An S7 tracker is a Thatcham Category S7 tracking system: it reports where your vehicle is, alerts a 24/7 monitoring centre if the vehicle is moved with the ignition off or its power is cut, and comes with professional theft support, but it has no driver ID tags. Those tags are what an S5 tracker adds, and they decide whether a theft is spotted by the system or by you. The two S7 trackers we fit, the Meta Trak S7 and the ScorpionTrack S7, both start at £185 supply and installation.
Owners usually search for this because an insurer has used the term in a quote or a renewal letter. This guide explains what an S7 tracker does, where it differs from S5, when an S7 tracker is enough for your policy, and what to fit if you want the vehicle kept on the drive rather than found afterwards.
What is an S7 tracker?
Thatcham runs the certification scheme UK insurers use to judge aftermarket vehicle security. For trackers it has two current categories, S5 and S7, which replaced the old numbered Categories 5, 6 and 7 in 2019. If your paperwork still uses the old numbers, our guide to what a Thatcham device is explains how they map across.
Both S7 trackers we fit are professionally installed and give you three things:
- Location. The tracker works out its position and reports it over the mobile network, so you can see the vehicle in the app and the monitoring centre can see it during a theft.
- Alerts when something is wrong. Movement with the ignition off, such as the vehicle being towed or lifted onto a transporter, and the tracker's power supply being disconnected both raise an alert.
- People behind the alerts. Thatcham S7 tracking systems feature 24/7 monitoring and professional theft support. When an alert comes in, the monitoring centre calls you to check, and if the vehicle has been stolen it works with the police using the live position.
S7 Tracker or S5 Tracker: the difference is the driver tag
An S5 tracker does everything above and adds automatic driver recognition. Each driver carries a small ID tag, and the tracker looks for it whenever the vehicle is used. If the vehicle is driven without a tag, the system treats it as a possible theft and raises the alert itself.
An S7 tracker has no tag to look for, so it has no way of telling your journey from anyone else's. That matters because a relay attack or a cloned key starts the vehicle normally, so the theft looks like an ordinary journey.
| S7 tracker | S5 tracker | |
|---|---|---|
| Driver ID tags | No | Yes |
| 24/7 monitoring and professional theft support | Yes | Yes |
| Alert if moved with the ignition off | Yes | Yes |
| Alert if power is cut | Yes | Yes |
| Alert if driven away with a relayed or cloned key signal | Usually only once the owner reports it | Yes, no tag present |
| Meets an insurer's S7 requirement | Yes | Yes |
| Meets an insurer's S5 requirement | No | Yes |
How an S7 tracker handles two different thefts
The vehicle is lifted or towed away
Thieves load the vehicle onto a trailer without starting it. The tracker sees the vehicle moving with the ignition off and raises an alert. The monitoring centre calls you, you confirm you are not moving it, and the recovery starts while the vehicle is still on the road. Here an S7 tracker and an S5 tracker do the same job.
The vehicle is driven away with a relayed key signal
Thieves relay the signal from a keyless fob inside the house, or use a cloned key, and the vehicle starts as if you were in the driving seat. To an S7 tracker this is a normal journey. In most cases nobody is alerted until you find the drive empty and report the theft, and by then the vehicle can be a long way from home. An S5 tracker would have looked for an ID tag, found none, and raised the alert as the vehicle moved off.
Neither tracker stops the vehicle leaving. The difference is how much of a head start the thieves get.
When an S7 tracker satisfies your insurer
Your policy wording decides, so read the exact category it names before you buy anything.
- The policy asks for a Thatcham S7 tracker. An S7 tracker meets it. An S5 tracker meets an S7 requirement, because Thatcham S5 is a higher category and accreditation than S7 and offers better vehicle security.
- The policy asks for a Thatcham S5 tracker. An S7 tracker does not meet it. For a tracker on its own, the Meta Trak S5 Tracker and the ScorpionTrack S5 both meet an insurer's request for a Thatcham S5 tracker. Read our ScorpionTrack S5 buyer's guide.
- The policy asks for a Thatcham approved or insurance approved tracker with no category. Check with the insurer which category they expect before you order, because the answer decides whether an S7 tracker will do.
Where an insurer asks for S5 rather than S7, the reason is usually the value of the vehicle. If you expect your vehicle to move into that bracket, or your insurer has said its requirement may change at renewal, it can make sense to start with S5.
The two S7 trackers we fit
Each tracker below is Thatcham certified in its category and accepted by UK insurers that require that category of tracker.
Meta Trak S7
Thatcham S7 tracker
Supply and installation
From £185
What it does
Thatcham S7 tracking with 24/7 monitoring and professional theft support.
Subscription
First term chosen at checkout, +£119.95 for 1 year or +£329.95 for 3 years. Renewals are paid to Meta Trak.
Warranty
Lifetime Meta Trak parts and labour warranty (original owner, active subscription)
ScorpionTrack S7
Thatcham S7 tracker
Supply and installation
£185
What it does
Thatcham S7 tracking with 24/7 monitoring and professional theft support, plus driver behaviour scoring in the app.
Subscription
Not included. You arrange it directly with ScorpionTrack after installation.
Warranty
2 year manufacturer warranty
Meta Trak S5 DEADLOCK
Our recommendation: tracking and an immobiliser
Supply and installation
From £469
What it does
Thatcham S5 tracking with driver ID tags, plus an aftermarket immobiliser that will not let the engine start without your tag.
Subscription
First term chosen at checkout, +£189.95 for 1 year or +£499.95 for 3 years. Renewals are paid to Meta Trak.
Warranty
Lifetime Meta Trak parts and labour warranty (original owner, active subscription)
Choosing between the two S7 trackers. Both meet an insurer's request for a Thatcham S7 tracker, both are monitored around the clock, and both cost £185 supply and installation, so this comes down to preference. The Meta Trak S7 includes its first monitoring term at checkout and carries Meta Trak's lifetime parts and labour warranty, for the original owner with an active subscription. The ScorpionTrack S7 lets you choose your monitoring plan directly with ScorpionTrack after it is fitted, and carries a 2 year manufacturer warranty. You can compare both on our Thatcham S7 trackers page.
What an S7 tracker costs to run
No S7 tracker works without a subscription. The easiest way to think of it is a mobile phone: the tracker is the handset and the subscription is the airtime plan, paying for the data the tracker uses and for the monitoring team. Without an active subscription a tracking system cannot communicate over the mobile network, so it cannot operate, whichever brand it is.
On the Meta Trak S7, a 1 year term brings the total at checkout to £304.95, and a 3 year term to £514.95. The ScorpionTrack S7 price covers supply and installation only, and the ScorpionTrack subscription is chosen and paid for with ScorpionTrack once it is fitted. Our car tracker cost guide compares running costs across the systems we fit.
What an S7 tracker will not do
A tracker aids recovery. It does not prevent the theft, and on an S7 the relay or cloned key theft described above may not be noticed for hours. If keeping the vehicle is the aim, the start attempt has to be stopped.
Every UK car since October 1998 has a factory fitted immobiliser, rated Thatcham Category 2, but it takes its instructions from the car's own electronics. Relay attacks, key cloning and CAN injection all work by convincing those electronics that the genuine key is present, and the factory fitted immobiliser then does as it is told. Our article on why a factory immobiliser will not stop CAN bus injection explains the method.
That is why we recommend the Meta Trak S5 DEADLOCK over any tracker on its own. Its aftermarket immobiliser takes no instructions from the factory CAN bus, so whatever a thief has persuaded the car's electronics to believe, by relay attack, key cloning or CAN injection, the start attempt is blocked unless your ID tag is in the vehicle. You also get Thatcham S5 tracking, so it meets both S7 and S5 requirements, and in the event of a theft the Meta Trak monitoring centre can immobilise it remotely. The system includes a Thatcham CAT2E accredited immobiliser, covered in our Category 2E guide.
The standard Meta Trak S5 DEADLOCK can be fitted to any powertrain on any make and model. If your vehicle's make is on Meta Trak's E-TEC compatibility list and it has an electrified powertrain (mild hybrid, plug-in hybrid or fully electric), the Meta Trak S5 DEADLOCK E-TEC is most likely compatible and is the system we recommend. A vehicle that can be put into drive with Ready on the dash without pressing the start button takes the standard DEADLOCK. If in doubt, call 0330 133 3990.
Already have an S7 tracker and only want to add theft prevention? The Meta AUTOBLOK is our standalone immobiliser recommendation, at £349 supply and installation with no subscription and a 3 year warranty. The Meta AUTOBLOK operates independently of the vehicle's factory electronics, so the engine will not start without its ID tag. Our tracker and immobiliser systems page sets out the combined options side by side.
Moving from an S7 Tracker to an S5 Tracker later
Insurer requirements can change at renewal, and a vehicle that needed S7 last year may need S5 this year. Both the Meta Trak S7 and the ScorpionTrack S7 can be upgraded to a Thatcham S5 device, so starting with S7 does not have to mean removing it and starting again.
To upgrade, you buy the driver ID tags you need from the brand of your tracker, and upgrade to a Thatcham S5 subscription with that same brand. The brand pairs the tags and ships them directly to you. Subscriptions stay with the brand: Meta Trak renewals are paid to Meta Trak, and you arrange and pay a ScorpionTrack subscription directly with ScorpionTrack.
Either S7 tracker can also be upgraded by installing an immobiliser alongside it, which can then allow remote engine immobilisation, subject to a check first. Before you buy a second system, call us on 0330 133 3990 and we will tell you what an upgrade involves for your vehicle.
How buying works
Choose your tracker on its product page. For the Meta Trak S7, the first subscription term is picked on the same page and paid with your order. For the ScorpionTrack S7, the price is supply and installation only, and you set up the plan with ScorpionTrack once it is fitted. We then contact you to arrange installation at your home, workplace, or even at the dealership before collection of the vehicle, UK wide in an estimated 2 - 5 days. Once fitted, the system is tested to confirm it is fully functioning. The certificate of installation for your insurer is emailed by the product manufacturer after activation, and can sometimes also be found in the manufacturer's app.
Not sure whether an S7 tracker is enough for your vehicle?
Answer a few quick questions and get a tailored recommendation for your vehicle, from a compliant S5 Tracker to a full tracker and immobiliser setup with OBD protection. It takes about two minutes.
Thatcham approved | Supply and installation UK wide | Insurance accepted
Frequently asked questions
What is an S7 tracker?
An S7 tracker is a tracking system certified by Thatcham in Category S7. It reports the vehicle's position over the mobile network, raises alerts if the vehicle moves with the ignition off or its power is cut, and is backed by 24/7 monitoring and professional theft support. It does not use driver ID tags, which is the main difference from a Thatcham S5 tracker.
What is the difference between an S5 tracker and an S7 tracker?
An S5 tracker adds automatic driver recognition. Each driver carries an ID tag, and if the vehicle is driven without one the system raises an alert by itself. An S7 tracker has no tags, so a journey started with your key, or with a relayed or cloned key signal, looks like any other journey. On an S7, a theft of that kind usually comes to light when the owner notices the vehicle has gone.
Is an S7 tracker insurance approved?
An S7 tracker meets an insurer's request for a Thatcham S7 tracker. It does not meet a request for a Thatcham S5 tracker. Check your policy wording or ask your insurer which category they require before you buy, and keep the certificate of installation, which the product manufacturer emails after activation.
Does an S5 tracker meet an S7 requirement?
Yes. An S5 tracker meets an S7 requirement, because Thatcham S5 is a higher category and accreditation than S7 and offers better vehicle security.
Does an S7 tracker need a subscription?
Yes. Without an active subscription a tracking system cannot communicate over the mobile network, so it cannot operate, and that applies to every brand. For the Meta Trak S7 you choose a 1 or 3 year term at checkout, and renewals are paid directly to Meta Trak. ScorpionTrack S7 prices are for supply and installation only, and you arrange and pay the ScorpionTrack subscription directly with ScorpionTrack after installation.
Will an S7 tracker stop my car being stolen?
No. A tracker aids recovery after a theft. It does not stop the car being taken. To stop the start attempt you need an aftermarket immobiliser, which is why we recommend the Meta Trak S5 DEADLOCK, combining Thatcham S5 tracking with an immobiliser that will not let the engine start without your ID tag.
Get the right tracker for your policy
Let the advisor match a system to your vehicle and your insurer's wording, browse every tracker and immobiliser we fit, or call us and we will check the category with you.
Pricing accurate at time of publishing.
