Best navigation apps
We reveal the best ways to find your way around with the latest smartphone navigation apps
It doesn’t feel too long ago that we had to rely on paper maps and road signs to find our way around when we were driving. Now we have an enormous choice of navigation systems to choose from, guiding us by satellites and even telling us how to avoid traffic jams and hold-ups.
While the sat-nav systems built into most modern cars will do the job reasonably well, they find it difficult to compete with the software that’s loaded on your smartphone. Their connectivity means the maps are instantly updated with traffic information and road closures, and they can call on search engines to help you find destinations. Some will also use data from other users to help spot congestion and other problems, such as potholes and accidents.
The best part of all is that most of these navigation apps won’t cost you a penny to use. Which of these seven apps would we direct you towards?
How we tested
We chose the most popular navigation apps on the Apple App Store and downloaded them onto a trio of iPhones ranging from a 12 to a 14. We tasked them with finding directions to a small business using just its name, and then a residential address using a postcode.
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Cash £16,197While out and about, we pulled over and asked the app for the nearest petrol station and electric car charger.
Points were given for the search function, mapping and instructions along the route. We also added to the score for extras such as live traffic info, downloadable maps to be used offline, and speed camera alerts. We also preferred apps that had Apple CarPlay and Android Auto integration.
Verdict
Most drivers will stick with Google, and we can see why. It has the best search and directs well. Waze is second – and the best choice for anyone keen to avoid traffic. TomTom’s AmiGO was the surprise of the test and works best with EVs, but isn’t CarPlay-compatible yet.
Google Maps
- Price: Free
- Rating: 5 stars
- Apple CarPlay/Android Auto: Yes/yes
- Contact: google.co.uk/maps
Even though it’s native to Android, Google works brilliantly on iPhones too, which makes it the default choice for millions. The power of its search means it found our business using basic terms rather than a full name. It then offered several routes so we could avoid motorways or choose a more economical road, for example.
It quickly and easily detoured to find a charging station and warned us of traffic too, although some functions are easier to operate on the phone itself than through CarPlay.
Waze
- Price: Free
- Rating: 4 stars
- Apple CarPlay/Android Auto: Yes/yes
- Contact: waze.com
Waze is the first choice for many professional drivers because of its ruthless ability to cut through snarl-ups. It does this by using data and feedback from other ‘Wazers’ ahead of you, automatically reporting traffic speeds and adding manual warnings for issues. Sometimes Waze seems too keen to choose minor roads though, which means they became clogged, presumably with other Wazers.
It works well with CarPlay and we liked the speed display, which remains on even when there is no route planned.
TomTom AmiGO
- Price: Free
- Rating: 4 stars
- Apple CarPlay/Android Auto: No/yes
- Contact: tomtom.com
The TomTom AmiGO’s search function was as good as Google’s, finding our business with scant information. The app also lets you set the type of vehicle you drive, so it will suggest the best route and refuelling options. It found EV charge points efficiently too.
We really liked the safety camera alerts, which warn you if
you are drifting over the limit in an average speed check zone.
But the main problem is that the app doesn’t yet have Apple CarPlay integration, although it works with Android Auto.
TomTom GO
- Price: £3.99/month, £19.99/year
- Rating: 3.5 stars
- Apple CarPlay/Android Auto: Yes/yes
- Contact: tomtom.com
With plenty of excellent alternatives available for free – including TomTom’s own AmiGO (left) – the GO app needs to be good. Luckily it is, as well as including a couple of unique features which might make it worth spending your money on.
The first is that it can be set to show routes suitable for trucks and larger vehicles. The second is the benefit of downloadable maps, which work in areas of low reception and when you have low data.
Apple Maps
- Price: Free (Apple devices only)
- Rating: 3.5 stars
- Apple CarPlay/Android Auto: Yes/no
- Contact: apple.com
Apple’s answer to the mighty Google Maps is native to all Apple devices, but won’t work with an Android phone.
It’s easy to use and the instructions are clear, but the search function isn’t nearly as sophisticated, and it struggled to find our business without a precise name. On the plus side, it did integrate with our car’s head-up display to show basic mapping, unlike Google.
Sygic Car Navigation
- Price: £17.99/year (seven-day free trial)
- Rating: 3.5 stars
- Apple CarPlay/Android Auto: Yes/yes
- Contact: sygic.com
Sygic’s app gets better every time we try it, with improved mapping and new features such as a head-up display projector from your phone’s screen, or traffic-sign recognition. But they require you to mount your phone carefully, and eat through the battery’s charge.
The phone’s screen can become too crowded with icons, and the app also loses points because of the cost.
MyRoute-app
- Price: £3.95/month, £19/year
- Rating: 3 stars
- Apple CarPlay/Android Auto: Yes/yes
- Contact: myrouteapp.com
Although MyRoute will happily navigate you from work to the nearest supermarket using the free version of the app, there are others that will do it better.
Instead, this is aimed at the leisure user who might want to drive or ride a scenic route in a classic car or on a bike. You can then record and share the routes, a bit like Strava for drivers. Using the premium features costs extra though.
Yandex NAVI
- Price: Free
- Rating: 2.5 stars
- Apple CarPlay/Android Auto: Yes/yes
- Contact: yandex.com
While the Yandex app is designed for Eastern Europe rather than the UK, it finds routes well enough, and the maps are clear and uncomplicated. Larger businesses such as supermarkets are listed with opening times and other handy information. There’s no EV charge point finder, but petrol stations are listed.
However, it wouldn’t find a route when connected via CarPlay and won’t allow an address search by postcode.
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