what GPS to buy for Europe?

I use an antiquated Garmin Nüvi GPS (which is still working fine), but Tom Tom seems to be a popular choice in Europe. The Garmin has always worked well, but of course it's important to keep in mind that one can't trust them implicitly as they do make mistakes. There have been numerous examples of morons that put their brains in neutral and followed the GPS completely, including one woman that drove about 900 km to reach a destination that was actually quite close to her house. I'd suggest also packing along a good Map.

Seems like more and more people are using GPS apps on their smart phones, I haven't done this since I always rent a car with GPS in it but their are many who swear by the apps like "Co-Pilot" and say they work just as well.

We rented a GPS with our car on our trip to Ireland, and used it in addition to our road atlas. I will definitely always pack a map because I like to be able to think for myself!

We will only use our cell phone for emergency calls, I won't have data running for apps. I tried a data-free app on our Ireland trip but it did not work for us. That was 2014 so maybe they've improved since then? I do prefer the peace of mind with a real GPS. We plan to go back to Europe with more driving involved in our trips so we'll be getting our money's worth I think.

It was a few years ago when I bought a TomTom for our trip, paid $50 for the France map. I found out later that TomTom doesn't include lifetime updates for the maps outside U.S. (And maybe Canada a/o Mexico?). My fault, didn't read the fine print. As it turned out, the car had a built in GPS and when I told the agent I didn't order one, he said go ahead, no extra charge. Maybe things have changed with TomTom. Our new car has GPS and Tom now sits in the basement gathering dust. But at least he has lots of company.

I like my Magellan, though most people seem to prefer Garmin or Tom Tom.

I'd guess they're basically the same, the only important variations being how big a screen and what kind of deal you get re maps. A bigger screen is better if you're driving alone and need to mount it on the dash and see it, not that important if you have a navigator. You may have trouble finding one in the US that offers lifetime Europe maps. We downloaded a Europe map for about $60 (with AAA discount) and it worked fine over there (except the lady's French pronunciation was even worse than ours).

You're right about having a paper map to go with this technology. The human brain still has value! :-)

I bought this one last year after getting back from France
http://www.thegpsstore.com/Garmin-Nuvi-2577LT-with-Maps-of-North-America-and-Europe-P3531.aspx

I haven't used it in Europe yet but have used it here and I love it. I had an older Garmin with Europe maps that worked very well in Switzerland and France when we used it there. It found hotels for us when we were on the road. It even got us around on the main 'highways' in Ukraine.
Our trip last year we used our daughter's iPhone, that worked very well but she lives there and has a French phone/service with unlimited data.
I prefer having a GPS over using the phone.

I used a TomTom for about five years and liked it a lot. When it died I wanted to replace it. The device TomTom sent me didn't work out of the box and I made a huge mistake. I should have returned it and bought another. Instead I talked to TomTom support, they made a brave effort then asked me to ship it to Texas and they'd send me a new one. I shipped it to Texas (my cost) and received the wrong/lesser device (didn't even have Euro maps) plus it was a reconditioned used model. Now I couldn't return it because it isn't what I bought. I called and they asked me to ship it back again (again my cost). Again they shipped me the wrong/lesser device (but this time with Euro maps) and again a reconditioned used model.

So I purchased a Garmin and took it to Europe. I didn't like it as much as the (good) TomTom. It mostly worked okay but steered me wrong on several occasions - once it wanted me to go the wrong way down a one-way street and would not choose an alternate route, another time it took me north on the main highway when I needed to go south, still another time it took me two different places clear across town from each other while ostensibly taking me to the same address.

I've had that one now about three years but just gave it to a son and planned to replace it. The reviews on potential replacements, both Garmin and TomTom are so bad - 20 percent giving virtually every device the worst possible rating - I'm seriously thinking about changing tacks to an unlocked smart phone (I'm leaning toward a Moto-G for about $180) and using a GPS app. It seems to me if the devices aren't working (seemingly from shoddy manufacturing), they cost more than a decent smart phone, and want you to pay to update the maps, I'll be better off just going with the smart phone - which will reduce my carry-on load and it will serve multiple other functions for which I currently pack an iPod touch.

That said I still need to understand why/how you can use a phone for GPS and not run up a huge data tab. I've seen enough people report that it can be done.

Brad,

I was surprised to hear of the experiences you've had with GPS units, but not surprised to hear that the Garmin misdirected you at times as I've had the same experience. In one case, it directed me to turn down a narrow lane through a farmer's field to reach the town I was going to. The road sign at that point indicated the town was only a mile via the normal road, so I ignored the stupid machine.

Unfortunately, I'm not sure if a smartphone GPS application is going to work much better. A GPS is only as good as the mapping software that it's using, and you could find some of the same issues with a phone.

If I were shopping for a new GPS, I'd buy from a local dealer as that would provide better support than sending the units back to the factory at my cost. If it doesn't work, it's easy to simply take it back and ask for a refund or another model.

Brad, I had the same problem with GPS units as you but in reverse. I used to swear by my Garmin unit, actually two over seven years. They worked great at first but updates were such a problem that I finally gave up on the brand and passed the unit along to a family member after the latest update wiped out my European maps while updating the U.S. ones. I switched to TomTom for my latest trip this spring.

Every time I tried to update the Garmin, there would be a different problem that took all day and sometimes more to resolve. The tech guy at Garmin eventually helped me find a solution -- ranging from entering different codes to adding a microchip to updating a microchip and adding still another code -- after several false starts and endless hours waiting to find out the maps did not load. Tech support might have found the problem, but enough is enough. Forget everything good I ever said about Garmin.

I do not plan to update the TomTom maps for the life of this machine. It probably will not be necessary anyway within a few years, since new cars, including rental cars, increasingly are coming with GPS installed. Hopefully by the time the TomTom is obsolete, the carmakers will have the units standardized.

I have a Garmin Nuvi 2595LM with a Europe SD mini chip from 2009.I don;t think you have to have the most current update since the roads haven't change for eons. I don't think you can get a system that provides free updates for both U.S. and Europe combined. I found it fairly accurate considering the screwy nature of roads in Europe. As other have said, always use your brain. It is a machine. It will make mistakes. It will tend to choose the most direct way, not the logical fast way. Get a good map and plot your general route so you know if you are on the right track. it tends to work best for local navigation once you get to your general location. If you use a chip in your U.S. based GPS remember to turn off the U.S. maps when you are in Europe so it doesn't try to search those.maps when in Europe.

We recently spent another 2 months driving through numerous counties in Europe . For reasons too long to explain here we had the GPS in a new Citroen lease car and I bought a new Tom Tom Go50 and loaded it up with Europe maps before we left Australia ( actually cheaper to buy than in Europe or the UK) On occasions we used them both simultaneously. I have used other brands/models before.
I found the Tom Tom very good. generally the detail eg: speed limits and small roads etc was good. better to listen to than the Citroen GPS. ( more directions) we drove over 5000 klms

the problem with many GPS is they tend to think that all roads are equal, so they can easily send you down very narrow roads. A good Michelan map or offline map app ( we use Pocket Earth) is a very good companion. we use both.

I found the extra extension fitting was a good option for the Tom Tom as the modern windscreens are often too far away from the driver /passenger.

I don't know if John was speaking generally about free upgrades not being available for European maps or was responding to my previous post about Garmin erasing the European maps on my unit. In any case, I PAID Garmin for lifetime updates to the European maps. They were not free, just a waste of money, time and frustration, time after time. Sometimes you just cut your losses and move on. BTW, the Garmin units are still in use by family members in other states.

I recall reading while setting up the TomTom unit that free updates were available for both U.S. and European maps, but, having sworn off updates in the future, I have not bothered to check back.

I found my TomTom had an affinity for bigger highways. It seemed the device always wanted to take me to a major highway first, then to my destination. When driving in familiar areas, I found I knew local routes that I preferred.

One of the things I liked about TomTom was it asks you, each time it develops a route with tolls, if you want to avoid tolls. For Garmin, the choice is way back in Settings. In Europe, I'll figure the route both ways. If the time is close, I'll avoid the tolls. When the time is significant (usually a bridge where it's a long way around), I'll pay the toll.

A GPS is really such a small investment, it's worth the money. Either that or get it as part of your rental. We had a Tom Tom with our Avis rental in Beanue/Dijon and it really earned its keep.

The other thing to remember is, it's basically a $100 electronic gadget. Which means it is designed/built to have a life of only a few years and then should be donated to Goodwill, someone who wants/need it or properly recycled. These are not intended to be family heirlooms, passed on from one generation to another.

I would not call a three-year old GPS with perfectly good U.S. maps a family heirloom, nor even a seven-year-old model. I could not imagine giving them to Goodwill when family members request and have a use for them. Also, even though they are not overly expensive, I am not aware of any GPS units bought new with both U.S. and European maps that sell for $100.

I bought my Garmin Nuvi 770 in 2008 because it came with both North American and European Maps. In 2011 I purchased the lifetime subscription for updates to both which come up 2-3 times a year with automatic notifications. Because of increased data in the maps, I do have to use an 8gig memory card to hold all the info. I've used this in France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Switzerland, Austria and Turkey. In Portugal, I compared the GPS with both Apple and Google maps. I found that all worked well but I liked the GPS best.

I don't think any brand or method is that much superior than any other except fot possible hardware differences. The admonishment to follow directions without paying attention and also using common sense has to be heeded. None of these devices is any where near perfect. On a recent trip to Montreal, I was searching for a gas station to fill up before returning my rental car. The GPS led me in circles for about ten minutes. So, I stopped and asked a human being for directions. Found the gas station in 2 minutes!

Something I want to add about using a phone vs a gps unit. Just having come back from a trip to the Great North Woods here in NH, there is no cell service in many places up there for my iPhone to get directions, where as my gps always connected to the satellite. The battery in my car died and we needed the closest auto parts store, no signal on my phone, gps worked great. I am not particularly phone savvy when it comes to using it as a gps when there is no cell service, maybe there is a way?
When using my daughters iPhone in France, we didn't lose cell service, it worked very well, luckily, because we would have had a hard time finding our B&B outside of Gray without it.

Definitely have good paper maps as back ups, either way.
I will be using my new Garmin in France this Sept. Hopefully it works as well as my old one did.

We had a Garmen Nuvi with lifetime US maps. My husband purchased the European maps which were loaded into the unit with a chip. We used is last fall while traveling through Slovenia, Croatia and a little bit into Bosnia. It worked slick. We would never have been able to find our way with conventional maps because so many of the roads are not labeled with street signs.

The only problem we experienced was finding our apartment in Dubrovnik. Our unit was on a steep hillside as much of Dubrovnik is. The GPS showed the apartment address as looking like a street. In actuality, the address was for more of a sidewalk which started with about a flight and a half of stairs leading from the road down to a sidewalk (and then more steps thereafter). It was certainly not a drive-able road. Other than that, the Garmen worked great.

After being in Europe, you couldn't pay me to drive there, we took trains. But we used the Navigation on our phones to get us to our hotels from the train stations. I hope you have a great trip!

Jenny