With driving comes a number of responsibilities. You’ve got to keep a well-maintained car, understand how to navigate traffic, find affordable gas, deal with any unforeseen mechanical problems and more. In response to the complexities of driving, a number of smartphone apps have been invented. These apps can make driving easier, cheaper, and less stressful. Here is a list of seven of the best driving apps that every driver should consider downloading and using.
ReadItToMe
ReadItToMe can be a lifesaver, literally. What this free app does is read texts, messages on social media, or e-mail out loud. Many accidents are caused by people reaching illegally for their phone to text or check a message: ReadItToMe eliminates those temptations and lets you focus completely on the road.¹
Waze
If you chat with someone about good driving apps they will probably mention the basic map apps, but Waze is next level. This app will inform you of accidents, building sites, traffic stoppages, law enforcement delays and other things that slow you down in your daily commute. It can save an enormous amount of time and stress.²
GasBuddy
GasBuddy is a well-known app that deserves its good reputation. This app finds the cheapest gas in your area. The company claims to have saved users a whopping $990 million per year.³ If you join their Pay with GasBuddy program you can save 5 cents per gallon on every fill-up as well.⁴ A little bit of savings on every fill-up can go a long way over time.
Roadtrippers
Although apps like Google maps or Waze are good for driving around town, Roadtrippers is a must-have app for longer trips. This one gives you reviews on anywhere you can stop on your trip. It helps find local restaurants, scenery, parks, and hotels on your journey, and lets you build a full trip itinerary from within the app.⁵ It currently works for trips in the USA, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.
Parkify
We all know that keeping track of where you parked be a major headache, and that’s where Parkify comes in. This outstanding app will run in the background even when it isn’t open on your phone in order to tell you where you parked in a parking lot. It is highly useful if you’re busy buying groceries or doing other daily tasks and don’t have time or attention to think about exactly where you parked when you hopped out.⁶
Spothero
Before you need to figure out where you parked you need to park: that’s what Spothero is for. It lets you book and pre-pay for parking spaces directly in the app, and then gives easily instructions for how to find the location you’ve booked. It also lets you compare pricing for all of the nearby parking areas in the town that you are in, so you can be sure to choose an affordable spot. Spothero currently runs in a wide range of cities in both the US and Canada and has well-reviewed apps on both Android and iOS.⁷
Openbay
Openbay is a very good app that helps you find mechanics in your area and get quotes for repair services needed. You can then schedule and book a mechanic directly through the app simplifying the process of car repairs. It also lets you put limits on what your card can be charged so that mechanics can’t bill for extra money beyond their initial quote without your express permission. Openbay also claims to screen and vet all of their repair shops prior to bringing them on the app, increasing the likelihood of their customers having a positive experience.⁸
[1] https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=robj.readit.tomefree&hl=en
[2] https://gearpatrol.com/2019/05/05/8-best-driving-apps-ios-android/
[3] https://www.gasbuddy.com/
[4] https://www.gasbuddy.com/pay
[5] https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a15352322/the-best-smartphone-apps-for-drivers/
[6] https://www.lifehack.org/articles/technology/top-10-must-have-mobile-apps-for-drivers-car-lovers.html
[7] https://spothero.com/
[8] https://www.openbay.com/guarantee
