Satnav Recommendations

[Rhapsodyinpurple]

Can anyone recommend a Satnav?

I am geographically challenged and feel that a Satnav would be a great help when driving around. I've had a look, but don't know which are the best models. Do you get what you pay for? Are expensive ones the best? Which models are best for updating maps, selecting non motorway routes (Google maps suggest a motorway route for a straightforward local drive), traffic updates etc.

Any recommendations?

Do you have a smartphone you could use ?

If you have a smart phone Waze is the best app Dh, who has to drives a lot, to some very out of the way rural locations, as well as more built up areas, has found.

You can select google maps to avoid motorways. It's in navigation settings in the menu.

I honestly think that very few people use standalone sat navs for routine navigation anymore.

Any smartphone is more than capable unless you have specialist requirements like avoiding routes unsuitable for large vehicles.

But if Google maps is suggesting the motorway, could it be that the motorway is the quickest route?

I can't put into words how much I detest Google Maps.

Waze is OK, but for my money (£0 ) HERE Maps are the business. (Mainly because they can be configured to always show the speed limit).

I use my phone. I bought TomTom Go which is a £18/year sub, gets you maps worldwide and traffic, and you download the map to your phone so it still works when the signal is down. It's great.

Once in a while I check to see if Google Maps is any better, and generally it's not. Apple Maps is okay. Waze is pretty good. All of them either require you to be online at all times, or to be thoughtful enough to faff around with the 'preload the map' functions before you lose signal which are always awful to use and sometimes don't remember for long anyway.

TomTom Go on your phone is my recommend. Get a nice phone mount that works with your car dash, and USB it in.

I use google maps on my phone as well, I bought a phone holder which sticks to my windscreen for less than a tenner. I have never tried to drive anywhere "out of the way" though so it might struggle with rural or newly built areas.