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Vyncs GPS Tracker keeps your car on the radar
The Vyncs GPS Vehicle Tracker hits all the marks of good vehicle tracker: unsafe driving alerts, geofencing, and real-time location tracking.
Plus, free roadside assistance and a companion app that can help you track your mileage, which is great if you travel a lot for work.
Vyncs also reminds you of maintenance like wear and tear, battery charge, and recall notices. You can ask Alexa about fuel consumption before work in the morning, and Vyncs even gives you advice on getting better fuel economy.
Here are the top GPS trackers for 2021
- : Best for long-term tracking
- : Best for new drivers
- : Best for vehicle maintenance
- : Best portable tracker
- : Honorable mention
How the best GPS vehicle trackers stack up
| Best for long-term tracking | Best for new drivers | Best for vehicle maintenance | Best portable tracker | Honorable mention | |
| Product |
Vyncs GPS Tracker |
MOTOsafety GPS Tracker |
Bouncie Smart Driving Companion |
SpyTec STI GL300 GPS Tracker |
Optimus 2.0 GPS Tracker |
| Equipment price* | |||||
| Monthly fee |
$0/mo.^ |
$22.99/mo. |
$8/mo. |
$24.95/mo. |
$19.95/mo. |
| Device type |
OBD port plug-in |
OBD port plug-in |
OBD port plug-in |
Freestanding, battery-operated |
Freestanding, battery-operated |
| Driving score |
 Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
 No |
Yes |
| Maintenance reminders |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
| Learn more | View on Amazon | View on Amazon | View on Bouncie | View on Amazon | View on Amazon |
*Amazon.com prices as of 05/28/21 6:30 a.m. MST. View full disclaimer.
+On-Board Diagnostic: The OBD (on-board diagnostic) port connects to your car’s computer. It’s located under your dashboard.
^One-time activation fee of $39.99, annual renewal fee of $78.93
Best vehicle GPS trackers reviews
1. Vyncs GPS Tracker: Best for long-term tracking
The Vyncs GPS tracks location, unsafe driving practices, engine diagnostics, battery life, maintenance needs, recall notices, and fuel levels. Plus, it can help you save on car insurance.
Engine alerts Low yearly fee Driver scoring system Mileage tracker app Roadside assistance
Long-term commitment Delayed location updates Activation feeVyncs evaluates your driving to give you a Tip Performance Index (TPI) score that can help you save money on car insurance. Its free companion app, VyncsMiles, is compatible with Amazon Alexa and can track mileage and categorize it by personal and business use.
Vyncs uses one-year plans instead of month-to-month deals. This kind of pricing can save you cash if you're committed to tracking your vehicle's location for awhile.
You can also check out Vync's Basic, Premium, and Pro plans that sweeten the deal with services like roadside assistance. Vyncs also has a Fleet service for commercial customers who might want to monitor their employees during deliveries or routes.
The OBD plug-in GPS device costs around $90 and comes with a one-year basic plan subscription (and a one-time activation fee of $40). Yearly renewal costs are about $79, which works out to around $6.58 a month, making it the least expensive GPS on our list.
We don't like that the default refresh time is three minutes—the fastest refresh time (15 seconds) is available only for an added fee. The user interface is also a little tricky to manage.
2. MOTOsafety GPS Tracker: Best for new drivers
With a driving education course for teens, Google Maps route replay, geofencing, and customizable location alerts, the easy-to-install and inexpensive MOTOsafety GPS Tracker earned our top spot for new teen drivers. Whether they're out with friends or extracurriculars, having a GPS tracker like this can make it easier to enforce their curfew.
Google Maps route replay Geofencing Curfew Teen driving course
Sensitivity to acceleration Inaccurate speed limitsThis tracking device costs around only $20 with a monthly fee of $19.99. You won't have to sign a contract or pay a cancellation fee, but you will have to call the company if you want to cancel.
We like the included driver training program, with access to educational content and practice quizzes to help your teen prep for their driving test.
We also like the daily driving report card on the mobile app, but metrics can be confusing. Speed limits aren't always accurate on Google Maps, so MOTOsafety might say you're speeding even when you're not.
Likewise, normal rapid acceleration—like when you're merging onto a busy highway—can also count against you. We recommend taking it out for a test drive and checking the sensitivity before taking away your teen's car keys for a bad grade on their MOTOsafety driving report.
Check out our full review on MOTOsafety to learn more about this vehicle GPS tracker.
3. Bouncie: Best for vehicle maintenance
Vehicle maintenance alerts Geofencing Mileage tracking Low monthly subscription fee Real-time vehicle operation alerts
Flashing light Alexa command glitchesBouncie plugs into your car's OBD port and offers standard geofencing and real-time alerts for speed, hard braking, and acceleration. It also helps you keep tabs on gas levels, vehicle maintenance, and routine car-related tasks, like annual emissions inspections.
We like that you can use your Amazon Echo to check the gas in your car or ask when your registration is due.
The device also tracks your mileage and stores the data, which is a great feature if you need to track mileage for business purposes.
Bouncie charges only $8 a month for its tracking services. It's a close second to Vyncs when it comes to pricing but without the long-term commitment. If you want to track three vehicles, you'll get a special discounted rate of $20 per month for all three.
The only downsides to this device were the green flashing light that never seems to go off (black electrical tape to the rescue) and some occasional glitches with the Alexa commands.
Like the sound of Bouncie? Get the full scoop in our in-depth Bouncie review.
The two-inch SpyTec STI GL300 GPS Tracker is small enough to be tucked into a pocket or attached to the undercarriage of your vehicle.
Small enough for pockets and bags Available with 30-day cancellation policy Able to track more than vehicles
Battery-powered and requires charging Not compatible with vehicle OBD port More money for faster trackingThis tracking device is battery-powered, so you'll need to charge it periodically. The manufacturer claims a two-week battery life, but it's more like eight to ten days.
Monitoring will cost you around $25 a month, and you'll get location updates only every 60 seconds unless you pay more for faster tracking. There are no contracts or cancellation fees, and we like that SpyTec offers a 30-day, no-hassle cancellation policy.
5. Optimus 2.0 GPS Tracker
The Optimus 2.0 GPS Tracker is a close cousin to the SpyTec. Both are small, battery-operated vehicle tracking devices, but the Optimus is slightly bigger. The Optimus has better battery life, and the monthly fees are $20 a month.
Can update location every 5 seconds (with upgrade) Can hide in bags or pockets of a vehicle
Has less fluid tracking experienceWe found the location tracking to be more of a connect-the-dots experience rather than the fluid turn-by-turn that you see from other apps, but it depends on the type of monthly plan you buy. Upgrading to updates every five seconds could smooth it out.
Unlike SpyTec's website-only tracking, the Optimus uses both a website and an app.
More brands we considered
Ring Car Alarm
Autobrain is fairly new to the scene, making it a top brand to watch. It shows your vehicle’s real-time location on its mobile app thanks to powerful tracking software. But it’s much more than a real-time GPS tracking device.
Autobrain provides trip reports and maintenance alerts to keep your car healthy and safe to drive. We also like its emergency response abilities. The mobile app’s crash response feature kicks in and calls emergency contacts and responders when it senses a collision.
As of publishing, the Ring Car Alarm isn't yet available. But from what we do know about it, we're excited to give it a spin. The little that's been released about the device makes it sound like it does much more than just track your vehicle. It can sense bumps, break-ins, collisions, and even tow-aways. If you already have a Ring system or Ring products, it could be a good companion for staying safe outside your home.
Vivint Car Guard
The Vivint Car Guard is a GPS tracker, vehicle maintenance tracker, diagnostic tool, driver performance tracker, and a security device rolled into one.
At $200, it's an expensive upfront purchase, but you'll have an incredible amount of data at your fingertips through the Vivint app.
You don't have to purchase a Vivint home security system to use the Vivint car guard. But if you do have a full Vivint system, you can set up some cool home automations in which the car guard communicates with your smart garage door opener, smart lights, or smart door locks based on vehicle proximity.
Check out our full Vivint Car Guard review for an in-depth look at this device.
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Things to consider before you buy a car GPS tracker
Whatever your reasons for wanting to purchase a car GPS tracking device, it's important to make sure you're staying within your legal rights. In most places, as long you're putting the device only on vehicles you own, you're safe. If you want to track a loved one out of genuine concern for their safety and well-being, the best approach is to talk to them about it first.
To make your vehicle even safer, consider other devices like dash cams and rearview (backup) cameras. These devices can improve your viewing angle and keep a valuable record of your time on the road.
Talk to your teenager about driving responsibly before considering a GPS tracker.
We tested vehicle gps trackers in action:
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Final word
Overall, Vyncs vehicle gps tracker is a great choice you want to keep your car (and its driver) safe and sound for about $100 per year.
How we reviewed the best GPS vehicle trackers
Our search for the best GPS vehicle trackers started with investigating top-rated location trackers to see which consistently performed best. We then did our own deep-dig research to see what users were saying about each device so we could choose the best of the best. Check out our full methodology to learn more about how we rank and review products.
GPS vehicle tracker FAQ
Sometimes. GPS tracking devices triangulate their location by sending and receiving satellite signals. Just like your cell phone, your GPS tracker might also experience some interference that can knock the location accuracy off.
When you’re in an area with a lot of buildings, your GPS tracker’s signal can bounce off different surfaces and cause false alerts. It can be annoying and worrisome to get an alert in the middle of the night telling you your car has moved from the garage, but it’s not uncommon for this to happen with GPS trackers.
If the alert shows that the car has just moved a short distance, like down the street, it’s usually a false alarm.
If you live in an area where cell service is spotty, then you’ll likely experience some spotty GPS coverage as well.
This doesn’t mean the GPS isn’t working, it just means it’s unable to get the location information to your phone because there aren’t enough cellular towers around to send the signal.
It depends on the device you buy. Most of the devices we studied were for US use only, but a few worked outside the US in Canada and Mexico.
If you’re not sure if your device will work outside the country, contact the manufacturer.
A GPS tracker for a car is either freestanding or designed to plug into the OBD-II port.
A freestanding car GPS tracker can be put anywhere in or under the vehicle.
A plug-in GPS vehicle tracking system attaches to a special port called the OBD-II ("on board diagnostic") on the driver's side, typically under the steering wheel and slightly to the left. You may need to remove the plastic dash cover to access the OBD port.
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Disclaimer
*Amazon.com prices as of 05/28/21 06:30 a.m. MST. Product prices and availability are accurate as of this date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any prices and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product. Safewise.com utilizes paid Amazon links.
Certain content that appears on this site comes from Amazon. This content is provided “as is” and is subject to change or removal at any time.
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