The best motorhome sat nav apps

Exploring in a motorhome offers a sense of freedom like no other. So, planning the right route and ensuring a seamless journey is very important. There are many motorhome sat nav apps that can help you to have a trip to remember, directing you safely to your destination while reducing the risk of getting lost or delayed on the way.

Here, we look at some of the best sat nav apps so that you can make an informed choice before your next adventure.

Do I need a motorhome sat nav app?

The right sat nav app for you completely depends on your preferences. You may simply want a clear, easy-to-use sat nav app that will provide directions to your chosen destination, or you might prefer an option that tailors your route to your specific vehicle.
Driving a motorhome comes with more challenges than driving a car due to its size. Choosing a sat nav app with features specifically designed for motorhomes can help to overcome these challenges and provide a smooth, seamless journey with a lower risk of detours, inconvenient roads and getting stuck.

5 of the best sat nav apps for motorhomes

Read on to learn more about sat nav apps that cover a range of options for your motorhome.

1. CoPilot

CoPilot is a popular motorhome sat nav app as it has features specifically designed for travelling in a motorhome. Personalised routing will ensure that the roads you drive on are suitable for your vehicle. Simply enter your motorhome’s dimensions and CoPilot will help you avoid potential issues during your journey, such as low bridges, narrow roads and steep climbs.

By offering powerful route planning, CoPilot makes it easy to schedule your stops, too. It can also highlight areas of interest or facilities to provide journey-planning inspiration. Offline navigation means that you can drive with the confidence that you won’t lose your way should you run out of data or signal, an important feature when exploring new destinations and driving in Europe.

2. Google Maps

Perhaps one of the most popular sat nav apps, Google Maps is ideal for planning routes, receiving live traffic updates (with an internet connection), and getting clear instructions. For motorhome owners, the biggest downside of Google Maps is that it can’t plan routes specific to your vehicle. This can lead to having to reroute due to narrow roads and low bridges and means that careful attention needs to be paid to road restrictions, which isn’t always easy when you’re concentrating on driving.

Google Maps has many benefits if you’re confident in avoiding tight spots during your route. The maps are clear, it’s free, it provides worldwide maps, highlights diversions around potential delays, and is very easy to use. Google Maps is also a good option if you already use other Google apps and products, as they seamlessly integrate and work alongside each other. Google Maps Street View could also come in handy when highlighting your destination and its surroundings.

3. TomTom

TomTom GO Navigation offers all you need to reach your destination but doesn’t provide specific benefits for motorhome drivers. This app turns your phone into a TomTom sat nav, making it easy to input your chosen destination, providing live traffic updates, and highlighting speed limits – which can be especially useful when driving abroad.

TomTom GO Navigation offers clear lane guidance, which can be a great benefit when driving a larger vehicle, such as a motorhome. This provides plenty of notice when it’s time to change lanes and makes it obvious where you need to be to follow your route, helping you to avoid any last-minute manoeuvres. You can also download maps offline, which can be really helpful when driving abroad.

4. Sygic

Sygic is a great sat nav app option for motorhomes as, like CoPilot, it plans your route based on your vehicle dimensions. You can provide lots of information about your motorhome to ensure that you get the perfect journey for your requirements, including length, width, weight, maximum speed, and much more. Using this information, Sygic will calculate a seamless route, providing you with peace of mind. You can also send a Google Maps route to Sygic, and the app will recalculate this and tailor it to your motorhome.

Points of interest, like campsites, petrol stations and toilet facilities, are highlighted on the Sygic sat nav app, so you’ll always be able to locate what you need when you need it. Emission zone routing is another handy Sygic feature. This can help you avoid expensive low-emission zone areas or let you know when you enter them so you can be prepared for the required fees.

5. OsmAnd

OsmAnd offers all you need from a motorhome sat nav app. It may not be as intuitive as other options, but it certainly has some great features that will help to create a well-planned journey once you learn how to use it. OsmAnd offers worldwide maps that can be downloaded, highlighting points of interest and enabling you to save places as ‘Favourites’. It automatically reroutes should you go off-track and can display different overlays to suit your needs.

You can enter your motorhome dimensions into OsmAnd, enabling it to calculate the best route for your vehicle. To keep you extra safe on the road, this sat nav app provides traffic warnings, including when you’re approaching pedestrian crossings or exceeding the speed limit. Additional information like this can be useful when driving around new places, especially abroad.

FAQs

Which is the best free sat nav app for motorhomes?

CoPilot, OsmAnd, and Sygic all have free versions of their app, although their features are more limited than with their paid versions. If you’re looking for a sat nav app that’s completely free, Google Maps may be your best bet for route planning and clear directions as long as you're vigilant for height and weight restrictions along your route.

Is Waze good for motorhomes?

The Waze app offers traffic updates in real-time with the added benefit of community-reported incidents from other app users. However, Waze can't adjust your route based on your motorhome's height and weight as with other apps in this list. Therefore, Waze may be a good option as a free sat nav app, although you'll have to be vigilant of road signs and warnings for inaccessible areas of the route in your motorhome.

Specialist motorhome insurance through Ripe

Ready to hit the road now you’ve got your motorhome sat nav app sorted?

Through Ripe, you can protect your motorhome from theft, accidental damage, fire, flood, and more. You can also get cover for your motorhome equipment and accessories, giving you complete peace of mind on the road.

Find out more about specialist motorhome insurance through Ripe or get a quote online today.