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Auto GPS: Ratings of Sources
Total of 24 Sources

For an explanation of how we rank reviews, see our ratings criteria page.

1. GPSMagazine.com
As of July 2009
GPS Buyer's Guide
by Editors of GPSMagazine.com
5 stars Credibility Rating
Our Assessment

This site publishes a plethora of incredibly comprehensive reviews. Every feature is tested, and the lavishly illustrated reviews conclude with long lists of pros and cons. Testing methodology is fully… explained. This handy, Consumer Reports-style chart ranks GPS units according to their performance in GPSMagazine.com's tests. Links lead to each unit's full expert review and verdicts range from wonderful to useless. By a wide margin, this is the best review source for auto GPS we found.

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2. ConsumerReports.org
As of July 2009
GPS Ratings
by Editors of ConsumerReports.org
5 stars Credibility Rating
Our Assessment

ConsumerReports.org buys products anonymously to ensure unbiased, objective tests. Editors rate and rank 83 portable GPS navigation systems in the most recent update, with results summarized in a detailed… ratings chart. A one-page summary for each model includes pros, cons and user ratings, though discussion itself isn't especially detailed. ConsumerReports.org covers a wide range of models from both major and minor brands.

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3. GPS Tracklog
June 8, 2009
Auto GPS Buyers Guide
by Rich Owings
4 stars Credibility Rating
Our Assessment This blog is operated by Rich Owings, who posts information about most major-brand GPS devices, personally reviews some of them and links to reviews and ratings by others. Site users add opinions and occasionally contribute reviews. A buyer's guide lists Owings' picks in budget, midrange and high-end auto GPS.
4. PCMag.com
As of July 2009
GPS Navigation
by Craig Ellison
4 stars Credibility Rating
Our Assessment

Craig Ellison regularly reviews new GPS units for PCMag.com, identifying each product's place in the market and assigning an overall rating. Reviews are easy to read, even though they aren't as exhaustively… detailed as those at dedicated GPS-review websites. Review quality is consistent. Lists of pros and cons are also helpful, but some would only matter to a small percentage of users. Some Editors' Choice picks are older models.

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5. GPSLodge.com
As of July 2009
GPS Reviews
by Scott Martin
4 stars Credibility Rating
Our Assessment

GPSLodge.com identifies itself as a blog dedicated to GPS navigation system news and reviews. This site has many original reviews and links to other reviews on the Internet. Site owner Scott Martin reviews… inexpensive, entry-level products as well as those with bigger screens and added features, giving clear buying advice in his reviews. He also makes specific recommendations in each price category in his holiday gift guides.

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6. Laptop Magazine
As of July 2009
GPS Reviews
by Troy Dreier
3 stars Credibility Rating
Our Assessment Laptop Magazine has slowed down on its GPS reviews, publishing write-ups on only a few auto GPS models in the first half of 2009. However, reviews are critical, with a clear verdict about each model. Laptop Magazine isn't shy about pointing out poor performers, but some of its Editors' Choice picks are outdated.
7. PC World
March 12, 2009
Top 5 GPS Devices
by Liane Cassavoy and editors of PC World
3 stars Credibility Rating
Our Assessment PC World's reviews of auto GPS receivers offer clear buying advice, but editors don't test as many units as other publications. This page lists editors' top GPS picks, ranked according to their overall scores. Subscores (usability, features, etc.) are presented for each unit along with a brief written review and a succinct list of pros and cons.
8. About.com
As of July 2009
About.com: GPS
by Fred Zahradnik
3 stars Credibility Rating
Our Assessment

Fred Zahradnik, About.com's guide to GPS, writes detailed reviews of GPS units with notes on features, pros and cons, and details of some performance testing. Zahradnik seems sensitive to issues sometimes… missed in other reviews, such as whether the screen is hard to read in bright sunlight. However, he hasn't reviewed many new GPS models recently, and several of his best-rated models have been discontinued (Note: ConsumerSearch is owned by About.com, but the two don't share an editorial affiliation.)

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9. GPSReview.net
As of July 2009
GPS Reviews
by Editors of GPSReview.net
3 stars Credibility Rating
Our Assessment Reviews here are detailed, but only a few new reviews have been added in the past year. This site does not rank the units it reviews, but it praises the TeleNav Shotgun, Navigon 7200T, TomTom Go 740 Live and TomTom One 130S.
10. CNET
April 24, 2009
Best 5 GPS Systems
by Antuan Goodwin
3 stars Credibility Rating
Our Assessment CNET regularly reviews new auto GPS units. Only a few reviews are comparative, but CNET rates units and ranks the top choices in this list. The reviews devote more attention to features than performance. Testing is typically limited to a couple of test drives around San Francisco. However, CNET's reviews are critical, often recommending good alternatives to poor-performing auto GPS units.
11. Choice magazine
March 2009
GPS: Car Navigation Reviews
by Editors of Choice magazine
3 stars Credibility Rating
Our Assessment Choice, an Australian consumer-testing organization, is similar to ConsumerReports.org. It doesn't accept freebies to test, and it accepts no advertising. Choice tests 17 auto GPS systems in and around Sydney, through tunnels, tolls, city and country roads, assessing the units' accuracy and usability. Several of the recommended models are widely available in the U.S.
12. Which? magazine
As of July 2009
Sat Nav Reviews
by Editors of Which? magazine
3 stars Credibility Rating
Our Assessment Which? is the U.K.'s answer to ConsumerReports.org. It tests 100 GPS (or sat nav) units in the crowded urban canyons of central London, picking 22 Best Buys. Several are popular U.S. models.
13. TrustedReviews.com
As of July 2009
Car Tech
by Editors of TrustedReviews.com
2 stars Credibility Rating
Our Assessment

This U.K. website provides overly generous ratings in some product categories, but its GPS reviews and ratings are well balanced. Reviewers drive many miles in England and France to test units. The only… disadvantage to the reviews here is that not all products are sold in the U.S., and maps and navigation are obviously different in Europe. The TomTom Go 930 Traffic is the only Recommended pick that is a current U.S. model. Also recommended are several U.K. and Australian models.

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14. TechRadar.com
As of July 2009
TomTom, GPS and Sat Nav
by Editors of TechRadar.com
2 stars Credibility Rating
Our Assessment This extensive British site conducts its own expert reviews of consumer tech products. The GPS reviews are well done and easy to read. Although many of the models reviewed aren't available in the U.S., one of the best-rated units is: the TomTom Go 930T.
15. YourNAV.com
As of July 2009
Reviews
by Editors of YourNav.com
2 stars Credibility Rating
Our Assessment

YourNav.com is a British enthusiast website dedicated to personal navigation devices. For a specialty site, it does not offer many reviews. Reviews are not easy to read -- they are a bit technical, poorly… organized and not focused enough on performance. However, objectivity is terrific, and editors painstakingly cover nitpicky considerations, each of which may be a make-or-break issue for some percentage of consumers. Only one thumbs-up-rated GPS -- the TomTom Go 740 Live -- is available in the U.S.

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16. Pocket-lint.com
As of July 2009
Car and GPS
by Editors of Pocket-Lint.com
2 stars Credibility Rating
Our Assessment Pocket-Lint.com is a British gadget news and reviews site. The auto GPS reviews are good and include some product comparison, but all of the ratings are high, making distinctions difficult. Site navigation is also a nuisance, since GPS systems are mixed with other automotive products, most notably cars. One of the top-ranked current models -- the TomTom Go 740 Live -- is available in the U.S.
17. PocketGPSWorld.com
As of July 2009
GPS Hardware/Personal Navigation Devices Menu
by Editors of PocketGPSWorld.com
2 stars Credibility Rating
Our Assessment This U.K. site has detailed reviews, but auto GPS units are neither rated nor ranked, and the reviews don't adequately distinguish between products. Testers praise the TomTom Go 930T and Nextar I4-BC, both available in the U.S.
18. Wired Blog
As of July 2009
Gadget Lab
by Editors of Wired Blog Network
2 stars Credibility Rating
Our Assessment Wired's blog unit reviews all kinds of gadgets and occasionally GPS units. Only one of the GPS units reviewed recently has impressed the reviewers: the TomTom XL 340S.
19. Amazon.com
As of July 2009
Vehicle GPS Units
by Contributors to Amazon.com
2 stars Credibility Rating
Our Assessment

Amazon.com sells all the major brands of auto GPS units and encourages customers to submit ratings of products they've used. Garmin models dominate Amazon's bestseller list, and they earn the highest… average ratings. The reviews don't offer the depth of those written by professional reviewers, but this is a good place to learn how auto GPS units work in everyday use. The website is easy to navigate, but discontinued models are mixed in with current ones.

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20. NewEgg.com
As of July 2009
GPS Navigation
by Contributors to Newegg.com
2 stars Credibility Rating
Our Assessment Newegg.com encourages users to post reviews, but it doesn't attract as many consumer ratings as Amazon.com. One advantage over Amazon.com is that Newegg.com asks reviewers to rank their level of technical knowledge.
21. Gizmodo
Dec. 29, 2008
Gizmodo's Best of 2008
by Wilson Rothman
2 stars Credibility Rating
Our Assessment Gizmodo.com reviews all kinds of gadgets and names the top performers to this Best of 2008 list. The Garmin nuvi 785T makes the list (along with the now-discontinued Garmin nuvi 880), but Gizmodo.com does not test the unit. Reviewer Wilson Rothman does test the TomTom Go 740 Live elsewhere on the site, and his review -- titled "Why TomTom Sucks" -- prompts a scolding from GPSReview.net.
22. Technical-Itch.co.uk
As of July 2009
Sat Nav Reviews
by Dean Taplin
2 stars Credibility Rating
Our Assessment British blogger Dean Taplin regularly reviews GPS units (called sat-nav units in England). The reviews are critical and well illustrated with photos and screen shots. However, products aren't rated or ranked, which makes it hard for readers to see which auto GPS unit is considered best.
23. GPSInformation.net
As of July 2009
Auto GPS Reviews
by Contributors to GPSInformation.net
2 stars Credibility Rating
Our Assessment

Owned by retired engineers who operate it as a hobby, GPSInformation.net is a good source for detailed reviews of handheld GPS, auto GPS and GPS software. It really does deliver what the name says --… basically it covers all of the information you would ever want about GPS models, with tons of photos of each unit, what comes in the box, screenshots and a rundown of every physical and technical feature. However, the site layout makes reviews difficult to find, and the site operators haven't reviewed many auto GPS units in recent months.

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24. ConsumerGuide.com
As of July 2009
GPS Devices Reviews and Prices
by Editors of ConsumerGuide.com
1 stars Credibility Rating
Our Assessment ConsumerGuide.com occasionally reviews auto GPS units. The reviews are short, noncomparative and unduly favorable. Editors assign each unit an overall rating and subcategory ratings, but they do not reference any product testing. Both of the Best Buy models shown here are outdated. Overall, the reviews do not demonstrate enough expertise or distinctions to provide meaningful consumer guidance.

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