Do Air Tags count as "Is the car fitted with a tracking device?" when getting car insurance renewals?

UberTiger

UberTiger

UberTiger

Soldato
Joined
1 Nov 2008
Posts
4,475
Just renewing a family members car insurance and it's doubled, even with using compare the market and confused.com

One of the questions is "Is the car fitted with a tracking device?", if we've concealed one or two of these in the car, can we say 'Yes' to this questions?

3pMUTp7.png


WAKIcM9.png
 
Last edited:
Hmm, just had a look at Halfords and it seems you can get GPS trackers you connect to your battery for £65, with a £25 a year subscription. Seems like a pretty easy upgrade these days, although super easy for a thief to find and rip out compared to multiple Airtags.
 
Last edited:
I would expect most insurers will specifically want a proper real time monitored GPS tracking system, i'd be checking with the particular insurance company what they will and won't expect to be fitted to qualify

Does it actually make the insurance cheaper? In the past i've seen it make it more expensive for people on cars that the insurance company don't specify it for, as they presumably view it as you perceiving the car to be more at risk of theft than usual.
 
Last edited:
They will generally go on to ask which tracker it is and whether it was fitted by a certified fitter. When the answer is none of the above and no then it'll make no difference to your price.
 
Kenai said:
I would expect most insurers will specifically want a proper real time monitored GPS tracking system, i'd be checking with the particular insurance company what they will and won't expect to be fitted to qualify
Click to expand...

Yeah, i would imagine that the cost of a tracker would outweigh any potential insurance savings. Unless you've got some very high end car anyway.
 
Kenai said:
Does it actually make the insurance cheaper? In the past i've seen it make it more expensive for people on cars that the insurance company don't specify it for, as they presumably view it as you perceiving the car to be more at risk of theft than usual.
Click to expand...

I've just checked - and no :rolleyes:

lol, I guess the car isn't stealable enough anyway. Well, there goes that idea to try and get the price a bit more reasonable!
 
Have you tried (I assume new, as I've only just started hearing about it) the comparison tool on Money Saving Expert? Apparently it will suggest alternative descriptions for the occupation you enter, and how they can make the price cheaper. Obviously it goes without saying that you still need to be truthful, but there are jobs out there that can be described in different ways. My role for example doesn't really fit into their pre-defined categories.
 
Mekrel said:
Have you tried (I assume new, as I've only just started hearing about it) the comparison tool on Money Saving Expert? Apparently it will suggest alternative descriptions for the occupation you enter, and how they can make the price cheaper. Obviously it goes without saying that you still need to be truthful, but there are jobs out there that can be described in different ways. My role for example doesn't really fit into their pre-defined categories.
Click to expand...

I think that tool has been around well over 10 years now, suspect you're hearing more about it these days with insurance prices going through the roof and people desperately looking for ways to make it cheaper
 
Most insurers in their small print mean a Cat 5/6/7 tracker. So one that comes with that certification.

Some will be okay with S7 trackers. My insurers insisted on an S5 tracker in my BMW x5 45e.

What are Thatcham Approved S5 Trackers?​

The S5 vehicle tracker is the highest level of Thatcham approved security and uses both GPS and GSM technology to provide expansive data on the whereabouts of your vehicle.

Some of the best models on the market include the ScorpionTrack DRIVER S5-VTS, The Meta Trak S5, and Vodafone Protect and Connect S5 VTS Plus.

Thatcham approved S5 car trackers are an essential security device to use if you’re looking for reliable protection for your vehicle. These GPS-enabled devices have all of the latest tracking technologies, such as real-time location tracking, two-way communication, and tamper alerts.

Some category S5 car trackers also include an immobiliser, which will automatically activate whenever you lock your car. It will only allow the car engine to start when you click a button on your driver ID tag, so if your car is identified as stolen, you can remotely activate the immobiliser and quite literally stop thieves in their tracks.



What’s the Difference Between Category S5 and Category S7 Trackers?​

Category S5 and Category S7 car trackers share many of the same features, including vehicle motion detecting, GPS capabilities, and 24/7 monitoring. However, the S5 tracker must have a driver identification device, setting it apart from the Thatcham S7 tracker. What’s more, the latter cannot immobilise a stolen car from a different location, whereas S5 trackers can.

Ultimately, S7 trackers are ideal for those who want a simple but effective way to monitor their car that is more affordable than S5 trackers. On the other hand, S5 trackers offer more features and perks, such as remote immobilisation.
Click to expand...
 
Last edited:
When I brought a Civic Type R. A tracker actually put the cost up! So I got the dealer to remove it before I took ownership.

Things might of changed now that any car with keyless entry can basically be stolen in a few seconds these days.
 
UberTiger said:
You can remove the speaker to stop it chirping, making it harder for the thieve to find. I think it takes 8-24 hours to kick in too, which may be enough time for you to track it down before they're notified.
Click to expand...

For me on my android phone, I get a notification on the return leg when I have driven somewhere an hour away and not on shorter trips. I think this will be sufficient in a worse case situation. The bigger problem I find is, the airtag isn't great at updating in less populated areas. For instance when my car was in an industrial estate for a day, it's last ping was on a road about 5 minutes drive away. I better hope my thief is a iPhone kind of person.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom