The Best App for Drivers

Published on August 2, 2016 in Technology/Autonomous Vehicles by Samuel Labrie-Ross

We live in a world where almost everything can be done on your smartphone. And while it’s illegal to text while driving, there are some really interesting applications for drivers out there.

To find your way around, is it better to use a portable GPS or a mobile app? After running several tests using different applications, we concluded that the best tool remains the good old-fashioned map. Seriously, the Google Maps app is the best. Portable GPS units are okay, but they don’t offer the same features. They make more sense for drivers who don’t have a smartphone.

Several applications are available both for Android or iPhone telephones. I said that Google Maps is the best because it is both very accurate and free. In many cases, it suggests two different routes. And there’s another important benefit: even if the phone’s screen turns off, the app continues to tell you which route to follow, without you having to look at the screen.

Other GPS applications worth mentioning include TomTom Go and Sygic. The first is free, but if you want to use it often, you have to subscribe for $27.99 for a year or $62.99 for three years. The maps on TomTom Go are really cool, with important monuments shown in 3D! Sygic is also free, but once again, you have to pay for a license, which ranges from $27.99 to $54.99.

At $1.39, iOnRoad is a paid, but very affordable, application. It films the road in front of you and calculates the distance between it and the preceding vehicle.

If you’re the type who’s constantly battling traffic, use Waze. It helps you avoid congested areas.