Cartrack features

Cartrack CarWatch: What It Is and How to Activate It

Cartrack’s “car guard in your pocket”, explained.

Updated 30 September 2026 · TrackerPrices SA

TrackerPrices SA is an independent comparison site. We are not Cartrack and are not affiliated with it, so we cannot access your account, log you in or cancel a contract for you. Facts on this page were checked against official Cartrack sources in September 2026; the provider’s own website is always the final word.

Quick answer: CarWatch is a Cartrack app feature that alerts you if your parked car moves. While CarWatch is on, the Cartrack unit detects any movement and sends a push notification to your phone. To activate it, tap the CarWatch icon at the bottom of the Cartrack app and switch on the toggle next to your vehicle.

How CarWatch works

When you park, you switch CarWatch on for that vehicle. If the car moves while CarWatch is active, the unit detects it and the app sends you a push notification, so you can decide what to do – call Cartrack’s control room, the police or security. Cartrack describes it as “your own personal car guard”.

How to activate CarWatch

Open the Cartrack app and log in.
Tap the CarWatch icon at the bottom of the screen.
Tap or slide the toggle next to the vehicle you want to protect.
Tap OK. Turn it off the same way before you drive.

Similar features elsewhere

Tracker offers a similar in-app Car Guard. With Matrix, live-tracking plans (Silver, Gold) send movement alerts, and the Matrix Vision dashcam adds video and live streaming.

Looking for an alternative to Cartrack?

If you are reviewing your Cartrack contract, compare it with Matrix before you renew. Matrix Beame gives insurer-approved recovery from R99 a month with no wiring, and the new Matrix Vision dashcam adds road-facing and in-cab AI cameras, collision and distraction alerts and live streaming from R359 a month. Both come from MiX by Powerfleet, one of South Africa’s longest-running vehicle telematics companies.

Matrix Beame – insurer-approved wireless theft recovery, R99/month. Get a Beame quote
Matrix Vision dashcam – road-facing ADAS and in-cab AI cameras, R359/month (Vision Pro R399). Get a Matrix Vision quote
Matrix Bronze, Silver and Gold – tracking packages at R189, R219 and R239/month (36 months), all with Beame included; Gold adds Crash Alert, Roadside Assist and a Tax Logbook. Get a Matrix quote