With the invention of smartphones and apps, we have so-called “luxuries” at our fingertips that have never been seen before. There are apps telling us how much traffic there is, where to find the cheapest gas/petrol, and where there is free parking. And those are just a few things we can do with the touch of a finger!
While not, perhaps, luxuries in the common sense of the word, apps certainly are a luxury in what they allow us to do, and the time and money they can save us. So let’s have a look at some apps that will help you with anything and everything car related.
Waze
Waze is a live traffic app. It exists across the globe from the US to India, but its popularity varies depending on where you are. While you can use the app to navigate “anywhere in the world where there are roads,” you need a community for its other functions to work properly.
While sat navs like Waze can report traffic congestions without a community, it takes a community to report road closures, accidents, potholes, speed traps, and so forth. Waze even has a carpooling option. And that’s why Waze works best where there is an active community, like in bigger cities and areas with a lot of small towns and villages. But you can use it to navigate anywhere in the world!
Waze has also been used to help evacuees during natural disasters. In other words, it’s a good app to have on your phone!
Parking Apps
Instead of fruitlessly searching for parking spaces, you can use an app to find the nearest parking spot. Some apps have taken it even further and offer a valet service, so you don’t have to find a parking spot at all–you simply hand the car over to someone who can do it for you.
As different parking apps work in different countries, here are some of the top ones for the US and India:
Park India
Parkopedia
ParkingRhino
GetMyParking
Park+
SpotHero
Best Parking
ParkWhiz
Car Finding Apps
Ever parked your car in a big car parking lot and then had no idea where you parked? Aimlessly walking around the parking lot, hoping to locate the car by pressing your key fob so that the car beeps/the lights flash? Yeah, haven’t we all!
It appears that humans go on autopilot a lot. That’s why people forget their sleeping child in a car. It’s not always bad parenting, it’s something that can happen to anyone. The brain switches to autopilot and routine takes over. This is why you should always put your house and office keys, wallet, and phone in the back seat. You usually need one of those things sooner rather than later, so if they’re in the back seat you’ll look for them and remember your child...
When it comes to parking, chances are you sometimes run late and park quickly to rush off to where you’re going. Only, that leads to forgetting to check where you parked. Or you know where you parked in the parking lot, but as you rush to your destination, you forget to check where you’re going. While the GPS will show you the address you’re going to, if you don’t have the address for the car park, how will you find it on your way back?
If you aren’t fortunate enough to have photographic memory, having a car finding app can help resolve the problem of locating your car.
One popular car finding app is ParKing. You can manually log your parking spot on a map, or you can use bluetooth to automatically log where you parked (if your car has bluetooth, that is). It also allows you to take a picture, if you need to see where you parked in a parking lot.
Find My Car is another extremely popular app for finding your car. It does pretty much the same thing as ParKing. And once it becomes routine to always check the app when you leave the car, you won’t forget it!
Have a look below as well at the AutoWiz app, as that can–amongst other things–help you find your car.
Apps for Saving on Gas
Not sure if you could cut down on gas expenditure by driving better? Apps like Gas Manager that tracks consumption, monthly mileage, price per mile/km, and more will let you know if it’s possible!
MyMPG, on the other hand, gives you tips on how to drive to save on gas.
Gas Hog compares the price of your last tank and how far you got with the next tank.
Check the AutoWiz app below as well–it, too, can help you save on gas.
Finding the Best Priced Fuel
Don’t want to stop at the nearest petrol/gas station, but rather one that allows you the best price? After all, if your tank isn’t empty, you can top up on gas next time you drive somewhere specific and not RIGHT NOW (for which even Google Maps can help you out).
There are several apps that can help with this, including Waze. Yep, this little nifty app helps with finding you the cheapest fuel, too!
FuelFinder is another fuel finding app. They are so cocky about helping you save money, they say you can buy a new iPhone within a year with your savings…
Petrol Diesel Price In India is an app that does, well, what it says on the packaging–alerts you to the cost of petrol/gas and diesel and what companies charge what.
AutoWiz OBD GPS Device–The App That Does It All
Track fuel consumption, check battery health, get engine diagnostics, get alerted to high coolant temperature, find out if you’re being fuel efficient, find your car after parking it, navigate with GPS, and get alerts for poor driving–speeding, sudden braking and hard acceleration. That’s what AutoWiz allows you to do. Among other things–the app has so many functions it’s dizzying contemplating them all.
Basically, this app is like a lot of other apps wrapped in one! It does mean you have to plug in a device into your car though, as it’s needed to be able to track the car at all times (think Apples “find my device” feature).
Apps for Buying and Selling Cars
What about an app for buying a new car? Or selling your old one?
There are several apps for this. Before you use one, always check the reviews, even though the ones below are popular, you never know if something changes. Also, compare the prices for a specific type of car on several apps before making a choice to buy, or deciding what price to sell your car for.
These apps are great for buying and selling cars in India:
CarDekho
CarWale
Cars24
Maruti Suzuki True Value
CarTrade
Spinny
These apps come highly recommended for buying and selling cars in the US:
Kelley Blue Book (to check market value of any car)
Edmunds
Autotrader
Caravana
CarFax
CarGurus
CarMax
iSeeCars
In Closing
There are many more apps for your car out there. And depending on where you live, you have location specific apps that can help with anything and everything from planning a road trip to finding out who owns a car. The above apps, however, should be great in getting you started on being a more mindful car owner and driver!