A dedicated GPS device is easier to read than a smartphone and gives you dependable directions even in areas where your phone doesn’t get data; it also lets you offload navigation duties to free up your phone for other tasks and conserve its battery. After researching more than 70 car GPS models and testing about 25 in recent years, we recommend the Garmin DriveSmart 51 LMT-S as the best in-car navigation device for people who don’t want to depend on their phone for directions. Compared with similar models from other brands, the DriveSmart provides the best visual and voice directions, has the best voice-command system, and offers the most comprehensive driver alerts.
Our pick
Garmin DriveSmart 51 LMT-S
Garmin DriveSmart 51 LMT-S
The best car GPS
The best guidance, most intuitive interface, and best voice control system, with Wi-Fi updating and a multi-touch display.
$150* from Amazon
*At the time of publishing, the price was $170.
In addition to an easy-to-use zoomable multi-touch display, the Garmin DriveSmart 51 LMT-S has Bluetooth smartphone connectivity for sending destinations to the device, getting text messages on-screen, or using your LTE connection for extra trip and traffic info. The DriveSmart gives you helpful traffic alerts, as well as TripAdvisor ratings and Foursquare listings for points of interest, and can double as a display for Garmin’s optional wireless backup camera. You also get free lifetime map updates with convenient updating over Wi-Fi right from your garage—no need to plug the device into a computer.
Also great
TomTom Go 520
TomTom Go 520
Better for world travelers
Most of the same features as our top pick, plus free maps for more countries, but it isn’t as easy to use and its directions aren’t quite as precise.
Buy from Amazon
$190 from Walmart
*At the time of publishing, the price was $200.
The TomTom Go 520 is a good alternative to take along if you frequently travel outside North America. We prefer the Garmin for US use because it gives more specific directions and clearer lane guidance, its menu system is easier to use, its voice controls are more extensive, and it offers more driver alerts. But TomTom offers free downloadable world maps, which are separate, expensive purchases for the Garmin. The Go 520 also provides (via a Bluetooth connection with your smartphone) real-time traffic flow on its map, whereas our top pick simply provides alerts when it detects congestion—though if your primary concern is live traffic info, your best bet is a smartphone running Waze or Google Maps. TomTom’s handy magnetic mount is a nice bonus.
Upgrade pick
Garmin DriveAssist 51 LMT-S
Garmin DriveAssist 51 LMT-S
Integrated dash cam and extra safety features
All the benefits of our top pick, plus a dash cam and lane-departure and forward-collision warnings.
$198* from Amazon
$300 from Abt
May be out of stock
*At the time of publishing, the price was $240.
If you’re shopping for both a GPS unit and a dash cam, we recommend the Garmin DriveAssist 51 LMT-S. It’s functionally identical to our top pick but adds a camera that continuously records what’s happening in front of the vehicle. Like any good dash cam, if the DriveAssist detects a crash it automatically saves the video and can send a text message and map link to a preselected contact. But the 51 LMT-S model’s camera also enables visual and audible forward-collision warnings and lane-departure alerts, and the screen can serve as the display for Garmin’s wireless backup camera, so it can potentially take the place of three devices.
Everything we recommend
Our pick
Garmin DriveSmart 51 LMT-S
Garmin DriveSmart 51 LMT-S
The best car GPS
The best guidance, most intuitive interface, and best voice control system, with Wi-Fi updating and a multi-touch display.
Buying Options
$150* from Amazon
*At the time of publishing, the price was $170.
Also great
TomTom Go 520
TomTom Go 520
Better for world travelers
Most of the same features as our top pick, plus free maps for more countries, but it isn’t as easy to use and its directions aren’t quite as precise.
Buying Options
Buy from Amazon
$190 from Walmart
*At the time of publishing, the price was $200.
Upgrade pick
Garmin DriveAssist 51 LMT-S
Garmin DriveAssist 51 LMT-S
Integrated dash cam and extra safety features
All the benefits of our top pick, plus a dash cam and lane-departure and forward-collision warnings.
Buying Options
$198* from Amazon
$300 from Abt
May be out of stock
*At the time of publishing, the price was $240.
The research
Why you should trust us
Who this is for, and why your phone isn’t enough
How we picked and tested
Our pick: Garmin DriveSmart 51 LMT-S
Flaws but not dealbreakers
Better for world travelers: TomTom Go 520
Upgrade pick: Garmin DriveAssist 51 LMT-S
What to look forward to
The competition
Why you should trust us
Rik Paul was the automotive editor for Consumer Reports for 14 years, where he edited the publication’s car reviews and auto-accessory tests, including those for GPS navigators. Prior to that, he was the senior feature editor for Motor Trend, where in 1996 he organized and wrote the publication’s (and possibly the industry’s) first comparison test of in-car GPS systems.
For more than a decade, Eric Adams has been a personal tech reporter and automotive critic for Gear Patrol, Men’s Health, Popular Science, Wired, and other outlets. He has spent countless hours tinkering with portable electronics, including GPS devices and smartphones, and he has used navigation technology since the early 2000s, covering in-dash variants, stand-alone devices, and now smartphone apps.
Who this is for, and why your phone isn’t enough
For day-to-day navigation, a smartphone is all most people need, especially if you have a car mount that keeps your phone in easy view and a phone charger for the car to keep the phone’s battery from running down. But most smartphone mapping apps require a live data connection, so they don’t work in areas with no or poor cellular service, or they require you to remember to download maps while you still have a signal. It’s also frustrating—not to mention potentially dangerous—when your phone’s screen switches from the nav display to an incoming call just as you’re reaching a tricky interchange.
A stand-alone GPS unit can be better for longer trips and those that take you off the beaten path. GPS units have map and point-of-interest databases built in, so you don’t have to rely on a data connection. The best ones make navigating easier than it is with a smartphone app, thanks to more-natural, landmark-specific voice directions (such as “turn right at the traffic light” instead of “turn on Main St.”) and displays that clearly show highway signs and what lane to be in at interchanges. They also typically show the speed limit for the road you’re on, and the best models include a variety of driver and safety alerts that you don’t get with a phone.
Using a dedicated GPS device also keeps your phone free for other uses, conserves its battery power, and doesn’t abuse your data plan.
A Garmin device displaying a split view, with a map at left and a representation of the lane markings and highway exit signs at right.
The better GPS devices guide you through interchanges with 3D views that show you what lane to be in and which highway sign to follow. Photo: Nathan Paul
When your smartphone does have a data signal, some GPS devices can pair via Bluetooth to get more up-to-date traffic and weather info, display text messages, and allow you to conduct hands-free calls. You can also send destinations and routes from your phone or computer to your GPS device, which can be more convenient than inputting them while sitting in your car.
A stand-alone GPS unit can be better than a smartphone for many trips, especially longer excursions and trips off the beaten path.
If you’re buying a new car, you can save a lot of money by forgoing a built-in navigation system and getting a portable device instead—in-dash systems are often available only on higher-priced trim levels, or as part of option packages that can add $1,000 to $5,000 to a vehicle’s price. Some people may still want to get one of these packages for other infotainment features; a larger screen; and potential extras such as CarPlay, Android Auto, and SiriusXM Traffic. But a portable GPS unit will often be easier to use and provide better directions, will let you get frequent map updates (which can cost as much as $200 on a built-in system and require going to a dealership), and is easy to share between vehicles.
How we picked and tested
For each of this guide’s updates, we first scoured the specs, features, and pricing of all current models to see how they compare on paper.
All car GPS devices have a common suite of features. You use the device’s touchscreen to enter an address or search for a point of interest (gas station, ATM, parking lot, or market, for example); the device draws from its built-in database to plot a route to that destination and give you turn-by-turn directions, both by voice and on the screen. Most models include digital mapping of the US and Canada, and virtually all of them provide free lifetime map updates, which you download either via Wi-Fi or by plugging the device into a computer, depending on the model. Most have a 5-inch display (measured diagonally), although 4-, 6-, and 7-inch versions are also available. All plug into your car’s 12-volt accessory outlet (aka cigarette lighter) for power, but also have an internal lithium-ion battery that lets you use the device for about an hour away from power.
Once you get accustomed to using a GPS device with voice controls, it’s hard to do without them.
For this guide, we focused on 5-inch models that include free lifetime traffic alerts: We think a five-inch display gives you the best compromise between a readable screen and unobtrusive device size, and we think traffic alerts are so useful that you shouldn’t consider a dedicated GPS unit without them. In addition to these features, we looked for the following options, which can make a device easier to use or more useful:
Voice control: Depending on the model, you can input destinations, control volume and screen illumination, get traffic and weather updates, and cancel a route by speaking a command. This saves you from having to pull off the road just to type in a destination or make an adjustment on the screen. That said, the voice control systems of GPS devices aren’t as conversational as Siri, Google Assistant, or Alexa, which depend on specific commands, and it can be frustrating if you don’t remember the right command.
Wi-Fi updating: This lets you download map and software updates to your device over a Wi-Fi network—even while sitting in your driveway—instead of having to plug the device into a computer and manually download the data from a website and install it.
Bluetooth connectivity: Many models can connect with your smartphone via Bluetooth so you can use the company’s app to get more timely traffic alerts and weather updates, and to receive destinations and routes from your phone. Some also let you use the GPS device’s speaker to conduct hands-free phone calls and use its screen to view text messages.
A pile of eight black plastic GPS devices arrayed on a paper map
For each update, we test the latest models from the major brands. Photo: Rik Paul
Each of the devices we’ve tested will get you to your destination by providing accurate turn-by-turn directions, and most of the better units include all of the options listed above. The differences often come down to the way you interact with the device: The best models make it easier to navigate thanks to more precise visual and verbal directions, clearer lane guidance through tricky intersections, a more driver-friendly screen layout, and easier methods for inputting destinations. So for each update to this guide, we got the latest models from the major brands, set up each in a car, and logged hundreds of miles on highways and back roads, in environments ranging from rural countrysides to the urban depths of New York City.
We surveyed each unit’s features and assessed its overall ease of use. We evaluated how driver-friendly the screen layout is, how easy the menus are to navigate, and how quickly we could input a destination and get a route—both by entering it on the screen and, when possible, by using voice commands. We tinkered with the settings, evaluated the routing, assessed how easy it is to update the map and POI data, and judged the sturdiness of the included mount and how easy it is to install the device in and remove it from the car. We also paired each unit to a smartphone, when possible, to see what advantages that provided.
Our pick: Garmin DriveSmart 51 LMT-S
A close up of our pick for best Car GPS, the Garmin DriveSmart 51 LMT-S.
Photo: Rik Paul
Our pick
Garmin DriveSmart 51 LMT-S
Garmin DriveSmart 51 LMT-S
The best car GPS
The best guidance, most intuitive interface, and best voice control system, with Wi-Fi updating and a multi-touch display.
$150* from Amazon
*At the time of publishing, the price was $170.
Garmin’s DriveSmart 51 LMT-S provides the best combination of features, ease of use, and value of the models we tested. Compared with models from other brands, its visual and audible directions are more precise, its voice-control system was the easiest to use, its menus are easier to navigate, it has a more intuitive on-screen layout, and it provides a wider range of driver alerts. The DriveSmart 51 costs more than basic models, but we’ve found its advantages to be worth the money.
Garmin’s nav screen provides the essential information you need for navigating and presents it in a clear, easy-to-understand way. The lane guidance in the upper left corner helps you prepare for turns. Photo: Rik Paul
The start screen is reflective of Garmin’s overall interface: simple, nicely designed, and easy to access. Having the settings button one tap away is a welcome touch. Photo: Rik Paul
