Cheap satnav or app for smartphone - suggestions please

[Lilymaid]

We are thinking of buying DS a cheap satnav or smartphone app as he has been borrowing ours. Any recommendations? He just needs something to cover the UK.

Thanks for that. DS reckons that Google Maps is as good as a satnav - I don't know (we really prefer to use old fashioned paper maps and concoct our own routes and diversions, leaving the satnav for use in towns).

I use google maps. It's really easy

Google maps us as good as satnav. Better probably as the maps are so up to date.

I'm a recent Waze app convert. It's brilliant.

My husband uses google maps to navigate. He likes it a lot. For someone doing relatively uncomplicated UK driving, I'd probably recommend it. It reads traffic data in real time so it can be very accurate. And it's free!

I paid £45 for a tomtom app four or five years ago. It's a monster app at 2GB but mine covers all of Western Europe and is available offline - very handy when you travel abroad a lot as the maps are already downloaded and it only uses GPS so no roaming needed. And I find it super clear when it comes to taking ramps/lanes on motorways, avoiding tolls etc. Google relies on 3G coverage and isn't always very clear I find.

Waze - free, does real time traffic.

Google maps works well but relies on constant data use, I recommend NavFree, as once download you don't need a data connection and it wont use up your data allowance

Google Maps is only ok if you're travelling in areas with good mobile data coverage and have a good data allowance on your tariff as the maps load as you go, rather than store on your phone. I live in Devon and it's useless as so many areas have either no mobile signal at all, or phone signal but poor data coverage (no 3G, only GPRS or Edge).

Google maps navigation allows you to preload portions of maps so you don't have to rely on data. I've been using Google maps for 6 years and never had any navigation issues with it.