On this page:

• How we choose what we test
• How we test car GPS devices and apps
• Test criteria explained

How we choose what we test

For navigation apps we look through the various online stores to see the most popular smartphone GPS apps are and take them out on the road to see how well they perform. We test the latest version of the app on mid to high-end iOS and Android devices.

How we test car GPS devices and apps

Find an address

We measure the ability of the GPS system to find an address correctly, in the country and the city.

• Regional: We check a range of business addresses for accuracy in various states. If the address can’t be found and the business is not a point of interest, then the score is zero for that address.
• City: These tests are carried out in Sydney, as past results in various cities showed very little difference between models in built-up areas in terms of distances and arrival times. We select 10 locations around the city, and the more locations the GPS finds and then routes to, the better the score. The total of the predicted distances is calculated, and the more accurate the predicted distance, the better the score.

Points of interest are not used in the app assessment as navigation apps don’t categorise this data like GPS units do. Apps require you to search for nearby points of interest whereas GPS units let you browse them.

We changed the regional locations used in our ‘Find an address’ assessment in 2021 which is why we’ve noted the year of each test in our table. Though results for models tested before 2021 are very similar, due to this change they are not directly comparable.

Ease of use

• Navigation apps: We assess how easy it is to install the app and use the menu structure on the touchscreen. We also look at the quality of the display data such as distance to next turn, street name and turn direction symbols.
• GPS devices: We assess how useful the GPS’s instructions are, how easy it is to attach and remove the unit, and whether it vibrates during travel. We also look at how easy it is to use the menu structure on the touchscreen and, where supplied, whether it’s necessary to use a stylus to navigate the menu.

Verbal instructions

• Verbal instructions are assessed on the quality of the voice, timing of turn and other instructions, how clear the instructions are, and whether it’s possible to rely on verbal instructions without looking at the screen.

Speed of map refresh

• We check how long it takes the instructions/route to recover after a missed turn, and after coming out of a tunnel with a planned turn-off immediately after the tunnel exit.

Test criteria explained

The CHIOICE Expert Rating (or overall score) for our GPS units and navigation apps is made up of:

• find an address (25%)
• ease of use (20%)
• verbal instructions (20%)
• screen quality (15%)
• points of interest (10%)
• map refresh speed (10%).

Note: Some general data for apps is dependent on the device it’s installed on, such as screen size. Variable data such as this is listed as ‘smartphone’ in our table.

Our test lab

We maintain a lab that is up to date with the latest reference machines and calibrated measurement tools for our testers to bring you the right results.

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The ACCC has of TomTom ANZ Pty Ltd (TomTom), MiTac Australia Pty Ltd (Navman) and Garmin Australasia Pty Ltd (Garmin) utilising the phrase “Lifetime” when describing map support on their GPS devices.

In late January 2019, all three companies agreed to stop using the term to describe the term in claims of their map support after the ACCC described these statements “were potentially false, misleading or deceptive”.

This is because each company retained the discretion to stop supporting map updates before the end of the lifetime of the device in some circumstances.

Each company has agreed to amend these statements on all future advertising, packaging and marketing materials.

ACCC Commissioner Sarah Court said, “We believe the statements about ‘lifetime’ services made by these GPS manufacturers were inconsistent with what consumers would understand ‘lifetime’ to mean.” “Consumers would have rightly expected to receive those services for the lifetime of the device, without the manufacturer being able to unilaterally terminate the commitment,” Ms Court said. “Businesses must not deceive or mislead consumers in advertising, whether through small print, or by using ill-defined, broad terms like ‘lifetime’, and they should take care to use terms that match the understanding of consumers.” “We also encourage consumers to invoke their consumer rights if they believe they have been misled or are not getting what they paid for.”

Report from 5 February 2018

Loyal TomTom customers have labelled the brand ‘misleading’ after it killed updates on GPS products it advertised as supporting ‘lifetime maps’.

Daryl Johnson bought his TomTom Via 220 because it promised a lifetime of map updates, but the 42-year-old from Melbourne wasn’t happy when he received an email telling him it was no longer supported.

“The word ‘lifetime’ is misleading,” says Johnson. “The company could instead advertise it as ‘guaranteed map updates for at least five years’, so people know what they’re really getting.”

The bottom of the email – sent to TomTom Australia customers who purchased 24 different models before 2013 – listed discounts on new GPS devices that start from $240.

“The device still works perfectly,” he tells ÌÇÐÄVlog. “I think it’s planned obsolescence.”

‘Lifetime’ is a precarious word to use in advertising. Electronics company Belkin recently faced regulatory action from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) over its similar use of the term.

TomTom says its GPS products have a limited lifetime because the computing parts can’t deal with newer maps.

“We’re very clear on what [lifetime] means,” says Greg Morrison, head of PR at TomTom International.

“It’s essentially the useful lifetime of the device – while it’s still able to run the software and maps it requires to navigate you properly.”

He says a 2010 map of Europe would’ve measured 1.6GB, but that same map today would take up 6.5GB of storage.

There are similarities between Belkin and TomTom’s use of the word ‘lifetime’. Both companies claimed support was only available for the lifetime of the product – and not the person making the purchase.

But in December 2017, the ACCC undermined Belkin’s definition of the term and pressured the company into changing its warranty to cover the lifetime of the original purchaser.

“A reasonable consumer would understand many ‘lifetime’ claims to refer to the lifetime of the original purchaser,” a spokesperson said.

“If a business makes a ‘lifetime’ claim, they must be very clear about what this means with their customers.”

The ACCC wouldn’t disclose if it is investigating TomTom’s use of the word in its advertising.

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