Do new cars have built-in trackers? What South African car apps do, and don't do

Which cars have built-in GPS tracking?

Built-in tracking that recovers a stolen car is rare. Land Rover’s Secure Tracker is the clearest example: “If your vehicle is tampered with or stolen, our dedicated Stolen Vehicle Tracking Centre is instantly alerted.” It is a subscription, and we couldn’t confirm that it is standard on South African models.¹ Jaguar offers the same Secure Tracker service.² Toyota’s Toyota Remote app includes stolen-vehicle tracking, but Toyota says its remote features currently work only on the 2026 Hilux.³ Volvo’s manual for the 2024 XC40 lists Stolen Vehicle Tracking with Volvo On Call as an option: after a theft is reported to the police, the service centre “informs the police of the car’s position”.⁴

More makers offer a way to find a car than to recover one. BMW’s app can show the vehicle’s location, Lexus’s GPS Locator shows it in real time, Volvo’s app can locate the car on a map, Audi’s can find it, Ford’s shows its exact location and MyPeugeot records where it was last parked.^{6,7,8,9,10,11} Apart from Volvo’s option, none of these pages describes a control room or a recovery team, so finding the car is the most they promise.

Carmakers with no tracking app in South Africa

The South African sites of Hyundai, Kia, Nissan, Mitsubishi, Suzuki, Haval and GWM, Honda and Mazda mention no app that locates the car; their connectivity is phone mirroring through Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.^{17,18,19,20,21,22,23,24}

Some of these brands have connected services in other countries, such as Hyundai’s Bluelink, Kia Connect and Suzuki Connect, which is why search results can mislead. We found none of them offered here, so a review or app listing from abroad doesn’t tell you what a South African car can do.^17,25,26

Several more have apps that stop short of tracking. Chery’s app books services and, through Carlinko, can “operate your vehicle” without saying what that covers, and its Omoda and Jaecoo app is for test drives, service bookings and an owners’ community. The MG iSMART ZA app lets you “remotely check the status of your car”, without saying which models it supports. Isuzu’s Isuzu 360 app, run by the AA, is for owner support; Mahindra’s Mzanzi app books services and calls roadside help; and Renault lists unnamed “connected car services with remote functions” on the Duster Techno+. None describes finding or recovering the car.^{15,27,28,29,30,31}

Is my car app a tracker?

Usually not in the sense that matters after a theft. Toyota’s own FAQ says of its Car Finder: “Car Finder shows last parked location; not real‑time tracking.”³ Toyota South Africa has also said that “the MyToyota app is not a substitute for vehicle tracking devices”, and that fitting one “remains at the discretion of the customer and their insurer”.³²

The difference is what happens next. An app shows you a dot, if it shows anything; a tracker with a recovery service sends people to get the car back, which is why the Secure Tracker’s alert goes to a tracking centre rather than only to your phone.¹

What the specification sheet tells you

Check the specification sheet and the app, then ask the dealer. The detail is often in the small print: Land Rover’s specification pages list “Remote” as standard, not Secure Tracker, and Isuzu lists “Telematics” as an option on the D-Max single cab without saying what it does.^16,33 A Toyota built from September 2019 has Toyota Connect, but on almost every model that means finding a parked car, not recovering a stolen one.^3,5

To find out whether your own car has a tracker, built in or fitted later, our guide to checking your car for a tracker covers the paperwork, who to phone and where to look.

Will my insurer accept a built-in system?

We found no South African insurer that says it accepts a carmaker’s app as an approved tracker, and none that rules one out by name. What insurers do publish is what a tracker must include. Naked notes that “Some insurers require you to use a specific tracking company”, and says that for its own policies “you’re free to use any reputable provider, as long as it includes vehicle recovery.”³⁴

Some carmakers sell an aftermarket tracker through their dealers instead. Hyundai, for one, offers a tracking product as a value-added policy that “can be purchased at your dealership of choice or through our national call centre”.³⁵ The finance arms of Mitsubishi and Renault list vehicle tracking among their value-added products too, without naming the tracking company.^36,37

What to fit to a new car

A tracker with a recovery service, unless your car has one built in and your insurer accepts it. Ask your insurer before you rely on an app, and keep the answer in writing.³⁴

Our deals start from R99pm for a wireless recovery unit, or R149pm for a full insurance-approved tracker. Free installation, 36-month contract.

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