The Best Trailer Trackers Available

The best trailer tracker in the UK is the Tracker Retrieve for jammer-proof VHF recovery (5-year battery, £249 fitted plus a subscription) or the SmarTrack Protector for caravans and horseboxes wanting a self-contained wireless unit monitored around the clock by Global Telemetrics (£299 including the first year’s subscription).

Trailers, caravans, and horseboxes are among the easiest vehicles to steal – they have no ignition lock, no immobiliser, and most sit unattended for weeks or months between uses. Over 4,000 caravans and 2,000 horseboxes are stolen in the UK every year, with only 23% of stolen caravans ever recovered. Plant and equipment trailer theft costs UK businesses over £100 million annually.

The challenge with tracking trailers is that most have no power supply. Car and van trackers need a 12V connection, but a caravan parked in storage has no battery to power a hardwired tracker. That’s why trailer trackers are almost exclusively battery-powered – self-contained units with 3-5 year battery life that transmit location data once per day in standby, switching to rapid updates when theft is detected.

We’ve compared 7 battery-powered trailer trackers available in the UK, all Thatcham S7 approved and insurance-recognised. If you’re looking for fleet vehicle trackers instead, see our vehicle tracker comparison. This guide was last updated in September 2026.

The 7 Best Trailer Trackers UK

All seven trackers here are Thatcham S7 approved, battery-powered, and insurance-recognised. The key differences are battery life (3-5 years), tracking technology (GPS-only vs VHF/RF), weatherproofing (only Datatool and Moving Intelligence publish an IP rating), and whether installation is included in the price.

The Tracker Retrieve is a battery-powered unit using the same VHF (Very High Frequency) technology as Tracker’s hardwired products. VHF is the only tracking technology that’s immune to GPS/GSM signal jammers – which are cheap, widely available, and routinely used by organised caravan and plant theft gangs. Tracker is also the only brand with partnerships with all UK police forces, who carry VHF detection equipment.

The 5-year battery means no charging, no wiring, and no maintenance for the typical ownership period of a caravan or horsebox. The unit activates when theft is reported to Tracker’s control room – it doesn’t track continuously in normal use, which is what enables the long battery life.

Best for: High-value caravans (£15,000+), horseboxes, and plant trailers stored in areas where organised theft is a risk. The VHF technology is the strongest defence against professional thieves who use jammers.

SmarTrack’s Protector is a completely wireless, self-contained battery tracker that needs no wiring or vehicle power, so it suits caravans, horseboxes and plant trailers that sit unpowered for months. The manufacturer’s suggested price of £299 covers the device and the first year’s subscription; after that it is £99 a year, or £9.99 a month by direct debit. For caravans with a leisure battery, SmarTrack’s hardwired Caravan Protector (£349 fitted, £149 a year) is the alternative.

The battery lasts up to 3 years on one location call per day, and the unit is monitored 24/7 by the Global Telemetrics Secure Control Centre, which works with UK police forces and independent repatriation investigators across Europe. A multi-network roaming SIM and 4G LTE keep the signal reliable in rural areas, an anti-tamper light sensor raises an alert if the device is lifted or exposed to light, and the unit is fully transferable between vehicles. It comes with a 12-month warranty; SmarTrack does not publish an IP rating.

Best for: Caravan and horsebox owners who want a low first-year outlay with in-house 24/7 monitoring and a European repatriation network behind it. The unit can move between vehicles, so it also suits owners with more than one trailer.

CanTrack became part of Radius Telematics, and its asset trackers now sell as the Radius neon range rather than the old CanTrack Protect. For unpowered trailers the relevant units are the self-install neon-s and neon-p, both Thatcham S7 approved with replaceable batteries, and the hardwired neon-t for trailers and plant with a self-charging battery. Radius quotes a battery life of 3-4 years depending on conditions and how many times a day the unit reports.

The former CanTrack team of ex-police officers now operates as the Radius Investigations Unit, which Radius says has a 96% recovery rate and has returned more than £25 million of stolen assets in the last five years. Radius publishes no device or subscription prices and no IP rating: every product page ends in an enquiry form, so budget for a quote rather than a list price.

Best for: Businesses running plant and equipment trailers who want a recovery team with police backgrounds behind the tracker and are happy to get a quote rather than buy off the shelf.

GPSBob’s Mongoose S7 battery tracker has the lowest published device price in this guide at £189, with monitoring at £9.99 a month or prepaid bundles that bring the three-year cost to £516. It is a self-fit unit: you hide it yourself rather than booking an engineer, which keeps the price down but puts the concealment in your hands. GPSBob’s hardwired Mongoose S7 (£169) does include free nationwide installation, but it needs vehicle power, so it is not a trailer option.

Best for: Budget-conscious trailer and caravan owners who are happy to fit the unit themselves and want Thatcham S7 certification for the lowest published outlay.

The Datatool Quantum 3 is one of only two Thatcham S7 trailer trackers here with user-replaceable batteries (the Radius neon units are the other). Most battery trackers require a return to the manufacturer or an engineer visit when the battery dies after 3-5 years – with the Quantum 3, you replace the batteries yourself. The trade-off is shorter battery life (3 years vs 5 years for competitors), but the ability to swap batteries indefinitely makes this the most cost-effective long-term option if you plan to keep the tracker for 10+ years.

IP68 waterproofing means full dust protection and sustained submersion resistance – suitable for boat trailers and outdoor storage. Datatool sells a 3-year subscription for £309 alongside the £119 annual and £12.49 monthly plans, and its monitoring team phones you if an armed unit starts moving.

Best for: Long-term trailer owners who want a tracker they can maintain themselves. If you’ll own your caravan for 10+ years, the replaceable battery saves you from buying a new tracker when the battery dies – a saving of the £249.99 cost of a new unit.

Moving Intelligence’s Mi01 Sentry uses GPS, GSM, and RF positioning – a triple technology approach that gives it redundancy if one system fails or is jammed. The RF component works similarly to BikeTrac’s technology (see our motorcycle tracker guide), penetrating buildings and containers where GPS fails. IP67 waterproofing is suitable for outdoor trailer storage.

Moving Intelligence sells the Mi01 Sentry for £309 with 12 months’ monitoring included, or as the Mi01 all-inclusive at £325 self-fit (£399 fitted) with no subscription at all. It does not publish a battery-life figure or the renewal price after the first year, so ask before you buy if you want the subscription route. The unit checks in on a schedule and alerts you at the next check-in if the trailer leaves its locked position, so it is a recovery tool rather than live tracking.

Best for: Caravan and trailer owners who want a one-off payment with nothing to renew, and the added security of RF tracking alongside GPS. The triple-technology approach gives the Mi01 GSM and RF fallbacks when GPS is blocked.

The Matrix iQ MagTrack is a magnetic, self-contained GPS tracker aimed at plant, HGVs and heavy equipment, and it is Thatcham S7 certified. Matrix iQ does not publish a device price or subscription: MagTrack is sold on quote through its fleet platform, so it suits operators buying several units rather than a single caravan owner. The magnetic mount allows easy repositioning between trailers, and the rechargeable battery lasts up to 5 years on a single charge, with low-battery alerts when it needs topping up.

The trade-offs are real: Matrix iQ publishes no IP rating, and the magnetic mount is less secure than bolted or concealed installation. A determined thief who knows where to look could potentially find and remove a magnetically mounted tracker. For long-term concealed installation, the Tracker Retrieve, which is fitted for you, is the better choice.

Best for: Operators running several plant or equipment trailers who want one tracker they can move between them and are buying through a fleet quote. Single caravan owners will find the priced options above easier to buy.

3-Year Cost Comparison

Among the five trackers with published prices, the Moving Intelligence Mi01 all-inclusive (£325, no subscription) and the SmarTrack Protector (£497) cost least over three years. The Tracker Retrieve (£648) costs most but is the only option with VHF anti-jamming. CanTrack and Matrix iQ quote per customer, so they are not ranked. Totals use the device price plus the cheapest published route to three years of cover: a prepaid multi-year plan where the provider sells one, otherwise the annual rate.

UK Trailer and Caravan Theft Statistics

Over 4,000 caravans and 2,000+ horseboxes are stolen in the UK each year. Only 23% of stolen caravans are ever recovered. Plant and equipment trailer theft costs UK businesses over £100 million annually. London has the highest theft volume; thefts peak in August and September.

The caravan theft trend is worsening. Reported thefts rose 25% between 2020 and 2022, with the increase concentrated in urban and peri-urban areas where caravans are stored on driveways or in open compounds. Rural storage sites are lower risk but not immune – over 60% of horsebox thefts occur in rural settings, often at equestrian events and shows. For businesses tracking commercial vehicles and construction plant, see our commercial vehicle tracker guide.

Battery vs Hardwired: Why Battery Trackers Are Essential for Trailers

Most trailers have no permanent power supply, making battery-powered trackers the only practical option. Modern battery trackers last 3-5 years by transmitting once daily in standby, then switching to rapid updates when theft is detected.

The key limitation of battery trackers is that they only transmit location once per day in standby mode. This means if your trailer is stolen and you don’t notice for 24 hours, you’ll only have the last daily check-in location – not a real-time trail. The tracker switches to rapid updates (every 30 seconds) when it detects movement or when you report a theft to the monitoring centre, but that initial delay is inherent to battery-powered design. For assets with permanent power (vans, HGVs), hardwired trackers offer continuous tracking – see our vehicle tracking costs guide for pricing.

Insurance Savings: Do Trailer Trackers Pay for Themselves?

Most UK caravan and horsebox insurers offer 15-25% premium discounts for Thatcham S7 trackers. On a £1,500 annual premium, a 20% discount saves £300/year – more than covering the cost of even the most expensive tracker subscription.

Every Thatcham S7 tracker in this guide is recognised by UK caravan, horsebox, and motorhome insurers. The insurance discount typically ranges from 15-25%, depending on the insurer and the specific tracker brand. Here’s the break-even calculation:

Even at the cheapest published annual subscription (SmarTrack, £99 a year), a 15% discount on an £800 premium saves £120 – more than covering the tracker’s running cost. For high-value caravans or horseboxes with premiums above £1,200, the insurance saving alone makes a tracker a net financial positive from year one. Before installing, check the UK vehicle tracking legal requirements – particularly if tracking someone else’s caravan or horsebox.

Alex Morgan

Business Technology Analyst

Alex specialises in business technology and connected systems, covering vehicle tracking, fleet management, AI tools, and dash cams for UK companies. With a background in telematics engineering, he analyses how emerging technology can improve efficiency, safety, and cost control — helping businesses make informed decisions about the tools that drive their operations forward.

Reviewed by

James Hartley

Technology & Innovation Reviewer