AirTags Vs. GPS Trackers: Which One Is More Reliable For Keeping Track Of Your Car?

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

After three years of rising figures, the number of cars reported stolen in the U.S. dropped notably in 2024. Around 850,000 cars were stolen across the country last year, while in 2023, that figure stood at more than a million cars. Around 85% of the cars stolen in 2023 were eventually recovered. If you're looking to make sure that your car has the highest chance of being among that 85%, then fitting a tracker is almost always a good idea.

Trackers let you keep tabs on where your car is whether it's been driven by a friend, a family member, or a thief, and some also offer a suite of other features to complement their basic tracking functionality. The downside is that most GPS trackers are relatively costly, and require monthly subscription fees alongside their initial purchase price.

A commonly cited alternative to an expensive GPS car tracker is the Apple AirTag. It costs $29 and doesn't require any additional subscriptions, making it far cheaper than even the most affordable car GPS tracker. However, it does come with plenty of drawbacks that make its usefulness as a car theft prevention device quite limited.

It might be cheap, and it's easy to set up, but there aren't many other reasons to consider using an Apple AirTag to track a car. Its small size and discreet appearance mean that AirTag tracking can be easily abused, and so to try and prevent this, Apple has implemented several anti-stalking measures. From launch, Apple equipped the AirTag with the ability to alert iPhone users if an AirTag that wasn't theirs was detected as following them — including if it was placed in a vehicle. 

The AirTag should also beep if it's detected by the iPhone of a different owner, making it easy to find even if it was hidden within a car. A 2024 update also saw anti-stalking features further improved, with a collaboration between Google and Apple designed to let Android users know if an AirTag was following them. 

Moreover, AirTags rely on using Bluetooth and UWB signals from nearby phones to alert owners to their location. If there are no phones within the Find My network in range, they won't be able to give up-to-date information on where they are. If you've dropped your keys in the yard, it might not matter so much that the accompanying AirTag's most recent ping was from a few minutes or from an hour ago, since they're unlikely to have moved. However, in a fast-moving car, getting up-to-date location information is key to maximizing your chances of recovering it.

The main downside of buying a dedicated car GPS tracker is that it will cost significantly more than an AirTag, both in terms of upfront cost and in terms of ongoing fees. However, the best car GPS trackers more than justify this added cost with more reliable tracking, discreet installation, and additional features. 

The Bouncie GPS tracker is one popular option, and costs $89.99 plus a $9.65 monthly subscription. That subscription enables real-time GPS tracking through the brand's app, alongside additional features like geo-fencing and driver habit reports to let owners know if the vehicle has accelerated or braked sharply. These additional features might be useful for keeping an eye on younger drivers or family members while they're driving your car.

The Bouncie tracker needs to be plugged into a car's OBD2 port to work, and so it could still potentially be spotted and removed by a sharp-eyed thief. However, more discreet trackers that feature built-in batteries are also available. The LandAirSea 54 GPS Tracker is an affordable example, with a retail price of $29.95. It also requires a monthly subscription, which starts from $9.95 per month with a two-year plan. It can be hidden anywhere within a car and can ping its location every few seconds, although the refresh rate varies based on your subscription tier. Unlike the Bouncie tracker, you'll need to remember to charge the batteries. which LandAirSea says should last two weeks on average.