Hi fellow Clarets,

Going to purchase a basic SATNAV for my car.

Just wanted to purchase the best value one.

Seems the choice for a basic one is between,

GarminDrive 52 and TomTom GO Basic, both are priced the same.

Just required for basic use now and again on UK trips only.

Any recommendations/ comments would be appreciated.

Do you have a smartphone? If so, just use Waze

Yes I have a smartphone.
Not heard of WAZE but will research

Thanks

Waze for free… it’s the future

I use Google maps, free and easy to install, you'd just need to buy a holster for your phone to sit in while you drive.

best satnav I have used is Waze - the free app you can download on your phone.

Just buy a “holster” or connect it via apple play/android play onto your car.

Satnavs are obsolete.

As other people say, use your phone now.

I have a sat nav built into my car. Never use it. Google maps and directions every time with live updates.

Waze is good and Google Maps is an alternative. Waze has updates from the public so tends to be more accurate. No need to buy a sat nav anymore.

Another recommendation for Waze. Great app.

I've always preferred Google Maps to Waze, I think it chooses faster routes. Either way, both are good.

Waze is brilliant, the other day it announced roadkill on road ahead, sure enough there was a dead badger in the middle of the lane. Letas you know when there are pot holes too, great advantage on the motorbike.

Waze is a Google app, I think.

Garmin is OK, but not perfect. Occasionally it fails to recognise a perfectly valid road, and if it's at all possible to pronounce a place name wrong, it will. (Kayley, not Keighley. Oh dear.) I don't know TomTom.

Though they do say smartphones, if you have one, are the way forward. One caveat - a year or two back, and I don't know if it's still the case, it was illegal do anything with a mobile phone while driving - this doesn't apply with a satnav. So pressing a button on a smartphone satnav could (at least then) get you 3 points on the licence, while pressing the same button on a non-phone satnav, wouldn't.

Forget TomTom, absolute waste of time, google maps or sygic.
Personally I prefer sygic for the lane/exit guidance graphics which are very clear and accurate

Free apps like Waze and Google maps have pros and cons. The main pro is user based feedback and user based pois with real time traffic information for free. Notwithstanding you can just use your phone.

The drawback compared to TomTom is that maps aren't as up to date (TomTom own the company that makes maps in Europe) and instructions aren't always as clear. With a dedicated device you can also have a bigger and easier to follow screen than a smartphone. Plus you don't have to worry about degrading your smartphone battery by the excessive drain, or needing to charge it in the car.

The premium traffic service you can subscribe to with TomTom is also superior and is the same service used for B2B haulage routing. They have a dedicated data center rather than only relying on average speed data ala Google. You can of course also use the TomTom app on your phone.

The biggest difference though is the ease of use and clarity. Tomtom's voice guidance is a lot more simple and clear.

Provided you are willing to pay for it you still get a overall better service with a dedicated GPS app or device, but nowadays for 90% of people, myself included Google maps is good enough.

I'd suggest trying both, you'll find some things annoying with either choice.

Source: I worked for TomTom for a few years.

Than you all for your comments, very much appreciated.

After considering all the comments and trying some of the apps, I have decided on my course of action.

1. I will purchase a Satnav.
2. Will use Waze ..

After experience I've found I lose signal sometimes on my phone, which is the last thing you want at a critical moment.

So by using both options I get the best of both worlds.

Thanks again for your valued comments.

Lots of the phone apps download the directions so they work offline. Personally I use Google maps, I'm not a fan of Waze and the gamification of driving.

If you are buying a standalone unit then I'd check how frequently the maps update and if there's a cost. Maps can get outdated pretty quickly and then it becomes really annoying trying to use it.

sox8595 wrote: ↑

Sat Jul 08, 2023 12:20 am

Forget TomTom, absolute waste of time, google maps or sygic.
Personally I prefer sygic for the lane/exit guidance graphics which are very clear and accurate

I've not heard of Sygic before but looks quite decent from the website. I might give it a try.

Juan Tanamera wrote: ↑

Fri Jul 07, 2023 11:15 pm

Waze is a Google app, I think.

Isreali front end based on Google Maps – the choice of voices is hilarious.
Very popular here in Europe as it's stops you being fined for a having a sat nav that has radar detection.

You'll get one of these for less than a fiver if you look around:

Which nav or app is very subjective. I do 80 to 90,000 miles a year with work, and I prefer Tom Tom Go app on phone. It re routes to avoid traffic, gives live traffic updates, speed camera warnings, the lot for £12.99 a year. We have 30 or so drivers at work, some use Google Maps, some Apple Maps, both of which are free and are fine. It’s each to their own. Waze? Not for me at all. A couple of the guys use it, and are always out longer than the rest of us, or regularly get lost. Definitely do not buy a Sat Nav unit. You don’t need one now if you have a Smart phone.

ClaretWot4 wrote: ↑

Mon Jul 10, 2023 12:09 pm

Than you all for your comments, very much appreciated.

After considering all the comments and trying some of the apps, I have decided on my course of action.

1. I will purchase a Satnav.
2. Will use Waze ..

After experience I've found I lose signal sometimes on my phone, which is the last thing you want at a critical moment.

So by using both options I get the best of both worlds.

Thanks again for your valued comments.

I'm assuming you're quite elderly?

ClaretWot4 wrote: ↑

Fri Jul 07, 2023 9:05 pm

Hi fellow Clarets,

Going to purchase a basic SATNAV for my car.

Just wanted to purchase the best value one.

Seems the choice for a basic one is between,

GarminDrive 52 and TomTom GO Basic, both are priced the same.

Just required for basic use now and again on UK trips only.

Any recommendations/ comments would be appreciated.

"Tom Tom Go" would be my choice CW4 ... Have just flogged my old one on E-Bay as both our cars have them built in ...