OUTsurance Approved Trackers: The Devices That Qualify
OUTsurance clients ask the approved-tracker question because the website confirms a security condition exists on certain vehicles but does not publish a brand list. The absence is intentional - OUTsurance approves a device class, not a name, and the schedule does the same.
This guide walks through what an approved tracker actually means at OUTsurance, why the approved service providers programme is a related but distinct thing, and how to confirm your installed unit qualifies.
Compare tracking & dashcam quotes for your OUTsurance in one short form.
Get my quotesOUTsurance does not issue hardware
OUTsurance is an underwriter, not a tracking company. There is no OUTsurance-branded device, no OUTsurance recovery network and no warehouse of stock. The insurer prices risk and attaches conditions; the policyholder fits the device.
Recognising this rules out the most common search-term confusion - what tracker does OUTsurance use - and clears space for the real question, which is what the schedule will accept.
What approved means on an OUTsurance schedule
Approved appears on a security condition as a description of the device class required: a professionally installed, monitored stolen vehicle recovery unit served by a 24-hour operations room. The standard is wider than a brand list and tighter than a generic dongle.
Read the wording word by word. Phrases like control room monitored, alarm-activated and recovery-capable each carry weight at the claim-stage test.
The OUTsurance approved service providers programme
OUTsurance maintains a separate accredited service providers programme for repairs and panel work - a network the insurer trusts for assessment-and-repair flows. This is sometimes confused with an approved tracker list, but it is not one.
Tracker installers are not in the same programme. Confirm the tracker provider against the schedule, and confirm the panel beater against the service providers list when that conversation arises.
Which devices typically qualify
Units from the major South African recovery brands - Cartrack, Netstar, Tracker, Beame - meet the OUTsurance device class on the great majority of schedules. Their monitored recovery offerings are mature, accredited, and recognised across the SA market.
Smaller providers may also qualify where their installation standards and operations-room capabilities match the wording. The test is the wording, not the brand.
Per-vehicle, not per-policy
OUTsurance attaches security conditions per car, not per client. A household with two vehicles can carry a condition on one and not the other; the differences come from the underwriting verdict on each car's risk.
Read each car's schedule independently. The vehicle on the second line of a policy is its own underwriting case.
The OUTsurance vehicle inspection app and the device record
OUTsurance uses a vehicle inspection app at policy inception to record the car's condition, and the inspection captures whether a tracker is fitted. The record then sits with the policy.
If the device was fitted after inspection, the policyholder should update OUTsurance directly so the policy reflects the current truth. Old records are claim-stage friction.
High-theft models and the conditions that follow
Popular bakkies, double cabs, prestige SUVs and high-value vehicles attract security conditions on a routine basis. The presence of the condition on those models is more rule than exception in the SA market.
Lower-risk vehicles often clear without a condition. Where the schedule is silent, no approved tracker requirement applies, and any device fitted is voluntary.
SmartDrive is not a recovery device
SmartDrive is OUTsurance's behaviour-scoring app, measuring driving through the smartphone. It produces a saving on the premium when scoring is consistent but does not satisfy a recovery-class security condition.
Confusing SmartDrive with an approved tracker is a recurring error in the search data. Two separate products, two separate purposes on the schedule.
Cellular-only versus radio-fallback units
Cellular-only units depend on the mobile network and can be defeated by a determined jammer running during the theft. Radio-frequency fallback units keep broadcasting on a different band when the cellular link is silenced.
OUTsurance does not specify the technology by name in most schedules, but the operational performance of the device matters at recovery stage. A unit that survives a jam is the one that earns its keep on a high-theft car.
Subscription continuity and the silent failure case
Trackers fail at claim stage most often because the subscription has lapsed, not because the device was wrong for the car. Continuity is the un-celebrated condition behind every approved unit.
Diarise the renewal, align it with the policy month if possible, and keep proof of payment on file. One unpaid debit order is enough to reset the compliance clock.
Switching providers while insured with OUTsurance
Replacing one approved unit with another is allowed - the insurer cares about the recovery condition being met, not the brand. Time the switch so the new unit is reporting before the old one is removed.
Inform OUTsurance of the change and file the new certificate against the policy. Switching trackers while the insurer's record is out of date is a paperwork problem waiting to surface.
Used car arrivals and pre-fitted units
Used cars often arrive with a tracker the previous owner installed. The device is silent until the subscription transfers, and the schedule's security condition cannot accept a non-subscribing unit.
Health-check the unit, transfer the contract, then update OUTsurance with the new certificate in your name. Then the car becomes compliant rather than inheriting compliance.
The bottom line on OUTsurance approved trackers
OUTsurance approves a class of device - professionally fitted, monitored, recovery-capable - not a list of named brands. The recognised SA recovery providers meet the class on the majority of schedules, and the schedule's wording is the final test.
Fit the device, confirm the class, file the certificate. The condition becomes background administration, the way it should be.
Frequently asked questions
What tracker does OUTsurance use?
OUTsurance does not issue or use a branded tracker - it is an insurer, not a tracking company. The schedule names a class of approved device, typically a monitored, professionally installed recovery unit; you choose a provider that meets it.
Does OUTsurance have a list of approved trackers?
OUTsurance does not publish a public list of named brands. Units from the major South African recovery providers - Cartrack, Netstar, Tracker, Beame - meet the device class on the great majority of schedules. Confirm against your specific wording.
Is OUTsurance SmartDrive an approved tracker?
No - SmartDrive is a smartphone-based behaviour-scoring app that earns a 10% telematics-style discount. It does not provide stolen vehicle recovery and does not satisfy a security condition requiring an approved tracker.
Will my existing tracker work with OUTsurance?
If the device class matches the schedule wording - monitored, professionally installed, recovery-capable - it qualifies. Submit the provider's fitment certificate against the policy so the record reflects the device on the car.
Does OUTsurance require an approved tracker on every car?
No - the condition is set per vehicle on its risk profile. High-theft models, high values and exposed addresses attract a condition; lower-risk cars often clear without one. The schedule records the verdict for your car.
Ready to protect your OUTsurance? Compare South Africa’s leading tracking providers and dashcams in one place — and get matched quotes without the runaround.
Get dashcam & tracking quotes