Driver safety and the well-trodden notion of safety features in a car naturally give way to thoughts about the various options of driver apps. There are so many applications out there, and when used in conjunction with the modern car tech, it should make for an easier experience on the road. But with so many options to wade through, there are a lot of apps that are well below good quality. This does make us wonder if driver apps are actually worth it, but, the short answer to this is yes, but only if you know where to look. So let’s have a look at some of the best ones out there, but let’s pick them apart also.
MileIQ
This app is used predominantly by professionals that need to keep track of every milimeter they drive. For those that work for themselves, or they have a company car this app is incredibly useful, because, in essence, it keeps track of every mile you complete. As your phone is always with you, it tracks your miles with ease, so you haven’t got to think about it. What’s very nifty about this app is that not only does it calculate the miles, but it shows you the monetary value, so if you are trying to keep track of the amount of money you need to claim back, for example, on a tax return, this is quite the lifesaver!
And if you are constantly on the road, you are best off getting the unlimited subscription to the app, which is $5.99 per month (or $59.99 a year). And for those people at work for themselves, you can class this as a business expense! But for the average driver out there, you can use the free app which records 40 journeys per month and gives you access to the mileage logs and reports. This is enough for most of us! As with any app, it drains your battery completely. If you have an iPhone, you would be best switching off the Location Services function. On top of this, you can’t add a drive into the app, you’ve got to go home and do this on a computer.
If your mathematical skills boil down to counting on your fingers and thumbs, this app is going to help you a lot. Not only for the self-employed people, but if you’re trying to find out exactly how much money you are wasting on your car every year, this app is a good starting point.
Drivermatics Blackbox Dash Cam
As far as Blackbox telematics are concerned, this app is incredibly useful now, not least if you have to get definitive information after an accident, but it’s also a way for you to get details on your general driving abilities. The app itself records each journey and gives you a score, as well as information about your distance traveled, travel time, as well as the average and top speeds. But the real highlight of this app is the in-car dashboard camera. So if you do end up in a predicament on the roads, the app gives you the opportunity to record forward facing video at the higher resolution recording of 1080p, 720p. Now, there are so many apps similar in setup, Dash Cam, Car Camera DVR, and (the grammatical nightmare) chffr to name but three, but as a comprehensive set up, this has an abundance of features you wouldn’t get in these other apps. While it gives you the option for multiple vehicle profiles, the nifty SOS emergency button provides you with one tap access to accident management companies, breakdown assistance, and emergency services.
When you’re looking for an all-in-one equivalent of a black box flight recorder, especially if you drive in areas prone to accidents on a regular basis, you need to have an app that stores everything under one guise.
Waze
Yes, it’s a roadmap, and while you could easily go for Apple Maps or Google Maps for ease, the real advantage of this app is the community and real-time aspects, especially in relation to road alerts. Although this comparison to Google Maps or Apple Maps is particularly unfair, and while these have topographic data and 3-D buildings as key features, with Waze the real highlight is how deep and rich the database of traffic information is updated in real time. This app is used by millions who are constantly providing essential nuggets of information, and the app condenses this into user-friendly traffic data. And if you are in the middle of a bustling city center, the traffic jams and roadworks are going to be a frustrating part of the app, as there would be a countless amount. But the reason this app works so well is that the representation of these annoyances is done so accurately and match the real world analog counterparts. What can be frustrating with this app is, as with many free apps, are the pop-up ads. But, luckily, these ads are for nearby businesses, but they only pop up when the vehicle is stationary, such as if you are waiting at a red light. But when you think about the fact that the majority of traffic apps have been using this to subsidize the data, it’s a small “price” to pay. So far so good, right? Well, the interface can be quite fiddly. When you are on the road, the frustration of having to input a destination that’s not already stored can be annoying. The destinations are only drawn from 6 search engines, which include Yellow Pages, Foursquare as well as Waze’s own. While this may sound like you have to mess around with the keyboard, the destination input screen gives you the option to do it via voice command. This proves useful when searching for basic functions, you can simply say “report heavy traffic” but these functions are disabled unless you set them up yourself.
While generally easy to follow, the apps dictation, especially when using the satellite navigation function can give you little time to react when taking a turning. But when a destination is chosen, the experience overall is pretty smooth.
FIXD
While the vast majority of problems for most drivers relate to traffic jams, and the dreaded rush hour, as well as navigating maps, if you know nothing about the engine and internal functions of your vehicle, this app can turn your car into a smart vehicle. What we can all struggle with is the complicated technicalities of any car. Even if you’re someone that doesn’t know how to change a windscreen wiper, this app could give you a lot of information simply and effectively. The sensor can identify approximately 6,800 issues that could cause the “check engine” light to switch on the dashboard. When you need to know the basics of why your car isn’t doing what it’s meant to do, this app can tell you, in clear terms, what you need to do. And, it is an expensive bundle at $59, this includes a sensor. While it might not give you the lowdown as any reputable mechanic like Telle Tire & Auto Center would, it certainly arms you with information that you can relay to the mechanic, even if you don’t know what you’re talking about! Of course, there will only be so much that an app can provide for you as far as technical information is concerned. When it comes to mechanics in a professional setting, ultimately, you need reliable help to get the problems fixed. While you’d be unable to fix the problems yourself, what’s great about this app is that it notes the likely consequences of a specific problem that you can relay to the mechanic. For example, if there’s a problem with your O2 sensor, the resulting issues could be the car struggling to pass a state emissions test, or a fewer miles per gallon. While this isn’t the only app that you can use to check the maintenance of your car, Car MD and Zubie are a couple that come to mind, FIXD’s design trumps these others, and its ability to break down complex mechanical terms and distil them in a way that easy-to-understand is worth the price tag alone. The one downside to this app is that if you have a car built prior to 1996, it’s unlikely that your vehicle has an OBD-II port, an essential fixture for the app to work. But if you are pushing forward with hybrid vehicles or any new car, it will work just fine.
There are so many apps out there that seemed to do the same things. And while the cost is usually the deciding factor, we can end up with an app that doesn’t do everything it says on the tin. So many of us rely on Google Maps or some basic maintenance software, but for the handful of modern driver apps that are taking car maintenance to another level, these ones are worth it.
No app is perfect, but when you need something to do functions for you while you’re driving, these ones are currently the best of the best. Don’t leave it running when you get out of the car though, because your battery will drain quicker! It may be a hindrance to your driving ability, and although there are many free ones out there, if you want to improve your relationship with your vehicle, you’ll have to spend a little bit of money!
