What’s The Difference Between Cat S5 & S7 Car Trackers?

13 Apr 2022 10:42:00

You may be thinking of buying a car tracker if you’ve just bought a new car, want to lower car insurance premiums or have had your car stolen in the past. 

Whilst browsing for a car tracker, you’ve probably came across the words ‘Thatcham approved’ quite a lot. You’ve also probably seen ‘category S5’, ‘category S7’ and even out-dated ‘category 6’ car trackers, but may have no idea what it all means!

Not to worry! Here at Trackerfit we like to make buying a car tracker as easy as possible, so we’ve broken down all the different categories of car tracker below. 

New Categories

Thatcham Research are an industry-accredited body, responsible for testing, categorising and approving all new car trackers. In 2019, Thatcham changed how they categorised car trackers.

Previously, there were category 5, category 6 and category 7 car trackers. Now, they have been simplified into two categories: category S5 and category S7 car trackers. Category 5 trackers have became category S5, category 7 have became category S7, and category 6 have been split between the two. You can see this more clearly in the illustration below.

New Accreditations

So, if you purchase a new car tracker, it will be either a category S5 or category S7 car tracker. But don’t worry if you have an old category 5, 6 or 7 car tracker, as these still remain valid.

We’ll break down exactly what these new categories mean below, but first we’ll tell you a little more about Thatcham Research and what they do. 

Who Are Thatcham?

Thatcham Research are an independent, not-for-profit organisation dedicated to establishing and maintaining strict safety and security standards for road vehicles in the UK. They were founded by British motor insurers in 1969 with the principal aim of reducing car insurance costs. 

Thatcham were to acheive this by testing, categorising and approving the safety and security features submitted by manufacturers. Insurers would then know to lower insurance prices when vehicles had these features, which reduced the likelihood of crashes or thefts.

So Thatcham don’t actually make any products, they simply test them to make sure they’re up to standards. That’s why it’s important to buy a Thatcham approved car tracker, as these are the best products and also insurance approved.

Thatcham Car Tracker Categories 

Category S5 Car Trackers

From the 1st of January 2019, the new Thatcham categories came into effect. The new Category S5 is the gold standard and is only awarded to the very highest specification tracking devices, which provide the greatest level of security and recoverability.

Category S5 car trackers must have the following security features:

  • GPS system - to monitor vehicle location in real time and provide the best chance of recovering the vehicle if stolen.

  • Monitored 24/7 by a remote security centre - even if you’re asleep when thieves strike, operatives at the security centre will alert to a theft.

  • Vehicle motion detection - thieves may attempt to tow or roll a car, but motion sensing means the system will still alert to a theft.

  • Driver identification device - if the engine is started without the presence of this ID device, the system will alert to a theft.

Some category S5 car trackers also include an immobiliser. An immobiliser stops the car engine from restarting. There are several ways an immobiliser might work with a category S5 car tracker:

  1. Automatic immobiliser - the immobiliser 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.

  2. Remote immobiliser - if your car is identified as stolen, operatives monitoring the vehicle’s location can remotely activate the immobiliser, quite literally stopping thieves in their tracks.

Category S7 Car Trackers

Thatcham category S7 trackers also provide an excellent level of tracking ability. Whilst these car trackers don't quite meet the full criteria for category s5, they still provide a selection of security features.

Category S7 car trackers are our most popular car trackers, as they’re typically more affordable. This means they’re particularly popular with owners of mid-range cars like Nissan, Mitsubishi and VW. Lots of high-end car owners still opt for category S7 car trackers too, and there are even car trackers specifically designed for cars like BMWs.

Category S7 car trackers must have the following security features:

  • Location system - category S7 car trackers don’t have to use GPS (although most still do), as long as Thatcham can locate the vehicle within 15 minutes on a pursuit test.

  • Monitored 24/7 by a remote security centre - even if you’re asleep when thieves strike, operatives at the security centre will alert to a theft.

  • Vehicle motion detection - thieves may attempt to tow or roll a car, but motion sensing means the system will still alert to a theft.

What’s the difference between Category S5 car trackers and Category S7 car trackers?

The main difference between a Category S5 and Category S7 car tracker is that Category S5 trackers must also have a driver identification device. This provides additional security as movement can quickly be identified as a theft.

What’s the price difference between Category S5 car trackers and Category S7 car trackers?

Category S5 trackers are typically more expensive due to the higher level of security they afford. The Category S5 car trackers we sell here at Trackerfit range from £399 to £699. Although this may seem expensive, you have to weigh the cost of a car tracker against the cost of a stolen car. You should also consider the potential to save money on car insurance for years to come. 

Category S7 car trackers are more affordable, ranging between £189 and £449. The difference in price can be accounted for by varying security features, so you should consider which features are essential before buying. 

You can browse our full range of car trackers here

How can Trackerfit help me find my perfect car tracker?

We sell hundreds of car trackers from leading manufacturers, including SmarTrack, Tracker and Vodafone Automotive. We ensure that all of our car trackers meet the highest standards of quality, manufacture and reliability

We know it can be a little overwhelming to browse hundreds of car trackers and attempt to understand the difference between them. Not to worry though, because our expert team are on hand to talk! Our advisers will ask why you want a car tracker, what features you’d like and then they’ll find the best car tracker for you. So call us for free on 0800 756 5100.

Here at Trackerfit,we pride ourselves on providing superior service to other sellers. That’s why we’ll install any Thatcham approved car tracker purchased from our website for free at a time and place of your convenience.

Posted in News By TrackerFit