TomTom XL Live

If you’re planning a trip this summer, chances are you’ll turn to our Product of the Year, the TomTom GO sat-nav. But if you can’t stretch to the top-of-the-range model, the firm now features its excellent Live software on the entry-level XL. 

We tested the new unit, which has features such as real-time safety camera updates, fuel price checker and local online Google search, on a busy route through central London. The software appears to affect long-distance planning, though, as it took considerably longer to plot a trial route to Scotland.

However, the sleek model also has the firm’s IQ Route technology, which calculated the most efficient route for our city journey, based on day of the week and time of day. We found this to be super-quick, and when used in conjunction with the up-to-the-minute jam info, gave us alternatives and updates on the gridlock. The traffic sidebar kept us informed about the added time to our trip, and we were notified about safety cameras well in advance.

Fuel prices can frustratingly be up to five days old, though. But the user-friendly interface, EasyPort mount and local search features helped make up for this.

TomTom XL Live

*Price: £249.99

*Rating: 4/5

*Contact: www.tomtom.com

*Problems? Long-distance route planning was slow, fuel prices can be out of date. 

*So why buy? Good value for money, three months Live subscription included, fast response to traffic, European maps included, too.