On the previous page we’ve discussed what we thought is the best Sat Nav in the UK based of numerous tests and reviews, however we have reviewed lots of models over the years of which many would make a great sat nav to stop you getting lost on your way home. In this section, we’re looking at sat nav reviews for the major sat nav’s on the market. We have also covered a number of models that have not been designed by either of our two top manufactures being TomTom and Garmin. Of all the sat nav reviews below, if you’re looking to buy yourself a new satnav, I would highly recommend that you stick with the two brand names, TomTom and Garmin as they simply make better navigators that are going to last you longer and be more helpful, than the competitors in this market place.
How We Chose
In order to decide which is the best satnav firstly we created a massive list of every GPS unit from every brand that we could find on the market right now from top UK electronics websites, shops and magazines. We then reduced this list down by taking off any models that were not still in production.
After creating our shortlist of every sat nav that is still in production we started our reviews by reading as many websites, magazines, customer review site as we could possibly find. We were specifically looking for sat nav reviews using either electronics professionals or user ratings as these will give us the best reviews that we can possibly find.
Sat Nav Reviews – Buyer’s Guide 2021
After reducing our long list down to a small list of 20 Sat Nav’s we began real life testing of these units either by borrowing, stealing units from friends or buying units that we could not get hold of any other way. We compared the units on a range of different metrics to create our review and decide our best and worst Sat Nav.
We would highly recommend that when you buy a Sat Nav you stick with the brand named companies as these are defiantly better units. Yes the competition may be slightly cheaper or have new features that are in principle a great idea, however in our experience they seem a great idea in principle, however in reality either they do not work properly or are the sort of features that you will never use. TomTom and Garmin have been together making Sat Nav’s for over 100 years and therefore have had a lot of practice in how to make a good GPS unit and how not to. Often these two brands, can be more expensive, however you ‘re paying for a quality product that will work, will be updated continually and will get you from point A to point B with the easiest route in the quickest time.
Sat Nav Reviews 2021
Garmin DriveSmart 61LMT-S
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The Garmin DriveSmart 61LMT-D is our favourite sat nav of 2019 and the sat nav that we use on a daily basis having replaced our older Garmin 2797LMT. The DriveSmart series comes in two models, the 51LMT and the 61LMT. The 51 has a 5-inch screen and the 61LMT a 6.95-Inch screen. Not much has changed from previous models, however what has changed and what we do really like is the addition on Trip Adviser meaning that you can now review millions of places along your route and read reviews about them to make sure that you’re choosing the best place to go. Check out the full review here, or click on the icons below.
Garmin DriveLuxe 51LMT-D
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Personally I think the Garmin DriveLuxe 51LMT-D is a total waste of money. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a fantastic sat nav that comes with both a brilliant screen and amazing features that are really useful in the right context, but the problem with the DriveLuxe is two fold. Firstly, it’s very expensive at over £300, and secondly whilst the driver features are great, you’re not going to use them anytime soon and as a result, you might as well buy the DriveSmart above and save the money. That said if you have money to burn, get the DriveLuxe for a great navigator.
Garmin DriveAssist 51LMT-S
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Unless you’re a taxi driver and using your satnav the whole time, the DriveAssist is not the navigator for you. Like the DriveLuxe above, it’s a great satnav, however our problem with the DriveAssist is we don’t use our satnav the whole time and therefore will not be recording our driving the whole time. If there’s a crash, there’s a good chance that we’re not going to be recording and therefore it’s totally wasted. That all said, if you’re driving all day and use your satnav the whole time, then the DriveAssist is a great satnav dash-camera combination that brings a lot of new and interesting features that were not possible in the past. Read the full review here or click on the icons below for customer reviews.
Garmin Drive 51LMT-S
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If price is your major focus towards buying a sat nav then check out the Garmin Drive. If you’re happy with UK maps, you can buy a brand new 2017 Garmin Drive for less than £100. It’s basic, but it does come with the same maps you get with the more expensive models, step-by-step directions, and best of all access to the all new Trip Adviser feature that allows you read about places of interest along your route and more importantly, read reviews from other people who have already been. It might be basic, but it does everything you need and as with all Garmin’s comes with free Lifetime Map updates and Traffic Alerts. Read the full review here.
TomTom Start 42/52/62
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The TomTom Start is the TomTom’s equivalent model to the Garmin Drive above. It has been designed as a basic, value for money gps offering step-by-step directions. Personally I don’t like it and would prefer to the buy the Garmin above. Yes it comes in three models, 4-inch screen with the 42, a 5-inch screen with the 52 and a 6-inch screen with the 62, but what it doesn’t offer is access to a premium places of interest database, the Start only has access to TomTom’s standard database of a few million places. It also doesn’t come with traffic alerts which means that you could end up being stuck in traffic.
TomTom VIA 53
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Personally, I am prefer the flexibility and performance of Garmin sat nav’s, that said, if I were ever to switch over the dark-side and buy a TomTom, I would be buying this VIA 53. It’s brilliant and does everything you need to include take into account traffic when designing your directions. Yes that’s right, the VIA 53 comes with free lifetime map updates, and free lifetime traffic alerts which for a value for money design is a real first. That all said, it still only has the basic database points of interest rather than Garmin’s Trip adviser and it’s more expensive than the Garmin. Check it out in action here.
TomTom GO 520/620
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The TomTom GO 520/620 is TomTom’s mid range satnav that competes with the Garmin DriveSmart. To be honest, it does a great job and provides a better product than the TomTom in many areas, however it’s substantially more expensive, and doesn’t come with traffic alerts. As a result, it’s not the sat nav that I would be recommending to my customers. The GO 520/620 comes in two models, the 520 with a 5-inch screen and the 620 with a 6-inch screen, world maps and Wifi to keep those maps updated, bluetooth for hands free calling and if you connect your gps to your smartphone, live traffic updates.
TomTom GO 5200/6200
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The TomTom GO 5200/6200 is another great TomTom satnav, however like them all it looks great unless you put it up against the Garmin’s. The key problem with the GO5200/6200 is that it’s been designed as a premium satnav that comes with all driver aids possible however it also comes with a massive price tag that does not offer value for money. Like the model above, the 5200/6200 come in two models either with a 5-inch or a 6-inch screen, a range of driver aids from speed camera alters to traffic updates that even work abroad. It’s a great sat nav, however it’s also very expensive.
Sat Nav Reviews 2017
The above sat nav review are from the 2018 season, however the below sat nav’s are all from the 2017 or before 2017 sat nav review sections. Rather than split them up into years, it’s must easier to view them as a list of sat nav reviews. One point, if you’re one of our returning readers, there maybe navigators that you have read about here, that are no longer here. This is because we often remove older satnavs that are no longer in production or have moved on so much, they are not longer suitable to recommend.
Garmin DriveSmart 50/60/70MT
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The all new 2016 Garmin sat nav comes with a range of new and improved features that all feature around providing the driver with more information to keep them safe, whilst at the same time connecting your smartphone. The DriveSmart comes in three sizes, 60LMT with a six inch screen, 50LMT with a five inch screen and 70 with a seven inch screen. Most importantly, it comes with a value-for-money price tag which has got even better give the new model has just come out. If you can live without the Trip Adviser places of interest, the Driver 60LMT is probably a better buy.
Garmin DriveAssist 50LMT -D
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The all new 2016 Garmin DriveAssist 50LMT-D comes with a range of new features that we have not seen on sat nav’s of the past to include driver awareness features such as Forward collision, lane departure and fatigue warnings and a forward back camera that records video what’s in front of you and whats behind to help protect you against dangerous driving. Personally I would not be a buyer, not because its a bad model, but because I never buy the first new model of a new design. That said, if you can make use of the dash-camera on a daily basis and reduce your insurance, well maybe.
TomTom GO 6100
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The TomTom 6100 is TomTom’s all new and improved premium range of satnav units that comes with a range of upgrades and improvements to show what a top of the range satnav can really do. Every driver aid possible across the market is on this sat nav, however it also comes with a price tag to match. The key upgrades include better screens, menu interface system’s, free lifetime traffic alters and lifetime map updates. Personally I would not be recommending this GO6100 anytime soon. Even with the new model above, the price is still well over £200 and of all the driver alerts that it comes with, you will not be using haldf of them. That said, if you’re a TomTom satnav fan, then you need to take a look at this six inch sat nav.
Garmin 2797LMT
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The Garmin 2797LMT is a fantastic sat unit and was our favourite sat unit through 2015. We owned this model and quite frankly loved it. The 7-inch screen, easy to use menu system, massive points of interest database and superb directions that help you to get from A to B, still make it a great sat nav unit today in 2016. Garmin’s Lifetime traffic updates and lifetime map updates still mean that you’re not going to be driving on roads that are not on your sat nav unit. Of the key problems, there were not many, but it was huge meaning that unless you had a large car and a large glovebox to store it, this 7-inch screen is not the satnav for you.
TomTom GO6000
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The TomTom GO 6000 is TomTom’s top of the range 2015 sat nav that comes with a range of new and improved features to help you get from A to B safely and easily. It’s a great sat nav unit, however the problem with all TomTom sat nav’s in 2015 is that they do not offer free lifetime map or traffic updates meaning that you have to accept you have to accept your sat comes with a time limit before it will need to be replaced.
TomTom GO500
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The TomTom GO500 is probably the best 5-inch screen on the market in 2015 and comes with a great screen that works well in both direct sunlight and low light, an interactive menu system and superb directions to help you get from A to B. Whilst it does come with Lifetime map updates and traffic updates, however you will need to connect your sat nav to your phone and use it’s internet to get these updates. Read The Full Review Here.
TomTom GO40
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The TomTom GO40 is TomTom’s smallest sat nav unit and comes with an ultra impressive 4.3 inch screen. Whilst the screen is small, it provides ample information to keep you going in the right direct. Features are limited, but it does come with traffic updates if you want to connect the phone to you smartphone and voice control, although it does need to be quiet in your car to use it. Read The Full Review Here.
TomTom XXL Classic
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The TomTom XXL Classic comes with 5-inch touchscreen that comes with TomTom’s easy to use menu system helping you to find the features that you want to. After you have typed in your destination using the touch screen keyboard, the device will calculate the best route and show you the route on the maps on your device. Overall it’s a great sat nav but it does have some flaws. The screen is quite small and only a single orientation screen and whilst the unit does calculate routes quickly, re-calculations when you make a wrong turn can be annoyingly slow.
TomTom GO600
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The TomTom GO 600 is TomTom’s all new 2014 car Sat Nav system that has been re-designed from ground level up to put you in the control of your route planning and ensure that you get to your destination in the quickest possible time on the easiest route. The device comes with TomTom’s latest 6-Inch touchscreen and provides great performance. Read the Full Review Here.
Garmin Nuvi 3597LMT
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One of our favourite sat nav’s from 2015, the 3597LMT comes with a 5-inch, dual orientation screen and a range of features from UK and Europe Maps, Map Updates, Traffic Alerts, Voice control meaning you can control your device using your voice, Bluetooth to connect your smartphone for hand-free calling and Garmin Cyclops speed camera to show you oncoming speed cameras.
Garmin Nuvi 66LM
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The Garmin Nuvi 66LM is a very similar to the model above, only it comes with a 6-inch screen dual-orientation screen. The key difference is the Nuvi 66LM does not come any voice controls meaning that you will need to pull over and stop driving should you want to change you destination, there is no Bluetooth so you cannot pair the device with your smartphone for hands-free phone calls and no traffic alerts to stop you getting stuck in traffic.