The joy of a vacation can quickly end in an argument if the car crew is at odds about the right way to go. Mobile apps can help. Stiftung Warentest tests.
Berlin – A few years ago it was hard to imagine a car without navigation. With the rapid rise of smartphones, more and more applications such as Google Maps have replaced devices. But what can apps really do compared to navigation systems?
Get to your destination calmly: With navigation devices, this should (hopefully) not be a problem. (icon image) © 123RF / vlado85
To find out, investigate Stiftung Warentest 15 navigation apps from Android and iOS operating systems, as well as 2 navigation devices.
Surprising result: Navigators have overtaken popularity Google Maps Such as An apple Map service!
The “Garmin DriveSmart & Digital Traffic” system (cost: €250) and the “TomTom Go Discover” system (about €300) had the best rating with an overall rating of 1.8.
Stiftung Warentest praises the size of the displays, and the advantages of frequent drivers such as long battery life or easy handling.
In addition, both systems convince with a large map material and can navigate both online and offline. Warnings are also issued against speed cameras or speeding violations.
It comes behind the first app that has a rating of 1.9. But this does not come from giant service providers such as Google or Apple, but rather from the manufacturer TomTom.
Go Navigation is available for €13 per year and outperforms all other navigation apps.
Navigating without Google Maps seems unimaginable these days. However, the app ‘only’ receives the rating ‘Good’ from Stiftung Warentest. © 123Rf / nikom1234
But don’t worry, it doesn’t mean that Google Maps is not recommended. Quite the opposite: with the powerful version 2.0, the application is especially impressive because it is free and allows navigation outside the car.
Apple’s map service is also a good alternative and only scores 0.1 points worse in terms of navigation.
Advantages of applications: When navigating, they warn of traffic jams or traffic reports much faster than devices, provided they are connected to the Internet. In many hardware navigation systems, this practical function can only be operated when mobile phones are connected to the Internet. This is more complex and also takes more time.
conclusion: Free navigation apps have become a good alternative these days. But accessing the device is definitely not wrong.
If you want to save money, you can confidently rely on the applications on your mobile phone.
“Professional food nerd. Internet scholar. Typical bacon buff. Passionate creator.”
