A growing number of driving apps can help make getting from A to B quicker, easier and safer than ever. Here are a few of the best driving apps you can use today.
In 2025, driving apps are essential, helping us with navigation, parking, safety and more. The right apps save you time, money and stress. To help you on your way, motoring journalist Nick Harper* has compiled a few apps to consider. All of them are free and available for both Apple and Android phones.
Best driving apps for reaching your destination
On longer or unfamiliar journeys, navigation apps help you find the best route to save time and fuel. Google Maps and Waze offer real-time navigation for all UK roads. They suggest different routes and check for traffic or accidents as you drive. If needed, they then automatically reroute you for an easier journey. They also show you different parking options, including Wheelchair Accessible parking facilities.
This video shows how you could find Wheelchair Accessible parking facilities in Google Maps
Petrol stations and electric vehicle [EV] charging points are also shown along your route, which can be particularly useful for drivers who have moved from a petrol or diesel car to an EV and may not be familiar with charging locations.
Both apps can be used with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, letting you view the map on a larger, in-car screen. And Android Auto and Apple CarPlay both offer Dark Mode (which makes the screen easier to see), and larger, simplified icons to make choosing options easier.
You also have the option to hear instructions rather than read them, via the text-to-speech option available in both Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.
Best driving apps for parking assistance
Finding parking can be stressful, particularly in unfamiliar places. Happily, a growing number of apps show available spaces before you arrive, using real-time data.
JustPark lets you search and reserve parking spots in advance. You enter your destination, plus arrival and departure times, and the app finds available spaces. You can also filter the results to include spaces with disabled access, covered spaces, EV charging points, lit parking, spaces covered by CCTV, and more.
Once you find a spot, you can book and pay directly through the app. And if you need extra time, you can extend your parking on the app without returning to your car.
This clip shows how JustPark can find the right parking space for you before you set off
The Blue Badge Parking app (available for free on the App Store and Google Play) offers a more limited but still very useful alternative for any driver with a disability. It offers Blue Badge Parking information, including where you can park for free, where you are able park on yellow lines, and any time restrictions. Other features include the option to mark where you parked your car and a route navigator.
Best driving apps for road safety
Using a phone while driving is against the law, but certain apps improve safety and reduce distractions. The LifeSaver app locks your smartphone screen during journeys, blocking calls, texts and any distractions until you reach your destination.
This short video shows the features of the LifeSaver app and what you can track
A number of apps can turn your smartphone into a dashcam to record the road ahead. The best of them is Smart Dash Cam (available for free on the App Store and Google Play), which automatically captures every moment of your journey and acts as a “silent witness” should you need to use the footage.
Best driving apps for better refuelling
For most of us, ‘better refuelling’ means ‘cheaper refuelling’. Fuel prices vary between stations and regions, which is why fuel price apps are extremely useful. PetrolPrices helps petrol and diesel drivers compare costs at thousands of UK stations. And Shell’s excellent fuelService app lets you locate petrol stations where there will be an assistant to help refuel when you arrive.
This video shows how you can compare fuel prices with the PetrolPrices app
If you’re one of the growing number of EV users, Zapmap’s app locates available charging points along any route in the UK, listing charging costs, speeds available and much more. With more than 75,000 EV charging points across the UK, the app makes it as easy to plan your journey in an EV as it is in a petrol or diesel car.
The Motability Go Charge app will also help you locate available EV chargepoints in real time, then guide you to them using the Google Maps or Waze apps. It also shows your charging habits, including the price you pay each time you charge.
Best driving apps for better fuel efficiency
Understanding how much fuel you use on your journeys isn’t always easy, but several apps can help. Fuelio and Fuelly both monitor and improve your vehicle’s efficiency. Whenever you refuel, you simply type in your mileage, fuel quantity and the cost. Both apps then calculate the vehicle’s miles per gallon, which shows how fuel efficient your vehicle is. When you understand that, you can change how you drive to make your vehicle more fuel efficient.
Fuelio tracks your fuel costs, mileage and trips all in one place
To do this, download the DriveScore app. It uses smartphone sensors to monitor your acceleration, braking, speed, and cornering, then gives you a driving safety score for your performance. By driving more carefully, you can improve both your fuel efficiency and your safety score.
Most EVs have built-in efficiency tracking, making it easier to monitor your energy consumption. However, Fuelio, Fuelly and DriveScore are all still useful for anyone transitioning from petrol/diesel as they teach us to drive more safely and efficiently.
Best driving apps for calling for assistance
While we hope we will never need the emergency services on any journey, it’s always wise to know who to contact if you need to.
Your Motability Scheme vehicle is covered is covered by RAC Motability Assist for breakdown assistance for the whole of your lease. The MyRAC app lets you call for help and shares your location instantly. It’s the simplest way to report your breakdown.
If you need to call for any other assistance but are unsure of your exact location, What3words breaks the world down into millions of three-metre squares that allow you to pinpoint exactly where you are. From arching.lives.twitching (Land’s End) to rooster.hardening.puff (John O’Groats) and everywhere in between.
This video shows how What3Words breaks the world down into three-metre squares
And if you have trouble locating your car in an unfamiliar town, city or a large, multi-storey car park, the Find My Car app (available for free via the App Store and Google Play) can guide you straight back to your vehicle. It uses GPS, so you don’t even need a network connection for it to work. Google Maps, Waze and Parkify also have a find-my-car feature built in.
Conclusion
Driving apps make our journeys much quicker, safer and easier and as we continue to embrace EVs and smarter driving technologies, their importance will only increase. The apps recommended here are likely to evolve and improve, making it ever easier for newcomers to adapt to EVs. With future advances in technology, we’ll be able to enhance every aspect of our driving, saving us time, money and stress on the road.
Interested in joining the Scheme?
Join over 800,000 customers who already enjoy the benefits of an all-inclusive package through the Scheme.
You can exchange part or all your qualifying mobility allowance to lease a brand-new vehicle of your choice. Remember, you’ll get insurance, breakdown cover, servicing and maintenance included in your lease.
Check now to see if you’re eligible to join the Scheme.
*About the author
Nick Harper is a writer, editor, and author. He writes about lots of interesting topics, including motoring. With over 20 years’ experience, his articles have been published in some of the UK’s top newspapers and magazines. This includes The Guardian, The Daily Telegraph, FourFourTwo, Men’s Health, and Sport magazine.
Related Articles
Apps that make getting out and about easier for disabled people
A list of the best dashcam apps available
8 of the best apps to make parking easier
