MatrixBasic
Beame
R99/month
- Stolen vehicle recovery
- 24/7 monitoring centre
- Mobile app access
- Jamming detection
- + 1 more feature
A vehicle tracking system lets you, your insurer and a 24/7 control room find your car if it is stolen or hijacked. Here is how car tracking works, the types of car tracking device you can buy in South Africa, what vehicle tracking costs and which car tracking companies to compare.
A vehicle tracking system has three parts: a small car tracking device hidden in the vehicle, a connection that sends its position (usually the cellular network), and the service behind it, meaning a 24/7 control room, an app and, for stolen-vehicle recovery, ground and air teams that go and find the car. When you pay for vehicle tracking in South Africa you are mostly paying for that service, which is why it is billed monthly.
The tracking unit works out its location from GPS satellites and reports it over GSM/4G. If the car is stolen, the control room follows it live and sends a recovery team. Systems built for recovery add backups: VHF radio or wireless tags that still work when thieves use a GPS jammer, and an internal battery in case the car battery is cut.
Depending on the package: stolen-vehicle recovery, live location in an app, trip history and logbook, geofence and speed alerts, crash detection with emergency response, a panic button, remote immobilising, and for businesses full telematics and driver monitoring.
| Type | How it works | Typical cost | Insurer-approved? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wireless recovery unit (e.g. Matrix Beame, Netstar STARtag) | Battery-powered unit hidden anywhere in the car, no wiring. Used to find the car after theft. | R89–R99 a month | Yes, by many insurers |
| Hardwired live tracker (e.g. Matrix Silver, Tracker Protect, Cartrack Quick Plus) | Wired into the car's power, reports live, powers the app and alerts. | About R149–R219 a month | Yes |
| Premium / telematics system | Live tracking plus driver behaviour, crash detection, immobiliser and extra cover. | About R199–R299 a month | Yes |
| Plug-in OBD device or phone app | Plugs into the diagnostic port or uses a phone's GPS. Easy to find and remove. | Low or once-off | Usually not |
Prices include VAT and are taken from providers' published packages, checked September 2026. Your quote is final.
Car tracking starts at R89 a month (see our car tracker buyer's guide). These are the main packages from the leading car tracking companies, cheapest first:
| Vehicle tracker | Monthly price | Installation | Contract | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Netstar STARtag | R89/month | No installation needed | 36-month contract | Get a quote |
| Matrix Beame | R99/month | Installation quoted by provider | 36-month contract | Get a quote |
| Tracker Retrieve+ | R99/month | Free installation (36-month contract) | 36-month contract | Get a quote |
| Cartrack Quick | R99/month | Free installation (36-month contract) | 36-month contract | Get a quote |
| Cartrack Quick Plus | R149/month | Free installation (36-month contract) | 36-month contract | Get a quote |
| Netstar Plus | R169/month | Installation quoted by provider | 36-month contract | Get a quote |
| Tracker Protect | R179/month | Free installation (36-month contract) | 36-month contract | Get a quote |
| Matrix Silver | R219/month | Installation quoted by provider | 36-month contract | Get a quote |
| Tracker Skytrax | R289/month | Free installation (36-month contract) | 36-month contract | Get a quote |
| Matrix Gold | R299/month | Installation quoted by provider | 36-month contract | Get a quote |
Use the car tracker price calculator to estimate the cost over a full contract, or see every plan on car tracker prices.
MiX by Powerfleet. Beame wireless recovery from R99, live tracking, and the Matrix Vision AI dash cam.
Matrix car tracker →GPS plus VHF radio and a national recovery network. Packages from R99 a month.
Tracker South Africa →A vehicle tracking system is a small device fitted to your car plus the service behind it: a 24/7 control room, an app and, for stolen-vehicle recovery, a team that goes to find the car. The device reports the vehicle's location using GPS and sends it over the cellular network; some systems also use VHF radio so the car can be found when GPS or cellular signals are jammed.
Personal vehicle tracking costs from about R89 to R99 a month for a recovery-only unit (Netstar STARtag, Matrix Beame, Tracker Retrieve+ or Cartrack Quick), about R149 to R219 a month for live tracking in an app, and about R199 to R299 a month for premium packages. Most providers include installation on a 36-month contract.
It depends on what you need. For insurance-approved recovery at the lowest price, a wireless unit such as Matrix Beame (R99 a month) or Netstar STARtag (R89 a month) is enough. If you want to see the car live, get trip history and alerts, choose a hardwired live-tracking package. Fleets and business vehicles benefit from a full telematics system with driver monitoring and an AI dash cam.
The main car tracking companies are Matrix (including Beame), Tracker, Cartrack and Netstar, with smaller providers such as Titan Secure offering month-to-month and once-off options.
Insurer-approved trackers must be fitted by the provider's technician so the insurer gets a valid fitment certificate. Plug-in OBD devices and phone apps can be self-installed, but most insurers do not accept them as an approved tracking device.
Many insurers require an approved tracker on high-risk or higher-value vehicles (bakkies, popular hatchbacks and many SUVs) and may refuse theft cover or charge a higher premium without one. Check your policy schedule for a tracker clause.
Tell us your car once and compare Matrix, Tracker, Cartrack and Netstar before you commit to a contract.
Pick a plan and request a free quote in under a minute. The provider confirms the price and books installation.