How Do I Turn Off My Car's Location Tracking?

By Paul Cumbers · Updated 12 June 2026

Turning off your car's location tracking is a data-privacy matter about your manufacturer's connected services - the built-in, app-linked features that share your car's location - and it is generally managed in the car's privacy settings, the brand's app, or via the dealer, after weighing some important caveats first. This is quite different from a recovery tracker fitted to protect against theft, which you should not disable, especially if your car is financed or insured. This answer explains what manufacturer location tracking is, how owners generally manage it across brands, and the caveats - finance, insurance, recovery and safety - so you can make an informed, responsible decision.

This answer explains how to manage your car's built-in manufacturer location tracking for privacy - and the caveats to weigh first - while being clear it does not cover disabling a recovery or anti-theft tracker, which you should not do.

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What manufacturer location tracking is

Modern cars from most brands include connected services - built-in features, linked to a smartphone app via an embedded SIM, that can share the car's location among other functions. This manufacturer telematics is what people usually mean by their car's location tracking, and it exists for convenience, safety and service features rather than as covert surveillance.

So manufacturer location tracking is the car's built-in connected services - app-linked telematics sharing location for convenience and safety - which is what owners usually mean by turning off tracking.

Privacy, not security, is the question

Turning off this tracking is a privacy choice about your location data - who can see where your car is and how that data is used - not a security action. It is important to separate this from anti-theft protection, because the two are different: managing connected-services privacy is reasonable, while disabling theft-recovery protection is not advisable.

So turning off manufacturer tracking is a privacy choice about location data, distinct from security - reasonable for privacy, but not to be confused with disabling theft protection.

Read this first: what you should not turn off

Before anything, know what you should not disable: a recovery or anti-theft tracker fitted to protect against theft, and any tracking required by your finance agreement or insurer. Disabling these can breach your agreements, void cover, and remove the protection that helps recover a stolen car - so this is about manufacturer privacy features, not theft protection.

So do not disable a recovery tracker or any tracking required by finance or insurance - doing so can breach agreements, void cover and remove theft protection; this is about privacy features only.

The general approach across brands

Across brands, managing connected-services location generally means one of three routes: adjusting the privacy settings within the car's own system, managing it in the brand's connected app, or asking the dealer or the brand's customer care. The exact steps vary by brand, model and market, so these are the avenues rather than a single universal switch.

So managing manufacturer tracking generally runs through the car's privacy settings, the brand's app, or the dealer - the avenues to use, with exact steps varying by brand and model.

Through the car's settings

Many cars let you manage privacy and data-sharing in the in-car system's settings menu - a privacy or data section where location-sharing and connected features can be adjusted. This is often the first place to look, though what is available depends on the model, so the car's manual or settings are the guide.

So the car's own settings often include a privacy or data section to manage location-sharing, a common first place to look, with availability depending on the model.

Through the brand's app

The brand's connected app - the same app that shows your car's location - usually also includes account and privacy controls where connected services and data-sharing can be managed. Since the app is the front end of the connected services, it is a natural place to review and adjust what is shared.

So the brand's connected app, which shows the car's location, usually also holds privacy and service controls to manage what is shared - a natural place to adjust connected services.

Through the dealer or customer care

If the settings and app do not give the control you want, the dealer or the brand's customer care can advise on managing connected services for your specific car - including deactivating services if that is what you decide. For an authoritative answer on your model and market, this official route is the most reliable.

So the dealer or brand customer care can advise on managing or deactivating connected services for your specific car - the most reliable route for an authoritative, model-specific answer.

Brand systems vary

Each brand has its own connected-services system and app - for example BMW's ConnectedDrive and BMW Assist, and Toyota's MyToyota Connect - and Audi, Ford, Mercedes, Hyundai, Kia and Volkswagen each have their own equivalent. Because the names, features and controls differ by brand, model and market, the specifics for your car come from that brand's app, settings or support.

So each brand has its own connected-services system - BMW's ConnectedDrive, Toyota's MyToyota Connect, and equivalents from Audi, Ford, Mercedes, Hyundai, Kia and VW - with specifics coming from that brand's app, settings or support.

Emergency features may remain

Note that some safety features - such as automatic emergency calling after a crash - may remain active even when other location-sharing is reduced, by design, since they exist to summon help. So turning off tracking may not, and arguably should not, disable everything, with certain emergency functions kept for your safety.

So some emergency safety features, like automatic crash calling, may stay active by design even when other tracking is reduced - kept to summon help for your safety.

The privacy-versus-convenience trade-off

Turning off connected-services location means giving up the features that rely on it - locating your car in a car park, remote services, and any app-based stolen-vehicle locating the brand offers. So the decision is a trade-off: more privacy against fewer connected conveniences and one less locating option, which is worth weighing for your situation.

So turning off connected tracking trades away its conveniences - finding your parked car, remote services, app-based locating - a privacy-versus-convenience trade-off to weigh.

Finance and insurance implications

If your car is financed or insured with any tracking condition, check before changing anything - some agreements require tracking to remain active, and disabling it could breach the terms or affect cover. Confirming there is no such requirement is an essential step before turning off any tracking, to avoid an unintended breach.

So check any finance or insurance tracking conditions before disabling anything, since some require tracking to stay active and disabling it could breach terms or affect cover.

The bottom line

Turning off your car's location tracking is a privacy matter about your manufacturer's connected services, managed through the car's settings, the brand's app, or the dealer - while certain emergency features may remain by design. Crucially, this is separate from a recovery or anti-theft tracker, which you should not disable, and you must check any finance or insurer tracking conditions first. Weigh the privacy-versus-convenience trade-off, and use the brand's official channels for your model's specifics.

So manage manufacturer location tracking via the car's settings, the brand's app or the dealer for privacy reasons - never disabling a recovery tracker or any finance- or insurer-required tracking, weighing the convenience trade-off and using official brand channels for your model's specifics.