Product guides
What is a Category S5 tracker?
S5 adds driver recognition to standard tracking, so the car knows whether an authorised driver is present. What that means in practice and who needs one.
If your insurer has asked for a Category S5 tracker and you want to know what you are actually buying, this is the plain version. The trackers we fit cover both categories, so it is worth understanding the difference before you choose.
The one thing that defines S5
Driver recognition.
A standard monitored tracker knows where the vehicle is. An S5 also knows whether an authorised driver is present, usually through a small tag or card you carry.
That difference changes what happens during a theft.
Why that matters
With a basic tracker, the sequence is: your car is stolen, you notice, you ring the control room, they start tracking. The gap between the theft and you noticing might be eight hours if it went overnight.
With an S5, the car moving without the authorised tag is itself the alert. The control room can be acting while the vehicle is still moving, rather than waiting for you to wake up.
On a stolen car, hours matter enormously. That is the whole value.
What else S5 usually includes
- Monitoring around the clock by a staffed control room
- Police liaison, so they contact the authorities rather than you doing it
- Remote immobilisation on many systems, letting the vehicle be stopped safely once located
- Tamper and jamming alerts, so interference is itself a signal
S5 vs S7, briefly
S7 is asset tracking. Position monitoring, used to recover the vehicle after you report it stolen. No driver recognition.
S5 adds the driver recognition described above, and is the higher specification.
Counter-intuitively, the lower number is the higher spec. Most people assume the opposite, so it is worth double checking what your insurer actually asked for.
Do you need one?
Yes, if your insurer says so. That is the end of the discussion. Get the exact wording from them and we will match it.
Possibly, if the car is high value and you want the best recovery odds available.
Probably not, if nobody has asked and your main worry is the car being taken in the first place. A tracker is a recovery tool. If prevention is what you want, an immobiliser is the layer that does that job, and there is no subscription attached to it.
Things to check before you buy
The subscription. S5 systems carry an ongoing fee, because there is a control room behind them. Ask what it costs annually and what happens if it lapses.
Installation requirements. Some insurers require an approved installer and will want the certificate. Fitting it yourself may not satisfy them.
The exact category wording. “Thatcham approved” on its own is not specific enough. You want the category.
Getting it right
Send us what your policy actually says and we will tell you what meets it. If we cannot meet it, we will tell you that too rather than selling you something close and hoping.