Garmin -vs- TomTom

[SeaGoat]

I have a TomTom SatNav, it gets me from A to B fairly reliably.

The downside is that the indicated speed limit is frequently wrong.

e.g. long-term roadworks and average speed limit of 50 on M3 going South-West from the M25.

Likewise, M1 between junction 16 & 19.

TomTom only offer map updates four times a year - at a cost!

Is Garmin's accuracy and update policy any better?

[StevesTruck]

Tomtom. Mainly because unlike garmin, I've never launched one out the window of a moving car.

[VRS Mike]

Had a Tom Tom from when they first came out but have a Garmin in my citigo, I actually like it and it's very similar to the tom Tom

[@Lee]

I bought a Tom Tom of a forum member, comes with free lifetime map updates. Transferred the device to my account I created without hassle and updated at no cost.

I'd think the problem with Average speed cameras is they're unpredictable so difficult to accurately add to the mapping.

The ones from Fleet to the M25 are active but the ones around Basingstoke aren't in use. That's not to say they won't be tomorrow.

[fabiamk2SE]

garmin for me.

Got a zumo 390 i use in the car and on the motorbike.

Cant fault it, it does everything i want and more,

Its got lifetime map updates with it. Its very rare any info is wrong tbh.

Although i did come across a 30mph that it said was 40mph the other day. Then i saw where 40 used to be painted on the road. It was that recent lol.

[mikey vrs]

Im on my 2nd Garmin,cant fault it,it came with free map updates for life too,had it 4 years with no problems & i find it easy to use & my mobile will connect to it so its a hands free as well. 

[Outofthi5world]

I bought a Tom Tom of a forum member, comes with free lifetime map updates. Transferred the device to my account I created without hassle and updated at no cost.

I'd think the problem with Average speed cameras is they're unpredictable so difficult to accurately add to the mapping.

The ones from Fleet to the M25 are active but the ones around Basingstoke aren't in use. That's not to say they won't be tomorrow.

It served me well  :'(  Glad it's gone to a good home though. But yes, if I didn't have the Columbus TomTom is my top choice after having that one. It was a pleasure to use and always got me where I wanted to go.

[V5-Steve]

Had a tom tom and got a garmin which I prefer.

[SeaGoat]

There is a Government website that gives notice of planned roadworks and road closures, etc.

Is there no Government website that gives details of speed limit changes?

[Ootohere]

In Scotland lots of Travel Information is available before and during travelling.

(obviously not much cope as you lose Phone Signal/ Internet/ Sat Nav signal, which can be common as you most need it.

http://trafficscotland.org

http://trafficscotland.org/vms

[keystonedriving]

I have had a Garmin for about 5 years which I am very happy with.  I paid extra at the time to get lifetime map updates.  On a couple of occasions I have notified them of speed limit changes and they have been corrected in the next upgrade.

 

I suspect that a government list of speed limit changes won't work, as most changes are down to local authorities.

[Aspman]

We bought a Tom Tom a good while ago.

The maps went out of date and Tom Tom wanted a ridiculous amount to update (£70 as I recall). It was also wrong more often than we were happy with.

 

However I picked up the other month that Tom Tom was discounting updates. Checked and got the thing updated for £19 for this year. Not cheap but a lot less than a new sat nav.

 

Using it last weekend for a big road trip I have to say it was faultless although for some reason it wanted us to go back north from Newcastle via the A68 rather than the A1. Might just be a difference of opinion there.

 

I've never used a Garmin so can't comment.

 

I have however used the "Drive" maps on my Nokia Lumia windows phone. It's actually very good and gets free updates to use offline. So you don't need a data connection like Google maps on an Android. It was one of the main reasons I got a Windows Phone.

 

Might be worth considering a big screen Microsoft Phone if you need a new phone and a satnav.

Edited 8 July, 2015 by Aspman

[kit]

I have Tom Tom which is great, have used it all across Europe and had no issues......only nark I have is that is a pain in the hoop when it comes to average speed cameras!! It just beeps constantly for miles and miles to the point were I have to turn it off :(

[Aspman]

I have Tom Tom which is great, have used it all across Europe and had no issues......only nark I have is that is a pain in the hoop when it comes to average speed cameras!! It just beeps constantly for miles and miles to the point were I have to turn it off :(

 

to add to this, although the roads and legal speeds were spot on the speed camera locations were terrible. But tbh it was all to do with cameras that had been removed. So false positives.

Edited 8 July, 2015 by Aspman

[silver1011]

I still have and regularly use one of the very first TomTom Go 900's.

 

It is more than 10 years old now and still hasn't missed a beat. It has taken me all over Europe with work too with only the occasional map updates.

 

The only criticism I have is that it now takes a good few minutes after turning it on to find a signal / satellite, which can be a bit frustrating as you emerge from the airports underground car rental car park and are faced with an immediate need to know which way to go 

 

Never used Garmin but given the longevity of the TomTom I've not needed to look elsewhere.

[SeaGoat]

I have had a Garmin for about 5 years which I am very happy with.  I paid extra at the time to get lifetime map updates.  On a couple of occasions I have notified them of speed limit changes and they have been corrected in the next upgrade.

 

I suspect that a government list of speed limit changes won't work, as most changes are down to local authorities.

 

How often do Garmin issue updates? TomTom update quarterly.

 

I believe that speed limit changes have to be approved by the Government - case currently going through the courts.

Either way, what I am really driving at is that there must be some timely way that both TomTom and Garmin could find out about long term roadworks on Motorways and the inevitable resulting average speed limits. I believe that TomTom even offers a device that claims to include up-to-the-minute traffic data.

[fabiamk2SE]

There is a Government website that gives notice of planned roadworks and road closures, etc.

Is there no Government website that gives details of speed limit changes?

Not sure

But there are big signs on top of big posts, circled in red, sometimes repeaters, and its written on the roads too.

Do we need a website?

[Aspman]

 

The only criticism I have is that it now takes a good few minutes after turning it on to find a signal / satellite, which can be a bit frustrating as you emerge from the airports underground car rental car park and are faced with an immediate need to know which way to go 

 

 

Have you plugged it into a PC for updates to the software (not maps)?

There have been numerous patches over the last few years to speed up finding satellites. Ours is noticeable faster at it than when it was new.

[silver1011]

Hmm, good point, I updated the maps about two years ago, it hasn't been plugged in since.

 

Will give it a go, thanks for the tip 

[SeaGoat]

Not sure

But there are big signs on top of big posts, circled in red, sometimes repeaters, and its written on the roads too.

Do we need a website?

Maybe TomTom haven't noticed the "big signs on top of big posts, circled in red"?

Are speed limits written on Motorway road surfaces? I think not.

I wasn't suggesting that either you or I needed a website.

What I was suggesting was that TomTom and Garmin might find a better way of providing correct information on their SatNavs.

[fabiamk2SE]

Maybe TomTom haven't noticed the "big signs on top of big posts, circled in red"?

Are speed limits written on Motorway road surfaces? I think not.

I wasn't suggesting that either you or I needed a website.

What I was suggesting was that TomTom and Garmin might find a better way of providing correct information on their SatNavs.

If youre driving on a motorway and you dont know the speed limit, you should probably pull into services and ring a taxi.

What i meant was, does it matter if the sat navs speedlimit is slightly wrong? You should know the speedlimit anyway.

[jonbenj]

Disclaimer: I sell them! In my experience customers are equally happy ( and unhappy). Both brands offer decent reliability and the same map update cycle athe moment, ie: 4 times a year. Both use very simple menu structures that most customers seem to find intuitively easy to get on with. There's some anecdotal evidence that existing "old" TomTom users moving onto the latest units which have a completely different user interface don't find it as intuitive. Customers that have only ever tried the new ones don't seem to have a problem. The best advice I can offer is to keep the operating software happy by checking for updates regularly.

[keystonedriving]

How often do Garmin issue updates? TomTom update quarterly.

 

I believe that speed limit changes have to be approved by the Government - case currently going through the courts.

Either way, what I am really driving at is that there must be some timely way that both TomTom and Garmin could find out about long term roadworks on Motorways and the inevitable resulting average speed limits. I believe that TomTom even offers a device that claims to include up-to-the-minute traffic data.

 

It's about 4 times a year.  Bear in mind that both companies use the same maps from a company that used to be called Navtech but is now called something else (it's an Italian company, by the way).

 

Speed limit changes are the responsibility of the highways authority for the road in question.  Even 20mph limits have been devolved down in that way for a few years now.  You can get live traffic from Garmin as well, in some cases it's an extra charge in others its included.

 

Truth is, I don't think there is actually much difference between them.  You pays your money and you makes your choice.

[hatchy]

I chose a Garmin basically because I think they look better  :peek: 

[camelspyyder]

We have 2 Navman/Mio, 1 garmin and an Amundsen+

Only the Garmin presents multiple routes for your trip.

Only the older Navman lets you manually build routes via multiple points.

All of them let me add (free) camera databases as POI's except the b***dy factory fit Amundsen+