Is your car in a dangerous area or has it been unobserved for a long time? Then a GPS tracker in the car is a really good solution. Some even have switchable relays with which the oil supply and thus an unauthorized start can be prevented. If the vehicle is stolen, the position data can be passed on to the police and the search for the vehicle can be made easier.

Topics in this buying guide:
What is a GPS Tracker?
Features of car GPS trackers.
4 things to consider before buying car GPS trackers.

What is a car GPS tracker?

A GPS car tracker is a small navigation device equipped with a GPS receiver that enables determining the position of the object the tracking unit is installed into.

The position of the monitored object is determined with the help of reference points - the satellites that send information to the ground. Each tracking device is in charge of sending signals to satellites which then transmit the location details to a server. This makes it possible to display a specific object on a map, which can be done by any authorized person.

GPS tracking systems generally include the following crucial components: a tracking unit, a server that receives tracking information from satellites, and a user interface that enables displaying the location of the monitored object.

The demand for car tracker solutions has increased in recent years, primarily due to a dramatic rise of vehicle thefts in urban areas. GPS car trackers are primarily being used for security reasons - to obtain a car’s location and enable vehicle tracking in case of a theft. GPS car tracking systems also serve as a great fleet monitoring solution that facilitates vehicle tracking for any large car or truck fleet company. Moreover, car trackers can also be of great relief for parents of teenagers, especially if a car tracking solution provides reports of teens’ actions behind the wheel.

Features of car GPS trackers.

Realtime location
At the time when car tracker was in development, most traditional anti-theft solutions, such as factory alarms or steering wheel locks, could not provide real-time location info. GPS tracker solutions that were able to do so were rare while the updates they provided at the time usually came with a long lag time, e.g. on a 5-minute basis or even later. The car tracker, however, enabled real-time notifications with a possible delay of max. 1 minute and the refresh rate of 30 minutes if the vehicle is stationary. Besides, the system also records the whole trip history, which provides access to the history of all notifications detected for any vehicle."

5 things to consider before buying car GPS trackers.

Accuracy of tracking results
The accuracy of the GPS tracker is one of the most important criteria. The manufacturers rarely give exact information about the accuracy of GPS location. Usually only ""excellent"" or ""exact"" location is mentioned. By default, GPS has a possible deviation of around eight meters, but this can be reduced using various technical methods, so that the location can be determined to within two meters. Even more precise location is possible, but usually too expensive for private use. Especially with ultra-compact GPS trackers with a small antenna, the deviation can be significantly higher, according to the manufacturer, the accuracy is sometimes limited to 15 meters. Ordinary palm-sized GPS trackers promise the accuracy of around 5 meters in the absence of interference.