15 best car navigators

The Nuvi 1200 is Garmin's simplest, smallest and most affordable in-car navigator. It costs mere pennies, but they didn’t save on the bundle: there is a case, a cigarette lighter socket, vacuum fasteners and downloaded maps with the latest updates. And the model copes with its tasks perfectly, without hesitation guiding through the tangled streets of remote settlements, not to mention large cities. True, in order to find a small village, it is still better to first set the nearest city, and only then “get” from it to the required place.

What's also nice about the Nuvi 1200 is the abundance of basic options. In connection with the path, pharmacies, gas stations, cafes, airports, hotels and other important locations are offered. The device in advance, 300 meters away, warns of speed bumps, surveillance cameras and exits from the route. The navigator also sees excellent regional unpaved roads. Occasionally it happens that the GPS connection is still lost, and then you have to wait a couple of minutes until it is restored. And autonomy in practice turned out to be not as great as we would like - a device disconnected from the car’s power supply will work on the strength of 2 hours instead of the declared 4.

The next place in our rating is occupied by the Prology iMap-5800 navigator. This is an updated version of the well-known navigator Prology iMap-5600, with the only difference being that the iMap-5800 does not have a PS/2 connector. But there was support for the NMEA 0183 standard.

Prology is a product of American origin. The progenitor of the brand is Saturn High-Tech. The company's manufacturing facilities are currently located in China.

In general, this is the most common model with a standard set of functions: built-in map, route calculation, voice messages. It is possible to download a map of the area. You can view graphics files, watch videos and listen to music.

There are a lot of positive reviews about the Prology iMap-5800, since the navigator has not been a novelty for a long time. The model gained popularity for several reasons:

• GPS works well, picks up satellites flawlessly
• Pleased with the presence of 3D rendering of the map
• Build quality is good despite the low price
• The display works without glare.

There are, however, several negative reviews regarding premature breakdowns of the navigator. Apparently, this is due to the appearance of defective batches or outright fakes. How real these facts are, one can only guess.

About the navigation system "CityGuide" in the reviews they write that it allows you to build routes with the highest detail. The operation of the software does not depend on the availability of the Internet along the route, and if information about traffic jams is not of interest, then you can do without it altogether.The Digma AllDrive 505 navigator comes with this system, which is especially welcomed by St. Petersburg residents - it works flawlessly in their city. However, the device allows, if desired, to replace the navigation system with an alternative one.

The navigator copes with the main functions with dignity: it starts in a few seconds, accurately finds the end point of the route, offers reasonable options for following and provides an excellent overview of the map. The color screen is bright enough not to be shaded in sunny weather and not to blind your eyes in the evening. There are few voice prompts, but they will not let you miss the right turn. The developers propose to use the device for leisure, integrating gaming applications, a video player, as well as programs for reading books and listening to audio into the shell.

It's too early to write off car navigators, too early! And there is nothing to blame for their slowness either - modern models like the NAVITEL C500 find the right address in a matter of seconds, lay the most logical route, report the estimated time of arrival, and at the same time open the nearest POI points. The device owes its intelligence and nimbleness to well-chosen components: the Mstar MSB2531A processor (800 MHz), 128 MB of RAM and 4 GB of built-in memory. The device communicates with satellites via the MediaTek MSR2112 navigation chipset, which allows receiving a GPS signal at a carrier frequency of 1575.42 MHz. In other words, there is not a single claim to the quality of communication either in reviews or in reviews.

C500 is the most budget device of all Navitels, but it comes with pre-installed software and detailed cartography of Russia, that is, it is completely ready for work immediately after purchase. The update is absolutely free, however, it is carried out exclusively via a USB cable - the wireless method is not available. In addition to basic functions, there is an FM receiver, an AUX output and a media player, there is support for microSD up to 32 GB, so you can always listen to the latest news or your favorite track list. The navigator is conveniently mounted on the windshield, connected to the cigarette lighter, but it is quite capable of working autonomously from the built-in battery with a capacity of 950 mAh.

The first place in the ranking is occupied by the LEXAND SA5 + model. – one of the best-selling car navigators in Russia. This is a very functional device, the cost of which does not exceed 5000 rubles. Among the budget models of our rating, only the LEXAND SA5+ has a Hands-Free mode, Bluetooth. This navigator has the most capacious battery – 1100 mAh There are built-in games for those who like to pass the time in traffic. The navigator comes with pre-installed Navitel maps – one of the best software for Russian roads.

It is a pity, of course, that there is no support for the NMEA 0183 standard (which guarantees the compatibility of the GPS receiver with all popular GPS navigation programs).

Speaking in favor of Lexand navigators is that it is a Russian brand of portable consumer electronics. The company is quite experienced, operating in the market since 1989.This gives some hope that the support for the car gadget (updates) will take place without delay.

User Reviews

Advantages:

• Excellent equipment
• Good functionality for a small price - noted by 90% of all users
• Multimedia capabilities - you can watch photos, videos, listen to music
• Quality build

Minuses:

• Screen resolution could be a little higher
• Despite the stated capacity of the battery, the battery does not hold a charge for a long time.
• The cord is short (typical for many modern auto navigators)

The flagship of the line of navigators for cars GeoVision has just appeared, as it has already entered the top consumer preferences. And this is not surprising, since its younger brother Tour 3 has proven itself well. He was the first of the entire guard of car GPS-navigators to get rid of the outdated Windows CE and began to work under the control of Android.And the 4th model works with a 1.3 MHz processor based on Android 8.0, is equipped with a touch LCD screen, has 1 GB of RAM and 8 GB (of which about 3.6 are free) of internal memory. In fact, this is a full-fledged electronic auto tablet that works without bugs in multitasking mode.

Those who managed to test the device note excellent network reception, quick sensor response to touches and swipes, and good navigation software. The device is pre-installed with Progorod software, popular Yandex-Maps and Navigator services, and a set of 3D maps. The possibility of free replacement and updating is implemented in any convenient way - USB, Wi-Fi, 3G (there is a slot for SIM-cards) or Bluetooth. Through the Internet, you can also update the database of radars and police cameras, key POIs. The device is powered by a 12V cigarette lighter, but it is quite capable of working offline for up to 5 hours - it is not in vain that a 2500 mAh battery is installed.

It is difficult to surprise spoiled users of automotive electronics, but Navitel succeeded. It's no joke - to give the buyers of the T700 3G navigator a licensed set of maps for almost fifty countries, which is also subject to free lifetime updates. It is immediately clear that the device is designed for serious travelers. Moreover, it is quite suitable for use as a phone, tablet, taximeter, video recorder and even a radar detector - you just need to download and run the appropriate applications, and there is even a pre-installed SpeedCam database for the anti-radar function.

The next useful feature of the navigator is the ability to install two SIM cards at once with support for 2G / 3G standards, which gives access to the mobile Internet, which, in turn, to a storehouse of valuable information about the weather, traffic jams, traffic optimization options, etc. The installed Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and GPS modules allow you to receive and transmit data to other devices, keep in touch with satellites and determine your location. And the device is equipped with a main and front camera. One should not expect miracles from them, but for organizing a video call via WhatsApp or photographing text, technical indicators of 2 and 0.3 megapixels are enough.

The Garmin brand is considered conservative, but its developers obviously approached the design of the 61st model with inspiration: they deprived it of 1 cm thick sides and made almost the entire visible surface of the screen workable. The device was dressed in a stylish case made of durable plastic, while ensuring high-quality assembly, and as a result we got one of the most attractive devices in this category. Of course, any car device is evaluated more “by clothes” than “by mind”, but even after turning it on, the navigator remains on top, and the download and positioning speed does not depend on external weather conditions.

Traditionally, a display enlarged to 6.1” is good: the diagonal size adds solidity to the gadget and greatly simplifies its management. Drive 61 can be safely recommended to people who value their time - no freezes or lags were noticed in the work of the navigator.The same can be said about voice control: the transition to the menu is carried out instantly, and a working radio tape recorder is not a hindrance to this. Separately, it is necessary to note the execution of voice prompts: they complement street names with noticeable landmarks, such as a traffic light or a restaurant. Thanks to them, the need to peer at the address plates disappears, just listen to the instructions of the electronic assistant.

We admit that this device entered the top of the best only because of its low cost. Finding a gadget with a 7-inch display and a video recording function is cheaper than 3.5 thousand rubles. - Agree, that's another task. But the manufacturer, judging by the description, also laid down good functionality: the presence of built-in Bluetooth allows you to turn on the hands-free telephone mode, the color TFT display has automatic brightness control, there is support for all popular audio and video formats, as well as some graphic (gpeg , bmp, gif, png) and text (txt).The technical specifications do not contain information about navigation software, but the reviews mention two programs at once (I must say, very worthy ones) - Navitel and iGo.

The screen resolution is standard for the 7-inch model - 800x480. This is quite enough for a comfortable viewing of maps in 3-dimensional space. The declared battery capacity of 1200 mAh should also be enough for standard operation. Nothing is known about the quality of video recording, as well as about the type of chipset, the amount of operating memory. In general, if you believe the indirectly collected data, the navigator from a young Chinese company is able to show remarkable talents as a multimedia player, but as a combo device it still remains a "dark horse".

Lexand's SC7 PRO HD device is designed to be used primarily as a GPS navigator, and secondly as a regular tablet PC. Moreover, the model is multifunctional and can easily replace a 2-SIM smartphone and a budget DVR with two 3 and 1.3 MP cameras. Usually, the price of such gadgets is not very affordable, and if you add the cost of a set of navigation maps, it turns out to be sky-high. As for this model, it is initially provided with the Progorod navigation set with the ability to freely download maps of 60 countries of the world to choose from.

On board the device is a MT8312 2-core processor (1.3 MHz) and a Mali-400 MP video chip. The amount of RAM and built-in memory is small: 1 and 8 GB, respectively.For the entertainment part, for example, watching high-definition videos or heavy games, this is not enough, but the gadget does a great job with simple tasks. Its main component - the GPS module, according to reviews, works almost flawlessly, so owners can count on confident help in building a route. Only the quality of video recording is lame, so it is better to use the camera only as a backup.

TomTom navigators are very popular in the EU and North America, while they appeared relatively recently in the markets of Eastern Europe. Among their advantages is the ability to build the simplest and most obvious routes with a minimum number of turns and U-turns. It is no coincidence that TomTom, together with the Japanese corporation Denso (Toyota Group), in 2019 started developing software for autonomous transport, and even earlier, Apple chose navigation maps for iOS mobile devices.

The START 62 also offers all the necessary navigation and free up-to-date support with a Lifetime Maps subscription (“while the navigator is running”). Any destination is easily found by touching the point on the 6-inch touch screen or through manual entry in the search menu. Advanced functionality helps the driver to prepare for the junction by prompting the correct lane, and the built-in radar detector is very useful in terms of road safety. And in technical terms, the navigator is made flawlessly: a bright screen, high-quality plastic housing, an integrated holder.The only thing that upsets users, judging by their feedback, is that receiving data on the nearest traffic jams is available as an option and is not cheap.

Garmin has earned an excellent reputation and has long been one of the top manufacturers of navigation systems. It is logical that its navigators accurately lay out routes and allow you to easily get to your destination. Much more interesting is the hybrid model Garmin DriveAssist 51, which replaces both the GPS navigator and the video recording gadget on the auto panel. The video is recorded with reference to the coordinates of the car in a resolution of 1920 × 1080, the license plates are read from a distance of up to 3 m, the viewing angle is sufficient to track the traffic situation around the entire shooting perimeter. The recording is displayed on a 5-inch touch screen with pinch-to-zoom function.

But "Garmin" would not be "Garmin" if it had not stuffed its offspring with a mass of additional "buns". For example, the device will always tell you when to slow down - the lion's share of radar detectors will envy the volume of its database of stationary video surveillance cameras. Traffic on the streets can be tracked using the proprietary Smartphone Link application. If the driver still manages to get into a traffic jam, he can be distracted by his business, and when the flow of cars moves forward, the gadget will inform him about it. The Forward Collision Warning function warns of a dangerous approach to neighboring vehicles, and Lane Departure Warning warns of lane departure.

It seems that navigators have begun to win in the fight against smartphones for a place in the car. The friendly phone fraternity faltered with the introduction of the latest GPS navigation systems, when TomTom took the Go line offensive with the 6200 flagship. cartography and access to a database of high-speed cameras, synchronization with the previous navigator via cloud storage, provision of traffic information by the TomTom Traffic service.

The device can be synchronized with your smart assistant Siri (iPhone) or Google Now (Android) to request all the necessary information using your voice. In addition, the device is equipped with a route prediction system, thanks to which it remembers the most visited places and offers the best travel options. The GPS-navigator is especially popular in Western Europe, while in Russia it is still considered exotic.

Consul 7.0 is a multifunctional device that combines a GPS navigator and a car tablet with a rear view camera.The model is equipped with a 7-inch color display with a resolution of 800x480 and runs on the Android OS, which opens up ample opportunities for the owner to quickly control and independently select navigation programs. Only their demo versions are installed from the factory, while the full application can be downloaded to the device's memory (8 GB) or to a flash card (microSD up to 64 GB is supported).

The main "chip" of the novelty is the ability to connect a rear-view camera (included in the kit), due to which reverse parking is greatly facilitated. A viewing angle of 120° is enough to cover the required area with a glance and assess the traffic situation. As befits a modern gadget, the navigator connects to other devices via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, and can also serve as a multimedia portal for entertainment while parking.

At first glance, it seems that this modification differs from the 51st model, its younger sister, only in screen size - 7 "instead of 5. In fact, there are differences. At first glance, it is striking that Garmin, known for its conservative approach to design, nevertheless heeded the requirements of progress and removed the centimeter frames.Now the entire visible part of the display is working, which affects not only solidity, but also ease of operation.

Thanks to the excellent quality of the plastic and solid build DriveSmart 61 looks really expensive. Functionally, the device is flawless: it loads and positions quickly, does not depend on weather conditions, does not freeze or slow down.A great option for impatient users. The implementation of voice control in the reviews is generally considered one of the best - even a working media system does not interfere with the gadget. The RDS online traffic display technology, which accurately builds the best route, has also been brought to a very high level.