Two Different Answers to the Same Problem
We fit both of these systems every week, so unlike most articles on this subject we’ve got no horse in the race — the honest answer is that the right choice depends on what you want your security to do. Both stop your car being driven away by someone without permission. The difference is what happens around that.
How the Ghost Immobiliser Works
The Autowatch Ghost is a pure immobiliser: completely silent, completely invisible. The engine will not start until your personal PIN sequence is entered on the car’s own buttons. There’s no tag, no fob, no LED — nothing for a thief to find, clone or relay. Its strength is total covertness: a thief in your car has no idea why it won’t start.
How a No Tag No Start Tracker Works
The S5 Plus system we fit takes a different approach: you carry a small coded tag (or use your phone as one), and if the car is started without the tag present, it refuses to drive off and our 24/7 monitoring centre is alerted. Because it’s built on a Thatcham-approved S5 GPS tracker, you also get live tracking from an app, tow-away alerts, and — if the worst happens — a monitored recovery process working with the police. Many insurers of high-value and high-risk vehicles ask for exactly this system by name.
The Real Difference: Prevention vs Recovery
The Ghost is the best pure deterrent — the car simply never leaves. The No Tag No Start tracker adds the safety net: if a vehicle is lifted onto a flatbed at 3am, no immobiliser on earth stops that, but a monitored S5 tracker means it can be found and recovered. That’s why they solve different problems, and why insurers treat them differently — an immobiliser rarely earns a discount on its own, while a Thatcham S5 is often a condition of cover.
Which Should You Choose?
Choose the Ghost if your priority is invisible, undetectable protection against relay attacks and key cloning, and your insurer hasn’t asked for a tracker.
Choose the No Tag No Start S5 if your insurer requires a Thatcham-approved tracker, you want live visibility of the vehicle, or the vehicle is at risk of being recovered-on-a-flatbed rather than driven away.
Choose both if the vehicle is high-value or high-risk. This is what we fit most often on Range Rovers, Mercedes and Lexus models: the immobiliser stops it being driven, the tracker gets it back if it’s carried. Our immobiliser & S7 package and immobiliser & S5 package bundle the two together at a better price than fitting separately.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the No Tag No Start system immobilise the car like a Ghost does?
Yes — without the tag present the vehicle won’t drive away, and unlike a standalone immobiliser it also alerts the monitoring centre. The Ghost’s advantage is that there’s no tag to carry (or lose) and nothing detectable in the car at all.
Will my insurer accept a Ghost instead of an S5 tracker?
Usually not — if your policy specifies a Thatcham Category S5 or S7 tracker, only a certificated tracker satisfies it. The Ghost is TASSA-registered and superb protection, but it isn’t a tracker. Check your policy wording, or ask us and we’ll tell you straight.
Can I have both fitted in one visit?
Yes. We fit combined packages at your home or workplace across Essex, Hertfordshire and North London, usually in a single appointment.
Not sure which way to go? Call 03330 129 028 with your make, model and insurer’s requirements and we’ll give you an honest recommendation — we fit both, so you’ll get the answer that’s right for your car, not the one that suits us.