Trailer and caravan trackers in South Africa: what they cost and what insurers ask

What does a caravan or trailer tracker cost?

For a caravan or a trailer, our tracking and recovery deals start from R199pm, and every plan in our quote form comes with free installation and a 36-month contract. Caravans, horse trailers and boat trailers are all quoted as trailers: choose Trailer in the form.

What the monthly fee buys is a way to find it again. King Price’s caravan advice puts it bluntly: “Once stolen, a caravan is difficult to recover without a tracker fitted.” Its list includes “Install a GPS tracker (some insurers require this for theft cover)”, though the blog doesn’t say King Price is one of them.⁸ Dialdirect wrote in 2022 that a tracker “raises the odds of recovery if they’re stolen, which can, in turn, lower your premiums”.⁹

Do insurers require a tracker on a caravan or trailer?

Not as a published rule. King Price’s policy has a section of its own for trailers and caravans, and it sets no tracker, hitch-lock or wheel-clamp requirement.⁴ MiWay counts a “motorcycle, trailer or caravan” among its Miwheels, so theft and hijack cover on a caravan depends on the security devices noted on your coversheet, as it does on a car.⁵

Three insurers keep the option to ask. Santam’s example policy says “Additional conditions can apply to a specific vehicle as part of underwriting and will show in the policy summary.”¹ Discovery Insure may insure trailers and caravans, and gives no cover without the devices your plan schedule stipulates.² OUTsurance treats a South African registered caravan or trailer as a vehicle, and says “You may need to fit additional anti-theft devices in your vehicle, the details of which will be confirmed with you.”³

Dialdirect’s policy book says “We will indemnify you if the trailer is damaged or stolen”, and we found no device clause in it.⁶ Its caravan page lists “accidental damage, theft, hijacking, and towing and storage” without a security requirement.¹⁰ One limit is easy to miss: Santam’s example policy excludes a caravan or trailer “used for any business, trade or occupation or the carriage of any passengers”.¹

Is what’s inside the caravan covered?

Often only in part, and only with signs of a break-in. King Price’s contents cover for a caravan “isn’t automatically included”, and it covers theft of contents only “when we can see proof of visible signs of forced entry and that the damage was caused by the break-in.”⁴ Dialdirect covers loose contents for “break-in or theft, but only when we can see the damage caused by the break-in.”⁶

There are two more gaps. Dialdirect wrote in 2022 that its caravan and trailer plans “won’t cover the valuables you keep inside vehicles”,⁹ and Naked lists “Remote jamming messing with your locks” among its exclusions.⁷ King Price’s advice is simple: “Never leave high-value items visible through windows”.⁸

How many trailers and caravans are stolen?

Nobody publishes a count. SAPS reports vehicle theft as “motor vehicle and motorcycle”, with no trailer or caravan category.¹¹ Of the 3 788 carjackings it sorted by type from April to June 2026, one was of a trailer and five of a “trailer and cargo”.¹² We found no 2025 or 2026 South African report of caravan or trailer theft from the police, an insurer or the news.

There are plenty on the road. TopAuto reported that “Nearly 1.3 million of the vehicles on South Africa’s roads are towed, which includes caravans and trailers”, without naming its source or splitting the two.¹³ Naked’s view is that “Caravans and trailers are valuable, making them attractive targets for theft”.⁷

A trailer is a registered vehicle

The National Road Traffic Act counts a trailer as a motor vehicle, and defines it as “a vehicle which is not self-propelled and which is designed or adapted to be drawn by a motor vehicle”. The Act’s definitions don’t mention caravans.¹⁴ Section 4 says “All motor vehicles shall be registered and licensed unless the contrary is prescribed in respect of specific cases”,¹⁵ and regulation 18 requires a motor vehicle to be licensed “whether or not it is operated on a public road”.¹⁶

Registration shows up in the cover too. OUTsurance’s wording counts a caravan or trailer as a vehicle when it is South African registered, and covers its accessories “if they are included in the OUTsured value”.³ The insurance itself is optional: Dialdirect notes that caravan and trailer insurance “is not a legal requirement”.⁹

Keeping a caravan or trailer where you parked it

Insurers’ advice puts a tracker alongside locks. King Price suggests you “Fit a quality wheel clamp whenever the caravan is unhitched”, “Use a hitch lock to prevent opportunistic towing” and “Park in well-lit, enclosed, or monitored areas”.⁸ Auto & General’s 2024 list for trailers is much the same: a locked garage or storage facility, a hitch lock, wheel clamps, and a GPS tracking device “to monitor its location”.¹⁷

Our trailer and caravan tracking deals start from R199pm. For the car that tows it:

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

Choose Trailer in the form to compare the deals for your trailer or caravan.

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