What it costs
Nothing if you or your auto electrician do it. If The Tracking Co comes out, you pay the technician call-out — and nothing on top of it.
Hardware ownership · South Africa
Moving a GPS Tracker to Another Vehicle
You bought the tracker, so it moves with the business — not with the vehicle you sold. Do it in-house for nothing, or pay a technician call-out for us to come out. No transfer fee on top either way.
- Free if you do it
- Call-out if we do it
- No cancellation fee
- Updated Sep 2026
01 · The short answer
Can you move a GPS tracker to another vehicle?
Yes. What it costs depends on who does the work — nothing if you handle it in-house, or a technician call-out if The Tracking Co comes out to the vehicle. What you never pay is a transfer fee on top. The Tracking Co sells hardware outright, so the tracker is yours from the day it is bought — it can be removed from one vehicle and fitted to another whenever the business needs, without asking anyone's permission. The Tracking Co is a Cape Town-based GPS vehicle tracking company, tracking since 2016, and this is one of the practical consequences of owning the device rather than renting it.
It comes up constantly. A bakkie is sold and replaced. A car goes to a new staff member. A vehicle is written off. On a rental model each of those becomes an admin exercise with a charge attached. Here it is a wiring job and a message telling us which vehicle the unit now sits in.
No cancellation fee
Sold the vehicle with the tracker still in it? That unit is cancelled. No remaining term to pay out, no exit penalty.
No contract to hand over
There is no agreement for a buyer to take on and nothing to novate. The subscription is month-to-month and stops when you say so.
No waiting
You do not have to book a provider's slot. Anyone competent can do the work the same day the replacement arrives.
02 · How it is done
How do you move a tracker between vehicles?
It is a wiring job, not a process. Pick whichever of the three routes suits you, then tell The Tracking Co which vehicle the unit is now in.
01
Do it in-house
Anyone on the team with the technical ability can remove and refit the unit. The Tracking Co supplies the wiring diagrams and a technician will walk them through it. No charge from us.
02
Your auto electrician
Any competent auto electrician handles this as routine work. You are not tied to a provider’s technician, their schedule, or their rates.
03
The Tracking Co comes out
We remove the unit and fit it to the replacement vehicle. You pay the technician call-out for the visit — that is a real cost, and it is the only one.
04
Update the vehicle
Send through the new vehicle details and the platform is updated. The subscription carries on uninterrupted at R50 a month.
Installer availability varies by area. If you would rather do it yourself, the self-install guide covers the wiring.
03 · Why it differs
Why do other providers charge to move a tracker?
Because on a rental model the device is theirs. Moving it means de-installing and re-installing the provider's own equipment, which is why it comes with a charge — and why a unit that cannot be recovered from the sold vehicle usually attracts a replacement fee too.
When a vehicle changes
The Tracking Co
Rental-model providers
Who owns the tracker
You do, from day one
The provider — you rent it
Cost to move it
Technician call-out if we come out. Nothing if you do it
Typically a once-off de-install and re-install charge
Who may do the work
You, your auto electrician, or us
The provider's own technician, on their schedule
Selling with the unit fitted
Cancel it — no fee
Often a replacement fee for the unrecovered device
Ending it entirely
Month-to-month, cancel anytime
Balance of the term or a cancellation fee
Rental terms differ between providers and change over time — check your own agreement. The point is structural: The Tracking Co has nothing to recover because the device was never ours. See how the models compare →
04 · For fleets
Can a fleet keep spare trackers on hand?
Yes, and for any fleet with vehicles coming and going it is the sensible way to run it. Because the hardware is owned rather than rented, a fleet can hold spare units and fit one the day a vehicle joins, instead of waiting for anyone to schedule an installation.
A spare costs only its once-off purchase price. A unit sitting on a shelf is not activated on the platform, so it carries no monthly subscription until it goes into a vehicle. When a bakkie is sold, the removed tracker simply becomes the next spare. That is the whole loop, and it runs without us. See GPS fleet tracking for how fleets manage the rest in-house.
05 · Common questions
Tracker transfer questions, answered.
Can you move a GPS tracker to another vehicle?
Yes. With The Tracking Co the tracker is bought outright and belongs to you, so it moves with the business rather than staying with the vehicle. It can be removed and refitted by anyone competent — your own auto electrician, someone technical on your team, or The Tracking Co, which charges a technician call-out for coming out. There is no transfer fee and no permission to request. Send through the new vehicle details afterwards and the platform is updated.
What does it cost to move a tracker to a new car?
It depends who does the work. If The Tracking Co comes out, you pay the technician call-out for the visit — that is a real charge and you should budget for it. What there is not is a transfer fee, an admin fee, or a re-registration fee on top of it. If your own auto electrician does the fitting, or someone on your team, The Tracking Co charges nothing at all and the subscription simply continues.
What happens if you sell the vehicle with the tracker still fitted?
That unit is cancelled, with no cancellation fee. Because The Tracking Co has no contract, there is no remaining term to pay out and no early termination penalty. You can also leave the subscription running if the buyer wants to take the tracking over, or keep the unit on the account if you plan to fit it to a replacement vehicle later. It is your hardware, so it is your call.
Can you install the tracker in the new vehicle yourself?
Yes, if someone on the team is technically capable. A tracker needs a connection to the vehicle power supply and beyond that can be concealed wherever suits the vehicle. The Tracking Co supplies the wiring diagrams and its technicians will talk an installer through the process. Doing it in-house avoids the call-out cost entirely, which is why fleets that move units often handle it themselves.
How long is tracking interrupted while a tracker is moved?
Only for as long as the unit is out of a vehicle. Once it is wired into the new vehicle and has power, it reports again, and the vehicle details are updated on The Tracking Co platform. Fleets that keep one or two spare units avoid the gap entirely — the replacement vehicle gets a spare immediately and the removed unit becomes the next spare.
Does the trip history move with the tracker?
The history stays on your account rather than disappearing with the vehicle. When a tracker is assigned to a new vehicle, its records continue on the account under the updated vehicle details, so past trips are still available for logbook and reporting purposes. If you need a clean record for the new vehicle, tell The Tracking Co when you send the details through.
Why do traditional providers charge to move a tracker?
Because on a rental model the device belongs to the provider, not to you. Moving it means de-installing and re-installing provider-owned equipment, which typically carries a once-off charge, and a replacement fee where the unit cannot be recovered from the old vehicle. The Tracking Co sells the hardware outright, so there is nothing to recover and no transfer fee to charge.
Can a fleet keep spare trackers on hand?
Yes, and it is the practical reason many do. Because The Tracking Co hardware is owned rather than rented, a fleet can hold spare units and fit one the day a vehicle joins, instead of waiting for a provider to schedule an installation. A spare only costs its once-off purchase price — a unit that is not activated on the platform carries no monthly subscription.
Buying your first tracker? See the hardware range or check pricing.
Ready to start tracking?
Hardware from R499. Subscriptions from R50 a month. No contracts, no setup fee, no surprise upgrades.
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