Cars are the most commonly tracked private space there is: they are accessible from the street, they carry you everywhere, and a magnetic tracker installs in five seconds. Vehicle surveillance shows up constantly in stalking and custody cases — and it is also one of the most sweepable spaces, because the hiding spots are few and known.

Know your enemy: the four device types

  • OBD plug-in trackers — plug into the diagnostic port and draw car power forever. Trivial to install, trivial to find once you know the port exists.
  • Battery magnetic trackers — a sealed box with magnets, slapped under the car in seconds. Weeks to months of battery life.
  • Hardwired trackers/mics — spliced behind the dash or under trim by someone with time and access (think: a controlling partner, a shady dealer install, a dispute over a financed vehicle).
  • Bluetooth beacons (AirTag-style) — cheap, tiny, tossed into a seat pocket or taped in a wheel arch. Also the easiest to detect electronically.

Step 1 — The physical top-ten

Grab a flashlight and check, in order:

  1. OBD-II port — under the dash, driver's side. Anything plugged in that you did not plug in is your answer.
  2. Under seats and floor mats, and inside seat-back pockets
  3. Center console and glove box — including battery compartments of "forgotten" items
  4. Trunk, spare-wheel well and tool foam
  5. Front and rear bumpers — reach underneath and feel along the inner lip
  6. Wheel arches — magnetic boxes stick to the metal behind the plastic liner
  7. Under the chassis — frame rails and crossmembers near the edges
  8. Behind the dash trim — look for loose panels and fresh scratch marks
  9. Sun visors, headliner edges and dome-light housing — favorite spots for interior microphones
  10. Charging cables and adapters in the 12V socket — chargers with SIM cards inside exist

Step 2 — Bluetooth sweep

Park away from other cars and buildings (a quiet lot works), turn off your own accessories, and scan. Beacon trackers and Bluetooth mics announce themselves; signal strength rises as you move the phone toward the hiding spot — front seats, then back seats, then trunk, then each wheel.

With SpyMic: run the Bluetooth Device Finder and circle the vehicle slowly, watching for devices whose signal peaks at the car. SpyMic highlights audio-related and suspicious devices — and your iPhone will separately alert you if a registered AirTag has been traveling with you.

Step 3 — EMF sweep of the interior

With the engine off (less interference), trace the phone slowly along the dash, steering column, seat rails, console, door panels, headliner and trunk lining. You are hunting powered electronics where none belong — the hardwired class that Bluetooth scans miss.

With SpyMic: open EMF Sensor Detection and work the interior in strips a few centimeters from surfaces. A spike from a trim panel, visor or seat seam marks the spot to open up and inspect.

Step 4 — Infrared check after dark

Interior cameras (nanny-cam style devices aimed at seats) often use infrared night vision. Sit in the dark car, lights off, and pan the cabin — glowing points on the dash, mirror area or parcel shelf that your eyes cannot see are IR emitters.

With SpyMic: run Thermal & Infrared Detection across the cabin, focusing on the rear-view mirror housing, dash top and rear shelf.
Found a tracker? Do not just throw it away. Photograph it in place, note the date, and talk to the police — in stalking and harassment situations the tracker is evidence, and its removal tells the stalker their access ended. If the tracker may belong to a current or former partner, involve a domestic-violence advocate in the plan. (One legal note: if the car is financed or leased, some lenders install disclosed GPS units — check your paperwork before assuming the worst.)

Sweep triggers for vehicles

Re-run the 15-minute sweep after: a breakup or dispute involving someone with car access, a valet or long service visit you did not observe, buying a used car, or any suspicious pattern of someone "coincidentally" knowing where you have been.