Choosing the right app for a road trip is critical, especially if you drive to unfamiliar destinations where you don’t know the whereabouts. Google Maps, Waze, and Apple Maps are the three top picks, so when I started planning my vacation, these were the first apps I looked into.
Because I didn’t want to leave on a journey unprepared, I decided to use both Google Maps and Waze during my 600-mile trip. I downloaded the offline maps in Google Maps while I was at home, as I wasn’t sure I’d have a data connection throughout the entire journey. I ran both apps on CarPlay, with my iPhone running the latest iOS version wirelessly. Waze and Google Maps were both up-to-date.
Here’s what I discovered after spending hours on the road with Google Maps and Waze.
Photo: autoevolution
You’d normally think offline maps make a huge difference when going on such a long journey, but they actually don’t. While having offline maps is comforting, I rarely lost my data connection, and when I did, Waze went online in less than a minute, downloading up-to-date traffic data instantly.
Offline maps are certainly more critical when traveling abroad and dealing with ridiculous roaming charges. Fortunately, we don’t have this problem here in Europe, where we don’t pay extra when traveling to another state part of the EU.
However, I still advise everybody to download offline maps before leaving on a long journey, especially when going through remote areas. Waze lacks this feature, and it’s critical to be prepared for everything. Plan your route carefully, inspect every section of the journey before hitting the road, and get your apps ready and up-to-date.
Photo: autoevolution
Google Maps and Waze offered almost identical routes to my destination, but the latter allowed me to arrive 15 minutes earlier, thanks to several shortcuts that avoid difficult intersections and multiple slowdowns.
I know that 15 minutes doesn’t sound like a huge gain, but after driving for several minutes with a four-year-old who just keeps talking, you’ll probably take any route, even if it’s one minute faster.
Fortunately, Waze didn’t force me to deal with multiple turns – it does this when dealing with heavy city traffic, but my route didn’t include any big towns. The Google Maps route prioritized main roads and suggested a 20-mile highway section, even if it included a detour.
Photo: Bogdan Popa/autoevolution
Traffic reports make a huge difference. This is where Waze clearly wins the battle with Google Maps, despite the search giant trying to deal with the obvious gap between the two.
The crowdsourcing incident reporting system in Waze is a Godsend. Fortunately, I drove in countries with very active Waze user bases, and traffic reports were very common. Most speed traps, potholes, accidents, and roadworks were pinned on the map so I could slow down and approach every hazard carefully.
Google Maps focused on a smoother and more silent navigation experience. Google is working on bringing more traffic reports from Waze to Google Maps, but even when this plan goes into effect, Waze will continue to be the king of traffic data. Compared to Waze, Google Maps supports significantly fewer report types.
Photo: Bogdan Popa/autoevolution
Speed limit changes are brilliant. Considering I traveled abroad, mainly on unfamiliar roads, I could anticipate speed limit changes.
Thanks to a recent update, Waze warns of upcoming speed limit changes with on-screen notifications and a speed indicator on the map. It’s easier to slow down before reaching the pinned location and avoid getting a ticket, and you won’t discover how important this feature is until you drive on an unfamiliar route.
Google Maps has recently been updated with a speedometer on CarPlay, but the feature still isn’t live in my car. However, the app displays the current speed limit, albeit Waze has been offering the same feature plus a live speedometer since launch.
Overall, Waze was easily the better option for my journey, especially thanks to how predictable it made every section of the road. However, the lack of offline maps (which wouldn’t make sense in Waze anyway) could push users to Google Maps, especially when driving through remote areas. The high data charges could also force some to leave Waze behind when going on a road trip, but as long as an Internet connection is available, Waze is king. This is why merging Google Maps and Waze still doesn’t make sense for Google, as the two apps are more different than they look at first glance.
What’s your preferred app for long journeys? Let me know in the comment box below.