How to choose a satnav?

[lljkk]

I'm fed up of getting lost when I drive somewhere unfamiliar.
I don't have a smart phone (so no phone app I could use instead).
What's the difference between a £50 satnav & a £350 one,
How do you choose?
I'm not useless at tech, but since I would be using it maybe only once a month, I need one that is close to foolproof to use, nothing tricky to remember (I tried to use a satnav once, but had no instructions, it baffled me).

Thx 4 any replies.

[lljkk]

no one?
DH is trying to persuade me to use Google Navigate on a smart phone, but there are disadvantages to that. too.

[prh47bridge]

Sometimes there is very little difference. However, the more expensive ones may have additional features such as:

• Lifetime map updates. Very useful. Without this the satnav will gradually get out of date unless you pay for updates. Most newer satnavs have this but older and cheaper models may not.

• More built-in memory allowing the map to cover a larger area. Not important if you are only going to navigate in the UK but may be useful if you want to use your satnav in Europe.

• Traffic information. There are various forms of this but they all allow your satnav to find out about hold ups and adjust the route accordingly. Most satnavs come with some form of this but some of the cheaper ones need to connect to a smartphone to make it work.

• Dashcam. Can be useful for proving what happened if you are involved in an accident.

• Safety features such as lane departure and forward collision warnings.

Not particularly price related are things like sound quality, the quality of visual prompts, ease of use, route accuracy and speed of re-routeing if you go wrong. You may want to take a look at some reviews to find out which models do best on these fronts. Which.co.uk has 36 best buys but you will need to pay to access the list if you are not already a subscriber.

[lljkk]

thanks for reply, someone is going to loan me her SATNAV so decision delayed for now, phew. Someone who has done both phone & SATNAV says the SATNAV is much better, but watch for the price of map updates. The phone is said to decharge very fast, bad sound quality, smaller screen, use up data allowance faster.

Some bells & whistles I just don't need (like Europe or speed cameras).

Come to think of it, most people I know who do lots of driving have separate SATNAV from their Smartphone.

[JapanNextYear]

I use Navmii - no need to have data - works for us as we don't use a satnav v often, only when away - and the maps are really expensive for Tom Tom for a one off short visit somewhere foreign..