I’m after a Sat Nav for my van and after spending a bit of time looking around the usual outlets I’m even more confused than when I started as the choice seems endless.
So does anyone have any recommendations, thinking of spending £150 to £250, European mapping would be handy, as would traffic updating, a big screen etc?

Thanks in advance.

TomTom One XL Europe has been my choice – got it three years ago and I’ve get to see a satnav that’s significantly better. Costs £125 or so.

I’ve seen some negative reviews on Amazon that have me scratching my head, but maybe I’ve just been lucky. Either way, that’s what I’d buy again if I needed a second one.

Garmin just for the customer service

Garmin Nuvi 265 user here; bought it soon after getting 3pts 18months ago. It does what I want, reliably – and has the Traffic Management since I bought the antenna needed. Nice big screen and Euro mapping should I want it. Bought the lifetime mapping updates (only £65) so guess I’m now Garmin for the foreseeable future.

I honestly couldn’t advise between TomTom and Garmin, or any other.

Never used anything other than Tom Tom and built in systems, although not currently using Tom Tom I would say best system I have ever used.

I’ve got a Tom Tom. There’s nowt wrong with it.

Garmin Nuvi 265 for me too – when I was looking the free traffic mgt function set it above similarly priced competitors.

Never heard anything particularly bad about the TomTom system (unlike everyone else’s), other than it has a habit of trying to get you to use small B roads, which can be awkward in Wales.. If you ignore it and stick to the main roads it eventually catches on (admittedly our is an old 510 unit).

just picked up a garmin nuvi 265 aswell. Superb bit of kit makes the sony weve had for the last 3 yrs seem a bit shit.

Just looking for a sat nav with traffic management.

Some say Traffic Alerts while others say Traffic Rerouting and other say Live Traffic Updates.

Do the just tell you that you are about to hit a jam or do they divert you to avoid it?

Are they any good or do you end up in a farmers field at the end of a rutted lane?

When they say services are included for 1 year, what costs are there after that and do you have to pay?

Just asking after discovering my built in unit has a disc so out of date it didn’t know about the M6 toll road and Mercedes want £200 for an updated disc!

I drove across Europe with Garmin. Never a problem, slightly different route to this by TomTom so fewer cars and lorries met.
Sometimes, though, she struggles in Ireland but my maps are 18 months out of date.

top tom one xl europe

don’t know how i managed without one for work driving before, much safer than map/phone/drive combo

the technology is pretty mature now though, so if you spend over £100 you are pretty safe with most brands

How are the maps kept up to date?

Is it a continuous subscription that you down load or just buy an update every so often?

I’ve had a Garmin & a TomTom. Had tom tom for quite a few years now, but I’d say that the Garmin had better routing, but a clunkier interface. the TomTom sometimes goes a bit ‘womany’ insisting you take a route even though it isn’t the shortest or quickest, but it catches on eventually!

I’ve got the XL IQ Europe and also got the live traffic antenna (from fleabay) for traffic updates

Thanks for all the replies.

I went for a TomTom GoLive 1005 with European mapping. Not sure how the traffic management works yet but I will try to give an update next week.Just off out to see how it performs.

just borrowed my Brother in Law’s Garmin nuvi 1490. It seemed okay on the drive back along a route I knew.

the test will be Monday and Tuesday when I drive up to Manchester and then across to Durham and then back to Southampton. I want the fastest route with no traffic.

i will report back after the trip

Which? Computer reviewed them recently, one of the garmins won. I forget which

TOM TOM are shite. Mine, wife’s parents & mates all broke within 2 years. I had the 520 Europe, it won’t pick up satellites or hold a charge.

Seriously, google Tom Tom customer service or faults – then buy a garmin which just works.

garmin all the way tom toms have mines of there own and loves taking you the longest way round on motorways. garmins have never let me down, but with all sat navs your are better knowing roughly how to get there and just use them onc you are near your destination

and the garmins are also good if you are you are planning a trip t the alps as mine got me back into the right country ooops

I was always in the “what’s wrong with a map” brigade, until I bought my current car a little over a year ago. It came with a satnav built into the dashboard, and now I’m a convert.

Only problem is the car is a 2007 model and the nav system is already out of date in the Wetherby area for definite, and god knows where else. If I drive on the A168 parallel to the A1 from Wetherby to Kirk Deighton, for example, it thinks I’ve gone off-road 😉

I did hear of one driver who got stuck on a ford on the river Aire neaar Bingley by blindly following their satnav. It’s passable when the river’s low, in a 4×4 or on a MTB, but not in a Lotus…