Technology can make driving more enjoyable, safer and easier. While fiddling with your phone during your drive isn’t smart, if you use your smartphone and the correct apps responsibly – meaning before and after you start your drive – you can greatly improve your driving experience. Here are some of the best car-related smartphone apps on the market.
Waze
When it comes to a satellite navigation system, Waze is one of the best in the business. It features crowd-sourced information to keep its users informed of construction, traffic, speed traps, accidents and more. Also, you can get turn by turn navigation that utilizes all of the road information. As a bonus, number of celebrities have voiced turn by turn navigation for Waze, including Morgan Freeman, Mr. T and Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Carcorder
Having a recorded record of your drive can come in handy in the event of an accident. It can also help you capture some interesting or important footage of the crazy things that occur on the road. While you could spring for a designated dashcam for your car, a cheaper way to go is to download the Carcorder app for a couple dollars and turn your iPhone into a dashcam. All you need is a dashboard mount for your phone. In addition to taking video, this app can also track your location and notify you if you surpass the speed limit.
GasBuddy
Gas is a necessary expense when owning a car, but you should still do everything you can to minimize the cost. That’s where GasBuddy comes in. It's an app that shows you the 10 closest gas stations and the price of gas at those stations, allowing you to easily find the place with the best deal. With over 110,000 stations in its database, you can be sure that you’re going to find the one with the lowest price.
iWrecked
This app is designed to make the time after an accident as easy as possible to manage. Hopefully, you’ll never have to use it, but if you do get in a fender bender, this app can help you put together a detailed accident report for the insurance company or the police, provide you with the local nearby police station information if you need to report damage but don’t need emergency service and give you contact information for tow truck and taxi service.
Automatic
This one requires an adapter that runs $99, but if you want something that connects your car better than anything else, get the adapter and download the free app. Essentially, Automatic tracks all of your vehicle’s information, miles per gallon, how much each trip costs, braking habits, where you parked, etc. It also comes with 24/7 crash response and can analyze why your check engine light has come on and suggest the necessary steps to take. For around a hundred bucks, you can sure make car ownership much easier.
