2. Plug & Play GPS: Teen Tracking No Monthly Fees

One of the best devices for parents to monitor teen driving, the Plug & Play Teen GPS plugs directly into the automobile’s OBD2 port. That means parents don’t have to hire a professional installer to equip the device. What makes this tracker stand above all the vehicle tracking devices on this list are the no monthly fees (one year of service is included) and the 3-second update rate (the fastest of any tracker on the market today. Overall, this is a fantastic car tracker guaranteed to bring any parent peace-of-mind. 

Coolest Features

• No monthly fees for the first year of service so parents can put teenage drivers on a probation period to ensure safe driving. 
• Unlimited updates every 3 seconds on live GPS position updates, which is the fastest on the market and better than any other OBD2 tracking device.

Shortcomings

• Device can only be connected to the on board diagnostic port of a vehicle. 

Save $100.00 on the top-rated teen GPS tracker when you CLICK HERE!

3. LandAirSea Flashback GPS

Outside of the LandAirSea 54, you can’t find a better teen GPS tracker than the Flashback GPS. What makes it so perfect when it comes to GPS tracking for teenage drivers is its one-second updating as well as incredibly detailed data—including any and all addresses your teen visits, driving speeds, and more, all without any sort of required subscription.

Coolest Features

• Unlike most GPS trackers for teen drivers, Flashback doesn’t require a subscription, meaning you don’t have monthly service fees to worry about. 
• Additionally, it will work anywhere in the world, so if your kid runs off to Mexico, Canada, or parts unknown, you’re still covered.

Shortcomings

• As a GPS data logger (no monthly fee GPS tracker), the Flashback GPS requires you to retrieve the device from your teen’s vehicle in order to access the data on it.

Learn more about GPS trackers with no subscription fees when you CLICK HERE!

4. Spy Tec STI GL300: Track Teens Car

Like the LandAirSea 54, Spy Tec utilizes strong magnets to make it easy to hide the STI GL300 to a car’s exterior. While the location tracking isn’t quite as good (accuracy within 15 feet, for instance), the size is roughly comparable (the size of a matchbox), making this another great GPS tracker for teen drivers.

Coolest Features

• What really sets the STL GL300 apart from other teen GPS tracker devices is the addition of an SOS button, allowing your child to send an instant notification of their location if they ever run into trouble.

Shortcomings

• Though the data logger is only activated when the accelerometer detects teen driving, the battery still has lifespan issues, with many users reporting less than the claimed two-week battery life. A separate six-month battery can be purchased, however.

Read our complete review of the SpyTec GL300 tracker when you CLICK HERE!

5. MasTrack: OBDii Car GPS Tracker For Teens

Though a bit pricier than some of the other top options when it comes to selecting a GPS tracker for teen drivers, the OBD2 GPS offers more technical features than other teen GPS tracker options. For instance, in addition to locator tracking, this monitoring system also records speeding harsh braking, notes idling times, and will send maintenance reminders, like when it’s time to change the oil. This is the reason vehicle GPS can boost personal safety and overall driver safety. 

Coolest Features

• The car stats offered by MasTrack go above and beyond what is offered by other companies, meaning teen drivers can focus more on being good drivers and less on keeping track of maintenance.

Shortcomings

• Though text alerts are a nice touch, each text comes from a different randomly generated number, meaning it’s impossible to keep that data together in one text chain.

Read our complete review of the best GPS car trackers when you CLICK HERE!

BONUS: Optimus: Teen Driver Tracking

When it comes to discreetly tracking your teen drivers, Optimus’ Real Time GPS Tracker for teen drivers offers routing features, though service fees vary. Unlike some other real time teen GPS tracker options, you may need to purchase a waterproof case separately in order to effectively protect the device from the elements.

Coolest Features

• Data is neatly summarized in a variety of charts, making it easy to better understand your teen’s driving habits, and even the tracking summaries are far more comprehensive than other comparable models.

Shortcomings

• Though one minute is the advertised tracking update frequency, many users report that it is frequently more like once every several minutes, meaning tracking may not be particularly precise or exactly real time.

Honorable Mention Teen GPS Tracking Devices

There are a lot of different GPS vehicle tracker solutions that allow parents to view teen driving activity from smartphone apps, and the above-mentioned GPS car trackers. However, here are some honorable mentions of 4G GPS devices that can monitor speeding, provide real time location, and even offer magnetic mounts for boosting driving habits. 

• Motosafety GPS
• Buddy Tag
• Primetrackings Personal GPS Tracker

What Is The #1 Killer Of Teenagers?

While some other mortality factors among teens are on the rise (non-vehicular accidental deaths, homicides, and suicides have all risen in the past decade, for instance), the truth remains that vehicular accidents are by far the number one killer of teenage drivers.

Those deaths are split between teen drivers and their passengers; roughly 56% of the 2,500 to 3,000 teens that die in motor vehicle accidents each year are the drivers, with passengers accounting for the other 44%.

All told, roughly 300,000 teens are treated for injuries from motor vehicle accidents each year. As a result, GPS tracking for teenage drivers can be one way to help keep your children safe, as teen driving isn’t always the safest, and monitoring their driving behavior with a teen GPS tracker can be one way to help them improve.

10 First-Time Driving Tips

Of course, GPS tracking for teenage drivers is just one way you might be able to help your children toward safer teen driving. There are also plenty of ways you can help instruct them, such as:

1. Accelerate slowly. Not only will your engine perform better, but accelerating gently helps give you more control.
2. Keep the wheel steady. Whether 10 and 4 or 9 and 3, keeping a steady presence on the wheel helps ensure smooth and consistent driving.
3. Brake gently. Just as your engine appreciates more gentle acceleration, gentle braking helps give you more control and helps ensure you’re less likely to be rear-ended, too. Practicing recognizing signs that you’ll need to slow down can also help.
4. Drive at safe speeds. That means observing speed limits, which exist to help keep you and other drivers safe.
5. Follow safely. That means keeping an adequate cushion between your car and the car in front of you. As a new driver, your reaction times may be slower, so give yourself extra time and space to work with. (The two-second rule is a good place to start.)
6. Observe road signs. While you should know road signs before passing your driving test, it may take time for new teen drivers to intuitively understand them.
7. Make intelligent lane choices. Give yourself plenty of time in the right lane before turns so you don’t need to worry about potentially cutting off other drivers, for instance.
8. Communicate your intentions. That means signaling early, for instance, and braking and accelerating gently (as noted previously).
9. Check your blind spots. Before changing lanes or reversing, for instance, be sure to do your due diligence. Eventually, this will come naturally, but as you are a new driver, you’ll need to remind yourself of this.
10. Limit distractions. It should go without saying that texting and driving or talking on the phone will driving are bad ideas, but even singing along with the radio or speaking with a friend riding shotgun can make a less safe driver.

How Much Does Your Insurance Go Up When You Add A Teenage Driver?

The answer to that question may vary a great deal. According to Insurance.com, the average family with a teen driver sees their insurance rates increase by at least 44 percent. Similarly, if a teen driver is put on their own insurance policy, the average annual quoted rate is $2,267—more than three times higher than the average annual cost increase of $621 to add a teen driver to their parent’s policy.

There are, however, quite a few things you can do to potentially decrease the insurance increase you can expect with a teen driver. Some insurance companies offer lowered rates for good grades or for teen drivers who have taken certain driver’s ed courses, for instance. It may be worth reaching out to various insurance companies to see what breaks they might be able to give you for certain benchmarks—including potentially taking advantage of GPS tracking for teenage drivers to prove that your child is a safe teen driver.