iPod car apps tested

When it comes to the latest breed of smartphones, Apple’s iPhone has become the benchmark. And you can do more and more with the device, as developers constantly create new software – or apps – for it. So, are there any that can help in your car?

Makers are rushing to get sat-nav on to the iPhone, and we’ll be looking at this in a future issue, but what else is on offer? Apart from a huge selection of racing games, you can book hotels, hire cars, hunt down a personalised plate, listen to Internet radio or even track your friends! We narrowed our search of Apple’s iTunes Store down to three types of programs – performance data loggers, fuel price monitors and economy calculators.

We downloaded four in each section – including a free one – to find the perfect driving companion.

The test
Ease of use was key for the fuel economy apps, and we also looked for UK units, such as miles, Imperial gallons and litres. On the road, we compared the data loggers to the kit used by our road testers for accurate results. Finally, we wanted the fuel cost monitors to be accurate and include all nearby service stations, rather than just the cheapest sites.

Verdict

One app that will be staying on our iPhone is Road Trip, thanks to its easy one-page data entry and comprehensive statistics. Track day fans should check out g-tac free, as it proved as accurate as its paid-for rivals. Clear winner among the fuel monitors was PetrolPrices Pro – it offered up-to-date information and covered the most service stations.