10 Best Gps Units For Cars 2025 in the United States

The Garmin DriveSmart 86 is a solid choice for anyone looking for a reliable car GPS unit. Its standout feature is the large 8-inch high-resolution display, which makes it easy to read maps and navigate. With voice assistance and hands-free calling, it adds convenience, allowing you to stay focused on the road. The device comes with comprehensive map coverage of North America and includes live traffic updates, which can help you avoid delays and find the best routes in real time. Additionally, it has smart notifications when paired with a smartphone, giving you access to traffic, weather, and even parking options right on your dashboard.

One of the key benefits is the extensive Points of Interest (POI) feature, including Tripadvisor ratings and a national parks directory, making it great for road trips. The driver alerts for school zones, sharp curves, and speed changes are also beneficial for safer driving. Plus, built-in Wi-Fi ensures that you can easily update maps and software without needing a computer, which is a nice touch.

The Garmin DriveSmart 86 is a feature-rich GPS unit that excels in navigation and safety features, making it ideal for regular drivers and road trip enthusiasts.

The Garmin DriveSmart 66 is a solid choice for a car GPS unit with its bright and sharp 6-inch high-resolution touchscreen, which makes maps easy to read while driving. It covers North America with up-to-date maps and includes a large variety of points of interest like national parks, Tripadvisor-rated spots, and a history database, helping you find interesting places along your route. It offers live traffic updates, fuel prices, parking info, and weather through smartphone pairing, which can make your trips smoother by avoiding delays.

The built-in voice assistant and hands-free calling via Bluetooth let you keep your hands on the wheel and eyes on the road, enhancing safety and convenience. Mounting options are flexible, with both dashboard and windshield suction mounts included. One downside is the short battery life of about 1 hour, so it’s best used while plugged into your car’s power. The device also supports Wi-Fi for easy map updates without needing a computer, and it has dual USB ports to charge your phone or other devices.

Although it does not have some advanced features found in premium models, this unit balances useful functions and user-friendly design, making it a good fit for drivers who want reliable navigation with helpful extras but prefer not to rely solely on their phone’s GPS.

The Garmin Drive 53 GPS Navigator offers a bright and high-resolution 5-inch capacitive touchscreen, which makes it easy for drivers to view their routes clearly. Its detailed map coverage of North America, including updates, ensures you're always able to navigate efficiently. The device stands out with its driver alerts for school zones, speed changes, and sharp curves, which can enhance your situational awareness while on the road. Another notable feature is the guidance on points of interest, including restaurants, hotels, and attractions, with Tripadvisor ratings to help you plan stops during your journey.

For nature enthusiasts, the built-in directory of U.S. national parks is a handy tool for navigating directly to park entrances and key landmarks. However, the Garmin Drive 53 falls short in the battery life department, offering only about one hour of use, so it will need to remain plugged in via the included vehicle power cable during long trips. Connectivity is limited to USB, which may not be convenient for some users looking for wireless options.

Voice command functionality is not explicitly mentioned, which might be a drawback for users seeking hands-free operation. Mounting options include a vehicle suction cup, making it easy to install on your dashboard or windshield. While it doesn't appear to offer real-time traffic updates, the Garmin Real Directions feature provides spoken turn-by-turn directions using landmarks, which is quite user-friendly.

To sum up, the Garmin Drive 53 is ideal for drivers who prioritize easy-to-see maps and helpful route guidance over high connectivity and battery life. It's a great choice for road trips, especially with its national parks directory and Tripadvisor integration.