Car Talk's Guide to Favorite Car Apps


What are the best car-related apps out there?

We wanted to know. To find out, we turned to you, our loyal Car Talk fans.

Here are your favorites, compiled by Car Talk staff in a somewhat, kind of pseudo-scientific way. We hope this rundown is helpful. Know of a great app that's not on the list? Let us know about it by sharing it in our on-going app discussion.

Thanks!


 

Maintenance: aCar

 

Car Talk listeners like aCar for Android for tracking basic car maintenance. aCar lets users keep track of fill-ups and repairs, calculate mileage and fuel economy, and separate business miles from personal miles. The app will also remind you when service is due and it can manage multiple cars at once. iPhone users should check out Gas Cubby or Car Minder ... both got rave reviews from our audience and have similar functionality.

What Car Talk visitors say:

"I use aCar on the Android network. It's great except I really don't want to know that I only get 11.9 mpg in my Jeep." ... Beth

Repair: Rev, Torque, Carbonga

 

A lot of Car Talk listeners are excited about these apps, and for good reason. They actually make available data from your car's computer that was previously accessible only to mechanics with expensive scan tools. Rev for iPhone, Torque for Android and Carbonga, also for iPhone, all display the basics of engine performance like speed, RPMs, and fuel consumption. Connected to your car's OBD port, these apps talk to your car's engine, enabling you to diagnose problems and clear warning lights. If you've ever found yourself opening your wallet to the tune of $95 just to turn off "check engine light," you'll understand why we're interested to see these apps on the market ... though, of course, they're lousy news for mechanics looking to save up for that next boat payment.

Honorable Mention: Repair Pal Mobile
Car Talk listeners recommend Repair Pal Mobile for Android, iPhone, and MobileWeb to help you find the closest repair shop when traveling. Repair Pal also provides users with a rough estimate of how much a given repair should cost based on the type of car, and your location.

What Car Talk visitors say:

"When I was driving to Portland with my lovely wife, we broke down in a remote part of Oregon. Fortunately I had the app and we were able to get towed to a great mechanic nearby even though we didn't know the area. Now I use the app whenever I go to the shop, and have avoided paying a few really outrageous quotes. In all cases the mechanic brought his price in line with Repair Pal's quoted price." ... Chesshcat

Driving: Carrr Matey

 

There are lots of apps out there that help you keep track of where you left your car, but Carrr Matey's pirate-themed take on parking won the hearts of Car Talk listeners. (Though, admittedly, we already know they have poor judgment.) Like other parking spot apps, Carrr Matey works by asking you to mark your location on a map when you park (although, in this case, it's a pirate treasure map). The app uses your phone's built in GPS to guide you back to your "ship" when you're ready.

Please note: plank and buxom wenches are not included.

For the less nautically inclined, Take Me To My Car for iPhone is a good option.

Honorable Mention: Gas Buddy
Gas Buddy is built for Android and iPhone. The app tells you the location of the nearest gas station and which has the best prices in the 'hood. It relies on user-submitted information, so some information may be outdated, but our listeners say even when information is not up to the minute Gas Buddy still gives them a ballpark idea of what gas should cost in the area.

What Car Talk visitors say:

"By far, my favorite car related app is Gasbuddy. This is a great way of sparing yourself the pain of, "Oh, darn, the next station around the corner was ten cents cheaper," after you've already filled up! -- Ash.

Driving: iWrecked

 

Car Talk listeners liked iWrecked for Android and iPhone ... though, of course, we hope they'll never need it. After an accident, when you're distracted by those new airbag burns, it can be difficult to remember important details. iWrecked prompts you to take photos and notes in the accident log section, keeps track of insurance and driver contact information, and directs you to local taxi or towing companies. It'll even file a lawsuit and make high-priced "loss of consortium" claims within minutes! (Okay, we're kidding about that last part. Maybe that's in the next update?)

Navigation: Google Maps with Google Mobile

Google Maps for Mobile for Android, Blackberry, iPhone, Nokia/S60, and Windows is the hands down winner for navigation among Car Talk listeners. Listeners liked the maps for their relative accuracy, and the interface because it's easy to use. And underpaid Web lackeys love this app because it's free!

Car Talk listeners recommend adding Google Mobile, so that you can use voice commands to operate Google Maps and hear directions out loud. We here at Car Talk Plaza insist upon it ... unless you're eager to be a frequent user of iWrecked. We can't afford to lose another listener!

What Car Talk visitors say:

"Google Navigation on my 'Droid has never let me down like my stand-alone GPS." ... Heidi

"I LOVE Google maps with GPS on my Android phone; the free voice direction is great too." ... Becky

Honorable Mention: Waze
There are always several routes that you could take to get from point A to point B, but unless you're carpooling with a psychic, how do you decide which way you should go? Car Talk listeners recommend using Waze for Android, Blackberry, iPhone, and Window. Waze takes navigation and combines it with crowd-sourced traffic reporting so when the highway is at a standstill, it suggests a different route. Your phone automatically sends GPS data back to Waze, which calculates traffic based on your movements. So drivers don't have to actually engage with the app once it's turned on, which we think is an imperative safety requirement, over other popular traffic apps like Trapster, which relies on manual input of information.

What Car Talk visitors say:

"Every person running Waze is also a real-time traffic reporter, so the more people using it, the better it becomes. What really sets it apart, though, is that they've made the app really, really fun to use. (Would not have thought a turn-by-turn GPS app could be fun, but they pulled it off!)." ... Rob

Your Car's Very Own App:

Owners of certain new GM, Ford and Nissan models are in luck. Make and model-specific apps allow you to check tire pressure, unlock doors, measure battery charge, access your owners manual and, if you need support of a more basic nature, even help you remember where you parked your ride. Other manufacturers are sure to follow suit so stay tuned for more apps in this niche.

Car Apps for the Car-free: Zipcar

Not having a car is no longer an excuse to ignore car apps, now that car sharing has made the big time. They even have their own set off sharing apps. Zipcar members can reserve cars online, search for available vehicles near your present location, and even honk the horn to save you the trouble of looking for the car!

Buying a Car:

Apps from Kelley Blue Book and cars.com allow used car buyers to research their choices right from the lot. With their information literally in your palm, you can negotiate a better deal by accessing the most current pricing data and showing the pixellated proof to the plaid-clad salesman.

Other Apps Worth Noting:

Car Talk listeners like Have2P Restroom Locator for iPhone and Android which detects your location and suggests nearby restrooms. Users can report which restaurants, gas stations and businesses have public restrooms, or restrooms into which you can sweet talk or beg your way in. You can also see and submit cleanliness ratings.

There were several nominees in a category we like to think of as "Keeping the kids quiet and the driver happy." First, there's Netflix for iPhone. "Are we there yet?" has to be the only thing a driver wants to hear less than "Hello and welcome to Car Talk!" Set up your passengers with the Netflix app, and you'll never have to hear either of those unpleasant sounds again.

Other Car Talk listeners stay sane while driving by letting their kids play Angry Birds for Android and iPhone. Nothing says family harmony like your precious tot maniacally catapulting birds at a fortress of evil piggy-wiggies.

Then there's Audiobooks for iPhone. "There is a great app for the iPhone called Audiobooks that has thousands of free audiobooks to listen to. Perfect for the long road trip," says dtsdts2323 in the Car Talk forums. Bookdroid is a similar app for Android.

In the good citizen department, Car Talk listeners use SeeClickFix for Android, Blackberry, and iPhone to report issues like potholes, missing or broken signs and lights, and traffic pattern problems to their local governments. This app also keeps track of how quickly municipalities address reported issues, in an attempt to shame city halls into action.

Trip Splitter for iPhone is also getting attention from the Car Talk community. Our listeners are using it to keep track of road trip expenses and remember who paid for what. At the end of the trip, Trip Splitter divides the tab easily and evenly so your pleasant road trip doesn't have to end with a complicated math problem. Trip Splitter can also split bills unevenly, taking into account who ate more of the super falafel you bought when passing through the Quad Cities. Trip Splitter is bad news for the mooching in-law who always orders lobster, but great news for his cheapskate road trip compadre who ordered the salad and filled up on free breadsticks!

Dishonorable Mention: Car Talk App
The Car Talk app for iPhone is guaranteed to ensure that no one is quiet or happy! If you have 2.3 megabytes to waste, our lousy app will bring you our most recent show, play recent amusing automobile noises made by callers to our show, and send you steering for the nearest abyss after an hour of head-splitting peals from Tom and Ray. Its only redeeming quality is that it costs exactly what it's worth; nothing!