Chances are that on your phone there are apps for messaging, banking, social media, shopping and so on. But have you got any car apps on your phone? There are thousands of them available, many of which can be used through your car’s infotainment system, plus yet more that are intended to help making buying, owing and driving a car easier.
Here, we’re going to take a look at the kinds of car apps that are available, broken down into various categories. For each one, we’ll cover exactly what the apps are for and highlight some of the better-known options – we’re not making recommendations for the best ones. Hopefully you’ll find something you think could be useful to you. All the apps mentioned are available from the Apple Store and Google Play.
Car manufacturer apps
Virtually every car manufacturer has its own app that allows owners to interact with their car. These apps have varying levels of capability, depending on the manufacturer and the sophistication of the car. At a bare minimum, though, you’ll be able to view basic information about your car such as its fuel economy. You can usually book servicing and warranty repairs through the app, as well.
More capable apps can show your car’s location and allow you to send destinations to the sat nav. Some apps can find convenient petrol stations, parking spaces and eateries. In some cases, you can even start your car’s engine, turn the heating on and unlock it, all from your phone.
If you have an electric car, you can usually set the time it starts charging and for how long, allowing you to take advantage of cheaper off-peak electricity.
The best infotainment apps
Most new cars have an infotainment system of some description that your phone can be connected to, by Bluetooth or a wired connection. At that point, you have several options. You can either use the system’s ‘native’ interface to make/receive calls and stream audio direct from your phone.
Alternatively, you can use Apple CarPlay, Android Auto or MirrorLink. All three provide access to a greater range of phone apps, via the car’s display screen. Not all apps are compatible, but the major navigation, messaging and audio streaming apps are. Other apps such as YouTube, social media platforms and news feeds can also be accessed, but only when the car is stationary.
The best car buying apps
All the major car buying websites have their own apps, as well – Auto Trader, eBay, Hey Car, carwow and so on. Some of these apps have more comprehensive search options and a wider selection of cars available than others. You’ll find that certain cars are advertised on several apps but some sellers only use one, so it pays to have a look at all of them when searching for your next car.
You can also sell your car through some of these apps, as well, particularly Auto Trader and eBay. You can get a valuation, write the advert, take pictures of your car and field enquiries entirely on your phone.
Best car history checking apps
Whenever you buy a used car, it’s wise to carry out a full history check to find out if its been in a crash or has outstanding finance against it. There are several apps that provide such a service including mycarcheck and Car History Check. The most comprehensive information usually comes from carVertical, but at a cost.
The best sat nav apps
Though many cars have sat nav built into their infotainment systems, they’re often not as good at providing the best route as apps such as Google Maps, Waze and TomTom Go. Apps are usually more up to date on traffic jams and other hold-ups than sat nav, as well. Built-in sat nav often has the ability to reroute around traffic, but it needs a data connection via your phone to do so which can chew through your data allowance.
It’s also useful to have What3Words so you can pinpoint your exact location if you have a breakdown or experience an emergency situation. And the Ordnance Survey app can show the area you’re driving through in much greater detail than a navigation app. Always have a paper road atlas in your car in case your data connection fails.
The best parking apps
You’ve likely noticed that you can only pay by app at an increasing number of car parks – RingGo, JustPark and PayByPhone are the ones you’ll come across most often. These apps also allow you to find and pre-book parking spaces at their sites – the NCP app also has similar capability.
There are a lot of more generic parking apps through which you can find and pre-book spaces at car parks run by multiple operators, such as YourParkingSpace. Some apps are focused on airport parking – including Airport Parking Reservations – and many major shopping centres and event venues allow you to book and pay for parking through their app.
The best fuel price apps
As fuel prices remain persistently high, you’re probably always on the look out for where it’s cheapest. That’s easy enough in your local area, but what about when you’re away from home?
There are several apps that can show you the cheapest fuel available in any part of the country including PetrolPrices and myRAC – which is open to non-members. Simply enter a postcode or town name and these apps show you the price of fuel at a selection of nearby stations. Be aware that these apps don’t necessarily have up-to-date pricing information for every fuel station in every part of the UK.
The major fuels companies including Shell, BP and Texaco also have their own apps that can allow you to find nearby stations, pay remotely and earn rewards points.
The best EV charging apps
All the major electric car charger providers including Ionity, Gridserve and Pod Point have apps that you can use to find available chargers, pay and monitor progress as your car is plugged in.
There are other apps that can show you the location and availability of EV chargers run by all the major providers. ZapMap is perhaps the most popular, though Charge Map and PlugShare offer similar information.
The best car sharing apps
For many people, being a member of car sharing club is a cheaper and more convenient alternative to car rental, or even car ownership. The big players are all app-based, including Zipcar and Enterprise Car Club. Through these apps, you can book a car in advance or find the nearest one that’s available at short notice; the app also unlocks the car and tracks your usage.
There are other variations on the theme, as well. Turo is like the Airbnb of car rental, allowing people to rent out their own car when it’s not being used; it’s also the portal for people to rent those cars.
And BlaBlaCar is a carpooling app through which you can advertise your own journeys to find passengers you can spread the cost with or, from the other end, find journeys you can passenger on.
The best car usage trackers
There are many apps that can be used to build up a log of every journey you take in your car, maintenance schedules, fuel costs and so on. Fuelio, MyCar, Mile iQ and drivvo are the most prominent such apps. Most are aimed more at company car drivers, but they can work for private car owners as well.
We’ve also come across an online service called Facts Disc. It’s a platform where you can store your car’s entire history including invoices, photos, letters, videos and even any stories you want to tell about the car. You can also buy a disc that attaches to your car’s windscreen and displays a QR code that allows easy access to its history. The service is geared more towards classic car owners, but there’s no reason it can’t also be used for modern cars.
The best traffic news apps
While many sat navs provide live traffic updates, it’s always best to be prepared and find any hold-ups along your route before you set off. The National Highways app is usually the first to provide information on developing traffic jams but UK Motorway News and AllofEnglandTrafficNews can be helpful, as well. The RAC and AA apps also have traffic news sections.
The best breakdown service apps
All the major breakdown services including the RAC, AA and Green Flag have their own apps that are available to members and non-members alike. You can quickly and easily report a breakdown and get real time updates on waiting times. The apps can also provide other services including route planning, traffic updates and fuel prices.
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