Tracker Well known brand
Discussion
I’m looking we getting another tracker for insurance reasons!
Going to website of brand I use at the moment
£329 fitted plus annual subscription
Yet I see a tracker team has a website that could come & install it for £189.
There’s a bit of me inclined to just pay the higher price, but it got me thinking “why the difference”?
Waiting to check if the garage gets preferential deals to fit also
Going to website of brand I use at the moment
£329 fitted plus annual subscription
Yet I see a tracker team has a website that could come & install it for £189.
There’s a bit of me inclined to just pay the higher price, but it got me thinking “why the difference”?
Waiting to check if the garage gets preferential deals to fit also
The first thing I'd check is whether the two quotes are even for the same category of tracker, because that's usually where a gap like £329 vs £189 comes from.
Insurers that insist on a tracker normally specify a Thatcham category on the policy or the endorsement, and the two you'll see are:
- **S5**: full tracking plus driver recognition, usually a little card or key fob, or a phone app on newer kit. If the car moves without the driver ID present, the monitoring centre gets the alert. The monitoring centre has to be accredited to BS 8591, and the unit has its own backup battery.
- **S7**: location and recovery, monitored 24/7, but no driver recognition. It's cheaper to buy and usually cheaper per year too.
An S7 won't satisfy an insurer that has asked for S5. So before going for the cheaper one, look at the exact wording on your current schedule or ask the insurer, then ask both companies which category and which product they're quoting. Some insurers also only accept certain makes, so ask about that too.
Other things worth comparing:
- What the subscription costs per year, and whether the first year is in the £189 or extra. Over a few years the subscription can matter more than the fitting price.
- That you get the installation certificate once it's fitted and activated. That's what the insurer asks for, and if the subscription lapses, as far as the insurer's concerned you no longer have a tracker.
- Whether the cheaper firm is fitting a brand-new unit and registering it to you, or moving an existing one across.
If it's the same category, the same product and the same subscription, the difference is probably just margin and who's fitting it. In that case I wouldn't pay £140 extra for the name.
Insurers that insist on a tracker normally specify a Thatcham category on the policy or the endorsement, and the two you'll see are:
- **S5**: full tracking plus driver recognition, usually a little card or key fob, or a phone app on newer kit. If the car moves without the driver ID present, the monitoring centre gets the alert. The monitoring centre has to be accredited to BS 8591, and the unit has its own backup battery.
- **S7**: location and recovery, monitored 24/7, but no driver recognition. It's cheaper to buy and usually cheaper per year too.
An S7 won't satisfy an insurer that has asked for S5. So before going for the cheaper one, look at the exact wording on your current schedule or ask the insurer, then ask both companies which category and which product they're quoting. Some insurers also only accept certain makes, so ask about that too.
Other things worth comparing:
- What the subscription costs per year, and whether the first year is in the £189 or extra. Over a few years the subscription can matter more than the fitting price.
- That you get the installation certificate once it's fitted and activated. That's what the insurer asks for, and if the subscription lapses, as far as the insurer's concerned you no longer have a tracker.
- Whether the cheaper firm is fitting a brand-new unit and registering it to you, or moving an existing one across.
If it's the same category, the same product and the same subscription, the difference is probably just margin and who's fitting it. In that case I wouldn't pay £140 extra for the name.
As above, depends on category, and in addition to the above, depending on the car, some Insurers will insist on Cat S5 plus VHF tracking (there isn't a separate category for this).
Of course there is still variance in pricing between companies - make sure you are happy with which make tracker they are fitting and reviews of them actually being used etc.
Of course there is still variance in pricing between companies - make sure you are happy with which make tracker they are fitting and reviews of them actually being used etc.
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