higher than the other trackers at $90, the monthly subscription at $10 is the lowest available, and there are no monitoring levels, meaning it shows real-time updates all the time.
While we loved the data provided, the app user interface, and the alerts available, there are a few downsides to the Bouncie. First and foremost, you can’t hide the tracker at all. It’s very easy to find and remove from the OBD II port, and any educated vehicle thief or high schooler can easily remove it.
Second, the tracker only works when the vehicle is powered on, so if your vehicle gets towed or the battery is dead, there is no tracking. Lastly, this is only compatible with vehicles made in 1996 or newer, as OBD II ports were not required in vehicles made prior to that date. Overall, if you are looking for a vehicle tracker and your vehicle has an OBD II port, we would choose the Bouncie, time and time again
For being small and lightweight, the Tracki ($13) is loaded with features and is 4G LTE connected. While this was the cheapest option we tested, it also came with the most accessories and had a low monthly subscription of $20 or as low as $10 for an annual subscription.
One thing the Tracki has down is notifications: It has the ability to send push notifications, email, and SMS updates, including movement, speed, geofence, low battery, two preset messages, and an SOS alert.
From our testing, we found the device to be very sensitive to movement; the simple act of getting into our truck would trigger the alert compared to the others, which needed the truck to be driven before their movement alerts were triggered physically. The preset messages and SOS alerts were limited to 30 per month combined before incurring additional charges.
The app took a bit of time to figure out, but once we were familiar, we were able to quickly and easily view the map in real-time, check alerts, set notifications, and more. The Tracki comes out of the box with a handful of handy accessories, including a water-resistant case, belt clip, magnetic cover, lanyard, and Velcro stickers. Additionally, online, you can purchase larger batteries, a hardwire kit for a car battery, and an OBD II port to power cable, making the Tracki very versatile for different uses.
Also, the monthly subscriptions do come in multiple tiers and price structures depending on how many devices you have and how many seconds between updates from 60 seconds down to 15 seconds. The battery life was the shortest of the ones we tested in full tracking mode, but it does have a battery saver mode where it will only turn on to track at specific intervals that can help improve battery life.
Overall, the low price of the GPS itself and the monthly subscription without a lack of features or accessories rocketed the Tracki into our best budget choice.
The Spytec GL300 Mini ($18) is another great vehicle tracker. Its rugged, durable, waterproof magnetic box makes it a perfect option for tossing underneath or outside a trailer, truck, car, or camper. The app is easy to use for real-time monitoring and provides a great set of alerts and notifications delivered via mobile, web, email, and SMS.
This tracker has the ability to record and send notifications about trips taken, speeding, geofence entry/exit, movement, distance traveled, and trip duration, as well as a low battery and charging status. A notification can also be signaled if the SOS button is pressed.
While this is an extensive list of alerts, they are only configurable on the desktop app, which, when traveling away from home, can be frustrating. Though the mobile app doesn’t allow alert configurations, it does have a wide range of information about the tracker including real-time map updates, how to use it, live support, and more.
Although we did like the tracker a lot, it was the largest, heaviest, and bulkiest of the trackers we tested. Though rugged and durable, the weatherproof case was even bulkier, making it hard to conceal on any vehicle. Extra accessories include extended battery cases and hardwire kits.
The monthly cost of $23 was on the higher end for subscription tiers as well. Overall, the Spytec GL300 Mini was an extremely reliable, accurate, feature-laden tracker. When matched with its weatherproof case, it was the most durable and rugged tracker for mounting on the outside of any vehicle.
You’re correct: The Apple AirTag ($25) isn’t known as an automotive tracker and it technically doesn’t use GPS. But its affordable price tag with no monthly subscription cost, the fact that it functions as a tracker, and its small size and long battery life make it easy to hide in a vehicle. So we wanted to test and include this option in our guide.
The AirTag does not use cell towers or satellites but instead uses Bluetooth to track its devices. Each time the AirTag comes in proximity with another Apple device running iOS 14 or above, it uses that device to ping out and back to your Apple device. The FindMy app shows users the last pinged location on a map and includes lost and find modes.
Thanks to a replaceable CR2032 battery, the AirTags have a claimed 1-year-plus battery life, and our tester’s four-pack are all on 1 year and 3 months of battery life. Their compact size makes them very easy to stash in a vehicle, backpack, or, really, anything you want to track.
The downside of the AirTags really shows in a few ways. First, there are no alerts like movement, trip start/stop, geofence, and more that we see in all the other trackers. Second, they only work with Bluetooth proximity and won’t track without cell coverage or if there are no iOS 14 devices around.
Lastly, if someone who isn’t the owner starts moving with the AirTag, it will send an alert to their Apple device, letting them know they are being tracked and how to locate the device. Overall, the impressive battery life and $0 monthly fee make the Apple AirTag a great contender for Apple users.
The LandAirSea 54 ($30) was the only tracker that came fully waterproof without an additional case, and that used a satellite network instead of cell towers. These two factors alone make it a powerful tool for discreetly and accurately tracking your vehicle or any precious item.
What stands out about this tracker is its enclosure, a small, black circular design not only boasts full waterproof casing, but also has a pinpoint on/off switch and a built-in magnet so you can hide this tracker just about anywhere.
Unfortunately, the waterproof charging cover isn’t attached and is easy to lose when charging; luckily, they provide a second cover with the box. Additionally, the satellite network can track down to inches, anywhere in the world, compared to cell towers or Bluetooth network trackers.
While the Silver Cloud app isn’t the most user-friendly, it does show real-time tracking of your device, satellite connection, and battery life. However, the notifications are limited to geofencing, speed, and battery life.
The app is also limited in terms of what you can do, as there is only a history of the movements and not a history of the alerts triggered. On the phone app, you can also manage the energy-saver battery mode, where you can set the tracker to only update every 24 hours, giving upward of 6 months of battery life.
Overall, this is a great stealth tracker for protecting any valuable asset. As long as you don’t mind the limited alerts and confusing app, the incredibly accurate satellite network that works anywhere in the world is a good enough reason to choose the LandAirSea 54.
Scroll right to view all of the columns: Price, Base Monthly Subscription, Battery Life, GPS Network, Weight, Size.
Our team tested a pool of GPS trackers head-to-head across multiple vehicles and a range of cell service in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. Our primary test vehicles included a 2017 Toyota Tacoma, a 2014 Ford F-150, and a Triton Snowmobile Trailer, plus more than a few drivers.
Lead tester Eric Phillips has been an outdoor professional for the last 10 years along with being an extreme automotive enthusiast. At age 18, he built a truck from the ground up alongside his dad and, while living in Chicago, raced cars. Not one to take a vehicle to a mechanic, Phillips picks up a wrench to complete the maintenance and upgrades his own rigs.
Phillips has spent a lot of time using GPS to track himself and his belongings, from working search and rescue, split-boarding from huts, and hunting in the remote high alpine to living full-time at 9,000 feet in Colorado. He loves playing with apps and tracking data across phones, tablets, laptops, and desktops.
We tested these units side-by-side by placing them all in the same vehicle and setting the same set of alerts, including the trip start/stop, speed, geofencing, and more. Then we sent off a driver to trigger as many alerts as possible while frantically monitoring each app for notifications, alerts, and data points.
Throughout our field tests and personal experience, we determined the best GPS trackers based on various metrics, including subscription costs, GPS coverage, battery life, ease of use, alerts, tracking data, features, reliability of information, and tracking intervals.
Plenty of applications of GPS trackers come to mind, including monitoring an everyday vehicle, trailer, motorcycle, or bike for wear and tear, tax or workplace purposes, or security.
GPS trackers are also helpful for safety, as they ensure that you know where loved ones are located in case of an emergency.
Battery life is a super important factor when choosing a GPS tracker. A dead battery won’t help if your vehicle gets stolen. If you park your camper in storage all winter and want it tracked, using a tracker that requires charging every 10 days won’t make sense. Thats’s why considering the battery life is important when picking out your GPS tracker.
All of our trackers except the Bouncie run off battery power. The Bouncie uses the vehicle to power the tracker, but that only works if the vehicle is turned on or the car battery is charged. Some models of tracker include power or energy-saving modes that preserve battery life by only tracking at certain intervals. Of these, the LandAirSea 54 stands out with its 4- to 6-month battery life in power-saving mode.
The Apple AirTag is unique in that it uses a nonrechargeable battery that offers 1 year of battery life, which is great for hiding in places you don’t need frequent access.
For the LandAirSea 54, Spytec GL300 Mini, and Tracki, options are available for extending the battery life. That menu includes extended batteries, which are a great alternative when the vehicle or item you want to track does not provide its own power.
If the item you want to track does have its own battery, like a car or truck, hardware kits are available, which let you wire the tracker to the vehicle battery so it’s always powered. The downside is wires coming off the battery are easy to find and disconnect in the case of theft.
While you might think that GPS trackers are cheap, the real cost of using a tracker comes in the form of a monthly subscription needed to use the product. These monthly subscriptions are why these physical trackers are priced so low. The subscriptions cover connecting the trackers to satellites and cell towers and unlocking functions within the paired apps.
The stand-out product in this category is the Apple AirTag, which doesn’t require a monthly subscription to track — just an Apple account. Though its tracking is limited to Bluetooth and there is no ability to set alerts, the one-time price of the AirTag is very enticing.
Second, in the standout aisle is the Bouncie, as its monthly subscription is the cheapest available at only $10 a month. Also, there is no tiered price structure where you pay more per month to track the device in faster intervals.
As you compare the prices of each tracker, be sure to note the monthly subscription prices to get a realistic idea of how much each tracker will cost to operate yearly.
While the main feature of a GPS tracker is in its name — being able to keep track of the item — there are a lot of details available that make using certain trackers easier and more enjoyable.
One primary aspect is waterproofing. Storing a tracking device outside means it’s going to get wet eventually. The LandAirSea 54 is the only tracker that comes fully waterproof while the other trackers offer some form of waterproof case.
Additional factors that help with outdoor mounting are magnets: The LandAirSea 54 and the Tracki both come with integrated magnets for mounting while the Spytec GL300 Mini includes a magnetized and waterproof case.
Some other manufacturing specs we like include battery-saver modes, which prolong the life of the battery, and SOS buttons, which let you send custom messages or an SOS alert. Another design detail is vehicle health monitoring, which lets you monitor a vehicle’s engine health, battery health, and fuel levels.
A range of components exist across our tested GPS trackers from the nearly featureless Apple AirTag to the jam-packed Bouncie.
Real-time tracking refers to tracking an item or seeing where your tracker is in real-time as it’s moving. This is extremely helpful if you’re looking for a stolen vehicle that’s on the move, or monitoring a family member while they drive. Being able to see in real-time where the tracker is, what speed it’s going, and where it’s headed are huge pluses. Our testers were most impressed with the Bouncie when comparing real-time tracking, as it gave the most frequent and also information-heavy updates.
While some trackers work in real-time, other trackers only update once every 1 to 3 minutes or in battery-saver modes as spaced out as once every 24 hours. This type of tracking uses less battery and resources but isn’t as helpful if you’re looking for real-time updates.
If you’re tracking a family member on a road trip and want to see their progress, a 24-hour update might not be quick enough compared to real-time updates. Most trackers can be switched from real-time tracking into a battery-saver interval tracking mode.
Alerts come in various forms. They can be notifications from a web or phone app, an email message, or an SMS text message. Alerts can be set to one, or multiple people or formats for each alert.
GPS trackers can send alerts when certain parameters are triggered. These can include movement, trip start/stop, fuel levels, hard acceleration/braking, speeding, idle time, geo-fencing, trip fuel economy, distance driven, impact detection, curfews, SOS, and more. We’ve analyzed the three most important ones below.
Geo-fencing refers to creating an area on a map in the shape of a square or a circle. The tracker will monitor this area and send alerts whenever the tracker leaves the set boundary or geo fence, and again when it enters a geo fence. These can be very helpful when tracking a family member or young driver to ensure they don’t leave the local neighborhood, county, or even state. A good tracker should be able to easily set and create alerts for geo fences and then receive the alerts immediately when they are triggered.
Speed refers to setting a max speed, like a speed limit on the tracker. Whenever the tracker moves faster than the set limit, an alert will be sent. So whenever you toss the keys to your ride over to a friend or family member, you can say keep it below X miles an hour and get a real-time alert if it’s broken.
Probably the most important feature you would want to know from a tracked vehicle is if it starts or stops moving. If your car starts moving without your permission, an alert from a tracker can quickly alert the owner that a theft may be happening and to call the authorities. An alert like this can really help in cases of theft.
Trip alerts can also be helpful when tracking family members so you know when they have started, and ended vehicle trips. The Tracki has the most sensitive trip start sensor, as climbing into a vehicle where the tracker was in the center console was enough to trigger a trip start alert.
Not exactly. The Apple AirTag, while not technically a GPS tracker, does not require a monthly fee. Every other tracker, though, does require some level of a monthly subscription in order for the tracker to work.
There are a few ways you can tell if someone has put a GPS tracker on your car. First, check the OBD II port for wires or objects plugged in. Next, check the battery for any additional wires like a hardwired tracker. Lastly, you can do a visual sweep of the vehicle, especially underneath for any small boxes that look suspicious.
If there is an Apple AirTag on your car, Apple will send a notification that an AirTag is following you around and also instructions on how to find and stop it from transmitting. There is no guaranteed way to know if someone has put a GPS tracker on your car, but if you do suspect someone has, contact the authorities immediately.
It is recommended when possible to hide a GPS tracker inside or underneath your vehicle. For non-waterproof trackers, the best spots are in the glove box, center console, or underneath the seats.
For waterproof trackers with magnets — whether that’s the tracker itself or a waterproof case that you place the tracker inside — you can hide them underneath the vehicle’s car, on a flat metal surface, ideally on the inside or underneath the vehicle’s frame rail.
Each tracker comes with instructions on best places to mount. But don’t put trackers close to the engine or exhaust of the vehicle where they can become too hot and stop working.
In most states, it’s illegal to install a tracker on someone else’s vehicle without their permission. However, that is not the case when it comes to children and parents. But we don’t recommend trying to track someone else’s vehicle or person without their knowledge and permission.
If a GPS tracker is powered by the vehicle and not by a battery and is securely mounted, it can last indefinitely on a vehicle. Battery-powered trackers will only last if their battery remains charged. This can be as short as a week to as long as a year. It’s important to carefully monitor the battery life of any battery-powered tracker.
The other factor is mounting the tracker. Trackers mounted inside the vehicle likely won’t fall off, while magnet-mounted trackers underneath a vehicle could get knocked off from impact or rough roads. Luckily, you’ll be able to track and find any GPS tracker you lose from a vehicle.
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Eric Phillips is a contributor of GearJunkie. He has been writing about snowboarding, splitboarding, and winter apparel for one year and photographing content for many. Phillips has worked on the Western Mountain Rescue Team and as a professional adventure photographer in the outdoor industry. Based in Crested Butte, Colorado, he’s an avid board sports enthusiast, mountain biker, hunter, hiker, camper, and mountaineer.
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