The 5 Best Cheap GPS Vehicle Trackers in Canada

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Looking for a reliable and cost-effective way to keep track of your fleet? Our latest round of independent research reveals that Motive is the best cheap GPS vehicle tracker in Canada. It offers users flexible monthly subscriptions and fast location data updates.

However, when it comes to GPS fleet management, quality should always come before cost. We’ve compared and ranked the top five providers in Canada based on their value for money, unique selling points, and their strengths and weaknesses. 

Don't settle for a subpar tracking system that could potentially compromise your operations. For over 10 years, Expert Market has been leading the research on fleet management in Canada. Use our free quote comparison tool to get tailored, obligation-free quotes directly from leading suppliers.

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Motive

RAM

Samsara

Azuga

Verizon

Pricing (Software)

Bespoke Pricing

Pricing (Software)

Bespoke Pricing

Pricing (Software)

$27 – $33 (USD) per user, per month (on average)

Pricing (Software)

$25 – $35 (USD) per user, per month

Pricing (Software)

From $23.50 (USD) per user, per month (on average)

Best For

Value For Money

Best For

Help and Support

Best For

Managing Vehicles

Best For

Efficient Routes

Best For

Best Overall

Motive: Best Value for Money

Motive
4.1
Pricing Bespoke
Quick overview

Motive (formerly KeepTruckin) is a tech powerhouse that provides innovative solutions to boost businesses' safety, productivity, and profitability.

Founded in 2013 as KeepTruckin, the company rebranded as Motive in April 2022, opening its doors to serve markets beyond trucking and logistics. Today, Motive has become a global name, serving over 120,000 businesses and employing more than 3,500 employees in eight offices worldwide.

Pricing
Bespoke
Prices are case-by-case, and depend on your fleet size, package features, and contract length

Pros

  • Only system that offers monthly subscriptions
  • 5-year hardware warranty
  • No-fee fuel card

Cons

  • Can’t set custom locations
  • No driver dispatching capabilities

Motive is the only system on this list that offers monthly subscription plans, which is rare in the vehicle tracking world where the standard contract length is three years. Moreover, it offers a five-year warranty on its hardware, such as dash cams and trackers, should you decide to invest in them.

When it comes to cutting costs, Motive stands out with its no-fee fuel card, which gives you discounts on fuel and maintenance, beating all other providers. Moreover, Motive has a unique interface designed to help you pinpoint fuel inefficiencies and provide actionable solutions to reduce them. This is great to help you comply with Canada's strict environmental regulations in addition to making a tangible impact on your bottom line.

However, Motive lags behind in our tracking category, scoring 4.3/5 in our research, as it doesn’t allow you to set custom locations and dispatch drivers on the fly. If you want to streamline your daily operations with powerful driver dispatching abilities, look at Verizon (5/5) or Azuga (4.9/5). 

Unfortunately, it doesn’t offer a free installation setup, something only RAM technicians offer. Moreover, Motive only offers a 14-day trial, which is much shorter than RAM’s 30-day trial.

▶ Read more: GPS for trucks

RAM Tracking: Best Help and Support Channels

RAM Tracking logo
RAM Tracking
4
Pricing Bespoke
Quick overview

RAM Tracking Canada has become a household name in the vehicle tracking industry since its establishment in 2009, thanks to its user-friendly fleet management software and exceptional customer support.

RAM operates on a subscription-based model, which means you don't need to make any upfront capital investment. This also makes it easier for businesses of all sizes to leverage the benefits of RAM Tracking to help streamline their fleet operations.

Pricing
Bespoke
Prices are case-by-case, and depend on your fleet size, package features, and contract length

Pros

  • Exemplary technical support
  • Free installation
  • User-friendly policies
  • Crash detection and reporting

Cons

  • Limited reporting capabilities
  • No automated maintenance scheduling tools
  • No 24/7 phone support

Taking our help and support category by storm, with a solid score of 4.4/5, RAM is an ideal option for fledgling fleet businesses that require hands-on assistance. It’s the only system that offers free installation, a 30-day free trial, and a user-friendly 14-day cooling-off period. It is worth noting that RAM’s customer support is only available on weekdays, between 9am and 5pm. 

RAM also has crash detection capabilities, which is rare at this price point, and is something Motive, the top scorer in our pricing category, does not offer. RAM provides a useful breakdown reporting functionality, which alerts both roadside assistance and fleet operators of all pertinent breakdown information. This can help you comply with Motor Vehicle Safety Regulations

However, RAM scores an above average 2.8/5 in our vehicle management category, lacking automated scheduling and maintenance tracking tools. If you want powerful automated alerts, Verizon (5/5) has a fool-proof maintenance reminder system. 

RAM is pretty hush-hush with its pricing, but our researchers have found that its UK prices can go as low as £8.99 per vehicle, per month on its five-year subscription plans. In comparison, Verizon’s three-year subscriptions go for around £20-£40 per vehicle, per month.

Samsara: Best for Managing Vehicles

Samsara flexi
Samsara
4.5
Pricing $27 – $33
Quick overview

Founded in 2015, Samsara has quickly become a trusted name in the industry, thanks to its AI-powered fleet management solutions.

Samsara provides ​​“to-the-second’ GPS tracking and allows businesses to capture rich data from sensors, cameras, and other integrations to help businesses improve their operations. All this data is gathered on a unified platform for easier management and analysis.

Pricing
$27 – $33 (USD) per vehicle, per month
This is an average popular Samsara price range: Like other providers, Samsara's prices are case-by-case, and depend on your fleet size, package features, and contract length

Pros

  • Superb vehicle management features
  • Helps you comply with HOS regulations
  • 30-day free trial
  • 5-year hardware warranty

Cons

  • No installation support
  • Three-year minimum contract length

Traversing long routes? Samsara can ensure a smooth journey with its powerful vehicle diagnostic capabilities, which help keep your vehicles in tip-top shape. This catapults Samsara to the top of our vehicle management category, scoring a perfect 5/5, along with Verizon and Azuga.

Samsara stands out as it can help you ensure compliance with Canadian Hours of Service (HOS) regulations. It keeps track of your drivers’ activities, manages regional rulesets, lets you set exceptions, and ensures it complies with the relevant rulesets based on your driver’s location – either North or South of Canada. This is especially helpful for fleets that cross borders. With Samsara, your drivers don’t have to manually track regulations in different regions, which means the process isn’t open to human error and it saves valuable time.

Samsara prices aren’t available to the public, but our researchers found that their most popular packages in the US cost around $27 to $33 per vehicle, per month. While they do not provide installation support, they do offer a 30-day free trial and a five-year hardware warranty. Not bad, overall. However, its minimum contract length is three years. If you want shorter contracts and more payment flexibility, it’s worth scrolling back up to Motive or RAM.

Azuga: Best for Efficient Routes

azuga logo
Azuga
4.5
Pricing $25 – $35
Quick overview

Azuga is a comprehensive fleet telematics system that has been specifically designed to prioritize driver safety. Since 2012, it has helped businesses grow by using advanced analytics to improve driver safety and efficiency, as well as provide actionable insights that aim to help managers boost the performance of their fleet.

Azuga powers over 6,000 commercial fleets worldwide. In August 2021, Bridgestone, a global mobility leader, announced its acquisition of Azuga, making Azuga’s innovative solutions more sustainable than ever.

Pricing
$25 – $35 (USD) per vehicle, per month
Exact prices are case-by-case, and depend on your fleet size, package features, and contract length

Pros

  • Unbeatable route optimization features
  • Lifetime hardware warranty

Cons

  • Contracts are continuous – you have one renewal date, no matter when you add devices
  • Lengthy three-year contract
  • Free trial only for businesses with 30+ vehicles

With unparalleled routing capabilities, Azuga ensures that your fleet stays on track and arrives at each destination without any unexpected hiccups. Scoring 4.9/5 in our tracking category, Azuga is just a wee bit behind Verizon (5/5) as it offers a slightly slower data refresh of 30 to 59 seconds.

Still, Azuga remains our top recommendation for those who work in a fast-paced industry, such as retail. Azuga leverages machine learning to identify optimal routes and avoid traffic and dangerous work zones. This enables its software to efficiently plan, re-route, and reschedule deliveries, while helping to keep your drivers, vehicles, and cargo safe.

However, Azuga’s full capabilities also come with steep prices. Azuga's score takes a significant dip to 2.5/5 in our pricing category as it offers only the standard three-year subscription. Moreover, its contracts are continuous – meaning you have one renewal date, no matter when you add your devices.

An upside is that its hardware comes with a lifetime hardware warranty and Azuga provides plug-and-play trackers which can be installed in minutes. Moreover, Azuga's team can set up your software and help you migrate information from your previous system.

Azuga does offer a demo, but its free trial is only available for businesses with over 30 vehicles. If you wish to cancel your subscription, you need to let their representatives know 60 days prior to your contract renewal. If you want customer-friendly policies, scroll back up to RAM or Motive.

Verizon Connect: Best Vehicle Tracking Features

verizon logo
Verizon Connect
4.6
Pricing From $23.50
Quick overview

Verizon Connect’s suite of industry-leading solutions leverages artificial intelligence, automation, and connected data to help businesses monitor their fleets, reduce costs, and increase profits. In 2016, Verizon Telematics acquired Fleetmatics, a global fleet management solutions provider with over 42,000 customers and over 826,000 subscribed vehicles worldwide. This saw the establishment of Verizon Connect, which catapulted its parent company into the position of a global leader in fleet and mobile resource management with over 3,500 dedicated employees in 18 countries.

Pricing
From $23.50 (USD) per vehicle, per month
This is a guide price: Like other providers, Verizon's prices are case-by-case, and depend on your fleet size, package features, and contract length

Pros

  • Accurate tracking capabilities
  • Incredible vehicle management tools
  • User-friendly cancellation policy

Cons

  • Premium pricing
  • Three-year contract length

Saving the best for last, Verizon is the only supplier to score a perfect 5/5 across three categories that are crucial for efficient fleet management: tracking, driver management, and vehicle management. While it doesn’t update data as quickly as Motive (4.3/5), its 30-second data refresh remains a standout feature as it provides accurate monitoring of your entire fleet.

Moreover, Verizon provides an extensive level of features for vehicle maintenance, keeping a comprehensive record of all your maintenance services, and it alerts you when a tuneup is due and when one has been missed. This makes Verizon a great solution for large fleets where keeping track of vehicle health is a time-consuming and difficult process.

Unfortunately, Verizon places last in pricing with a 2.2/5 as its full capabilities can only be unlocked with its pricier Reveal plan. Furthermore, it scores 3/5 in our help and support category as it does not offer free installation setup and each unit swap or upgrade can cost you around $100. In contrast, RAM scores 3.7/5 in pricing and 4.4/5 in help and support, as it offers free installation and more affordable subscription plans.

On to some good news: Verizon Connect Canada offers a free trial and 14-day cooling off period, so you can experience the power of its services risk-free. If you ever decide to part ways, you can just send them a 30-day written notice without the need to give any reason for the termination.

How Did We Compare Cheap GPS Trackers?

At Expert Market, we are committed to providing you with the most reliable and up-to-date information to help you choose the best and most affordable GPS tracking system for your business. To bring you the most comprehensive analysis of each system, our team of unbiased software researchers compared and evaluated several key factors, such as:  

  • Route optimization: How efficiently it can guide you to the swiftest and safest routes, no matter the weather or the traffic condition.
  • Driver scheduling/dispatching: If it can help you seamlessly assign drivers to routes, manage their schedules, and monitor their progress throughout the day. 
  • Price: We scrutinize its value for money, and if it offers bundle pricing and long-term deals.
  • Vehicle management: To help keep your vehicles in tip-top shape, we inspect if it has intuitive maintenance, scheduling, and diagnostic tools. 
  • Product features: We investigate its cutting-edge features to help give you unmatched control over your fleet.
  • Help and support channels: We examined each of its support channels, and its ability to give you quality support 24/7. 

Should I Just Choose the Cheapest Vehicle Trackers?

It might be tempting to choose the cheapest option available but when it comes to vehicle tracking, you really have to read the fine print. It is best to ensure that you’re getting the features you need. You might subscribe to a package that sounds stellar, only to find out later that it lacks certain driver or vehicle management features that are crucial for your business. 

Cutting corners could be costly in the long run, so instead of just opting for the cheapest system, it's essential to consider crucial features that can make or break your fleet management game:

  • Route optimization
  • Geofencing
  • Maintenance scheduling
  • Driver monitoring
  • Powerful alerts
  • Anti-theft features
  • Vehicle diagnostics
  • Expense management
  • Fuel card integrations
  • Fuel management tools
  • Electronic logging devices
  • Automatic tax reporting

Not sure where to begin? Check out our curated list of the best fleet management companies in Canada.

Verdict

Our latest independent research reveals that Motive is the best cheap GPS vehicle tracker. Scoring a solid 4/5 overall, Motive is the only system on this list that offers monthly subscriptions and a no-fee fuel card that can help you save on fuel and maintenance costs. 

However, Motive does lack driver dispatching abilities that can be crucial for assigning tasks on the fly. If you want to streamline your daily operations, you may have to splurge on Verizon (4.6/5) or Azuga (4.5/5). 

Don’t overspend on your vehicle tracking systems. Find suppliers that best match your needs and your budget by using our free quote comparison tool. Simply let us know what you need for your business, and we’ll connect you with leading providers who will be in touch with tailored, obligation-free quotes.

FAQs

How much does a vehicle tracking system cost?
A basic vehicle tracking system typically costs around $18 to $35 per vehicle, per month.

However, there are many factors that can affect your tracking system costs. Check out our guide to GPS tracking costs for our research-backed cost breakdown of the best cheap fleet management software.

Is there a free GPS tracker?
Some providers offer GPS trackers for free when you commit to a long-term subscription (usually three years).

Unfortunately, the best things in life are not often free. So please note that it is crucial to read the terms and conditions carefully before committing to any subscription.

Do all GPS trackers require a monthly fee?
All GPS trackers with real-time analytics charge a monthly fee. Some Bluetooth GPS trackers (not SIM-enabled) do not require a monthly fee. However, these only record simple vehicle logs and are extremely limited.

SIM-enabled GPS trackers require a monthly fee to cover the cost of data usage and network access. This is how your vehicle trackers relay information in real time, allowing you to effectively manage your fleet.

Find out more about the different types of trackers in our complete guide to GPS tracking.

How do you reduce fleet management costs?
There are many effective strategies you can use to reduce fleet management costs, such as optimizing routes, monitoring fuel consumption, and keeping your vehicles in tip-top shape. Expert tip: telematics devices can help you do all these.
Written by:
With over six years of experience helping businesses scale through strategic marketing research, Pam delivers the most useful tech advice for small businesses and beyond. At Expert Market, she probes into the world of fleet management systems to help business owners get the most bang for their buck.
Reviewed by:
James thinks all businesses can improve if they use the right technology. At Expert Market, he utilises his 4+ years experience as a researcher to offer specialised advice on a wide range of categories from CRM to Fleet Management.