Tracker or Ghost: what should you ask your insurer before booking?
Updated: 6 hours ago
If your insurer has asked you to fit vehicle security, get the exact requirement in writing before choosing a product. Ask which device or category they accept, when it must be active and what evidence they need. A general description such as “insurance approved” does not settle those questions for your policy.
Thatcham Research explicitly says that its security certification does not guarantee insurer recognition. Certification and acceptance under your particular policy are separate checks.[1]
Start with the wording on your policy
Find the security condition in your policy schedule, endorsement or insurer's email. Keep the wording together with your vehicle details when requesting a quote.
If it is unclear, ask your insurer or broker:
Do I need a tracker, an immobiliser, or both?
Is a particular category required, such as S5 or S7?
Is there a named product, version or driver-identification method you will accept?
By what date must fitting and activation be complete?
What applies while I am waiting for the installation?
That last question is for the insurer to answer. An installer should not guess whether your cover applies before the security condition has been met.
Check the exact product, not just the label
Thatcham lists S5 vehicle tracking and S7 asset location as distinct categories.[1] A Ghost immobiliser and a monitored tracker also serve different purposes: Ghost controls authorisation to drive, while a tracker provides location and monitoring functions.[2][3]
For example, if your insurer requests an S5 tracker, do not assume that adding Ghost removes that requirement. If you prefer a combination, ask whether it meets the condition and whether the insurer requires any particular installation documentation.
Driver identification is another detail to confirm. Global Telemetrics describes smartphone D-iD and physical Driver Detection cards as different options within its S5 offering.[3] Give the insurer the actual quoted product and identification method rather than simply saying “an S5”.
Ask about activation and ongoing monitoring
For a monitored tracker, include the subscription in the discussion before booking. Global Telemetrics' service terms distinguish the equipment from the monitoring service and set out payment and renewal obligations.[4]
Ask who activates the service, how you will know it is active, and what evidence the insurer wants. Also ask what you must do at renewal or if the device develops a fault. A receipt for fitting answers a different question from confirmation that monitoring is operational.
If you are comparing quotations, record the fitted equipment price and monitoring charge separately. This makes it easier to compare the same scope without assuming that the cheaper headline includes everything you need.
Keep the right paperwork
Before the appointment, ask what documents you will receive and how to correct any mistakes. Check your name, registration and product details when they arrive.
Where a TASSA installation certificate applies, keep it up to date. TASSA identifies a registration change or new keeper as situations where the certificate may need updating.[5] A certificate records the installation; your insurer still decides what satisfies your policy.
If the insurer accepts the proposed system, keep that written confirmation alongside the installation and monitoring documents. It is easier to resolve a later question when the requirement, quoted system and evidence can be compared directly.
A short checklist to send your insurer
“Please confirm whether the quoted device and identification method meet the security condition for my vehicle. Do you require any additional immobiliser, monitoring plan or certificate? When must the system be fitted and active, and what must I provide afterwards? Please also confirm whether it changes my premium.”
Ask about a premium change rather than assuming one. The decision to fit security may be worthwhile even when there is no discount, but that should be a clear buying decision.
Get a quote that matches the requirement
Send Mobile Towbars 2U your registration, fitting postcode and the relevant security wording, with unrelated personal details removed. We can discuss suitable equipment and a fitting quote; confirmation of insurance acceptance remains with your insurer.
Sources
Checked 17 October 2026.