Toronto, Ontario — Amid recent surges in auto thefts in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), some insurance companies are now pushing owners of targeted vehicles to install tracking devices.
One such instance of this comes from Toronto-based resident, Samantha Sannella, owner of a Jeep Rubicon. Originally reporting to CBC News, Sannella revealed that in 2023, she received a letter from her insurance company telling her she would need to install a TAG vehicle tracking system or else pay a $500 surcharge.
The TAG system requested works by using multiple wireless transmitters affixed to different parts of a vehicle. For Sannella, the security installation—which was handled by an auto shop—ended up costing approximately $300.
This instance—and other instances like it—has been further acknowledged by members of the automotive insurance industry such as Guillaume Lamy, senior vice president of personal insurance at Belairdirect who said in a statement that his company is asking customers to install TAG technology in specific cases to reduce “the ongoing problem of auto theft.”
For now, the installation of TAG systems are occurring on a case-by-case basis, with insurers reaching out to drivers as needed.
