8 Of The Best GPS Trackers For Your Car

Cars are a uniquely high-risk purchase for many people — while they're among the priciest items most of us will ever buy and essential to our daily lives, they're also worryingly easy for criminals to steal. So, it makes sense to add as many extra layers of security to your car as possible, and GPS trackers are a great way to do that. The top trackers are discreet, reliable, and come packed with extra features that make them well worth the purchase price, plus the monthly subscription fee. Those fees are ubiquitous among all of the best trackers, too, although they vary considerably between brands, so they're important to factor in alongside the features and capabilities of the tracker itself.

GPS trackers can also be useful for keeping tabs on teenagers or elderly parents, but be aware: in most states, attaching a tracker to someone's car without their express consent is illegal, family or not. That said, if you're looking for an effective way to locate your vehicle if it goes missing, or to make sure a family member isn't misusing their car, these top picks are the best on the market right now.

Many GPS trackers run on batteries, which is useful for hiding them in discreet places, but does mean they require regular charging to remain functional. The Bouncie GPS tracker gets around this by plugging into your car's OBD2 port, which is usually found somewhere under the dash on the driver's side. Depending on the exact location of the port on your car, that often means the tracker is less well hidden than a battery-powered tracker would be, but you never have to worry about charging the Bouncie up, as it draws power directly from your car.

Navigating the in-app tracking interface is fairly painless – some apps can be tricky to get to grips with, with a plethora of tracking metrics more suited to commercial users than individuals, but the Bouncie app makes things straightforward. The tracker updates every 15 seconds, and it works across the U.S., Canada, and Mexico wherever there's a cellular signal. The monthly subscription fee is $9, making this one of the more affordable trackers to use, although there's a relatively high $89.99 upfront cost for the device. Keep an eye out, as it can often be found for a discount on Amazon across popular buying times like the holiday season, making this already top-performing device an even better value.

It might be on the pricier end both to buy and in terms of subscription fees, but the Brickhouse 140-Day tracker offers a robust set of features that makes it worth the investment. It retails for $149.95, though it's often steeply discounted on Amazon. There are three subscription tiers, with the cheapest of those costing $17.99 per month and the top tier costing $34.99. The headline advantage of the tracker is its exceptionally long battery life, with up to 140 days of tracking available per charge thanks to an auxiliary battery pack that's included with the tracker. Without the extra battery, the standalone tracker delivers a still-decent 15 days of tracking between charges.

The Brickhouse tracker uses the 4G network and covers all of North America, updating every five seconds with the top-spec subscription. Base-tier subscribers have to wait 60 seconds between refreshes. The case of the tracker is waterproof and features magnets to enable it to attach to a variety of metal surfaces, so finding a discreet location to hide it in your car should be no hassle. Brickhouse claims to supply security devices to 80% of companies on the Fortune 500 as well as local and national law enforcement, making them a safe bet if you're looking for a high-end tracker that should remain hidden from joyriders and car thieves.

A straightforward tracker with an intuitive interface thanks to the compatible Hapn app, the SpyTec GPS GL300 gets all the basics right, with some extra features thrown in, too. It's one of the cheapest devices to buy, with a retail price of $14.95, but can often be found even cheaper on Amazon. The monthly subscription, however, is on the pricier side: it starts at $25 monthly for an annual plan or $30 monthly for a rolling plan, and goes up from there for additional features and functions. However, the map tracking interface is one of the easier to use, and the variable reporting times let you prioritize either battery life or refresh speed.

The reporting mode can be configured to update the tracker's location from every five seconds to every 24 hours, and can be adjusted on the fly from the app. Coverage is worldwide, as opposed to being restricted to North America like many rivals are — perfect for keeping tabs on friends and family during long-distance international road trips. Custom zones can also be set up within the app, triggering alerts when a vehicle enters or exits the zone. While the monthly subscription might be a little pricier than some of its competition, the SpyTec's ease of use and range of features make it a great option for both theft protection and trip tracking.

The Optimus GPS 2.0 is compact and affordable, even if it doesn't quite pack the same power that more expensive rivals do. It's available for a retail price of $24.95 on Amazon, with a $19.95 monthly subscription fee that can be canceled at any point. It can be fitted in most places on a car, but the company notes that enclosed metal spaces such as the inside of a trailer or covered truck bed can cause issues with signal transmission, so it's best to stick to more open locations like the glovebox or under the seats.

The battery can last up to two weeks when the tracker is left on its default setting of one refresh per minute, but the refresh rate can be manually adjusted for either better battery life or more accurate tracking. Like all good trackers, a variety of email or text alerts can be turned on or off to notify owners if the tracker detects speeding, entering or leaving a restricted zone, or if the SOS button is pushed. Since the Optimus is limited to the U.S. and Canada, it's best for parents or guardians looking to keep an eye on their relatives, but it's also an effective tool if the car is stolen thanks to its discreet size and the range of locations where it can be hidden.

Another competent-yet-affordable all-rounder, the Trak-4 GPS Tracker is a weatherproof tracker with adjustable update frequency, geofencing, and customizable notifications. In its most battery-conserving form, the tracker only updates its location once a day, which gives it a battery life of up to 18 months. However, configure it to report every two minutes and that battery life is reduced to just two to four days. It might not be the most long-lasting of devices, but its small size and simple setup make it a decent option if you're looking for infrequent tracking, perhaps to keep tabs on a sports or classic car that's only used a few times a month.

The device itself is available for $34.80 on Amazon, while the monthly subscription fee varies significantly depending on whether you pay monthly or annually. For the former, expect to pay at least $12.99 per month for the basic subscription, but for an annual plan, that drops to $6.99, making it one of the cheapest trackers here to buy and maintain if you pay yearly.

The MOTOsafety OBD Tracker is a great option for tracking teenagers who might lack the capabilities or sensibility of a more experienced driver, with a variety of family-friendly features on offer for a reasonable price. As well as all the usual tracker features — updating parents on their child's location and monitoring things like speed and sudden acceleration — the MOTOsafety can also remind them of vehicle maintenance requirements and give an overall "safety report" on their driving. The geofencing feature can also be used to set outer limits or exclusion zones to their route, with alerts automatically generated if they stray out of the area.

It's worth noting that, although there is a mobile app, not every setting can be configured from it, and some require you to log into the brand's website through your browser instead. Nonetheless, the MOTOsafety tracker is, in general, easy to use and is installed by fitting it to the car's OBD2 port, so there's no need to worry about recharging it. It can be picked up from $29.99 on Amazon.

As its name suggests, the LandAirSea 54 is not just suitable for tracking cars. Because it's 100% waterproof, it can be used on boats, trailers, or any other vehicle you need to track. It's also one of the most precise trackers on the market, with a refresh rate of as little as three seconds if you pay for the premium plan. At $49.95, that plan is far from cheap, but the $24.95 monthly plan refreshes every 60 seconds, which will likely be enough for most people. Further discounts are available if you buy an annual or 2-year plan.

The tracker costs just $29.95 on Amazon, making it one of the cheaper devices here upfront. An additional kit can also be purchased to hardwire the tracker into a car so you don't have to worry about battery life, although the 54's standard battery life is largely competitive with other trackers in the segment. Its accuracy is a step above its rivals, and the initial setup, web portal, and mobile app are all easy to navigate, making this a strong contender for best in class if you can stomach the high monthly fees.

The Tracki is so small and light that it's useful not just for tracking cars, but anything from pets or even children, too. It retails for just $28.88 on Amazon, with rolling monthly subscriptions starting at $19.95. It's possible to get the monthly fee down to around half that figure if you pre-pay for a longer-term plan. The tracker is guaranteed accuracy to within six feet of an asset's location — not quite up there with the very best on the market, but more than enough for what most people will need.

Battery life is competitive if not class-leading. Expect to see up to five days of life with the tracker refreshing every couple of minutes, and up to two months if it only refreshes once a day. It's easy to set up and use, making it great for less techie consumers, and most common features like geofencing and an SOS button are available. Those looking for ultimate accuracy or a plethora of additional features might want to look at one of the pricier options on this list, but as a basic, entry-level GPS tracker, the Tracki is a solid contender.