Will Ecuador’s traffic reform allow authorities to track vehicles?

Ecuador’s newly approved traffic reform does not, based on the rules currently available, establish a system that can permanently track every vehicle. It creates a mandatory Electronic Vehicle Identification Device, but the device’s stated purpose is electronic identification, verification and automated control.

The National Assembly approved the reform with 87 votes on Sept. 3, 2026. The measure links each device uniquely to a vehicle and allows compatible systems installed along the road network to read it when the vehicle passes a control point.

That means authorities could record a vehicle’s identity at selected locations. It does not amount to a permanent record of all its movements. The device would be connected to the National Registry of Land Transport and Transit, which contains information about vehicles and their owners.

The rules also include measures intended to prevent cloning, alteration or unauthorized use of the device. However, they do not yet define all of its technical characteristics or the infrastructure that would read the devices nationwide. The reform must complete the relevant legal process before it enters into force.