A GPS unit uses touch screen display so you can operate it just by tapping the screen. Before you drive, you can feed your destination and other details into the GPS. If you want to find various routes to a particular address, feed all details - city, street etc. 

GPS have preloaded maps with all topographical features. As soon as you tap your destination into your GPS, it will display all available routes.

At anytime you have the option of choosing an alternate route which you can ask for from you GPS. The road database of GPS often provides you to select a route of your preference. It can be the most scenic or the shortest, but you are the decider. 

Glancing over the GPS screen can be distracting while you drive. So, most GPS units come with voice-enabled feature. The voice will tell you where you are, where you should turn, etc. Listening to the instructions you can drive with as much comfort. 

Before you decide to buy a car GPS unit, first assess your requirements. If you are going to install it just for navigation purpose, you can buy a simple GPS unit at affordable prices. Whether you need Wi-fi or Bluetooth or MP3 with your car GPS unit depends upon your requirements, your preference and your budget. What you should really look for is an accurate and sophisticated navigation system for your car. So, when you buy a car GPS unit, check the following features:

 

Portable or hand-held models are easy to install and remove. They are also relatively cheaper. But their small screens can make your reading of maps a little harder. If you are in habit of often removing and using it with other vehicles, you had better go for portable GPS unit. In-built GPS units come with additional features and you do not need a protective case. When you go for high-end in-car navigation system, it may be a bit expensive but you will be offered free accessory packs and CDs that contain maps and travel information.  

 

When you buy a car GPS unit, you should check the display very carefully.

Display should be bright and sufficiently wide so that maps can be read easily even in poor light conditions.

 

As a rule of thumb, colour display is better than monochrome display, as the monochrome screen may falter in poor light conditions. 

 

Also make sure that your GPS display does not reflect in ambient light conditions. Otherwise you will have visibility problems while you drive in bright sunny days.

 

Since, GPS has LCD display, it can be prone to narrow viewing angles. So check viewing angles of GPS. Since GPS will be mounted a little over your head, it should give acceptable display quality when viewed from low angles.

 

When you buy a GPS unit, usually you will get maps for your country as pre-loaded. Check whether maps are as much detailed to suit your requirements. If you require a map for your local place or a specific street but is not provided in the hard drive, you can get it from your vendor or a website mostly free of cost.  

 

New GPS units come with excellent memory capacity up to 20 GB to store maps, POI, MP3, videos etc. Determine how much memory you may require before you buy a GPS unit. If you want to store a lot of maps, MP3s or other data, probably you would require a larger hard drive.

 

This is a useful feature that you can consider whey you buy a GPS for your car. However, you need to check the audio quality.   

 

Simple GPS units are available at affordable prices. When you go for high-end in-car navigation system, it may cost you more but you will be offered free accessory packs and CDs that contain maps and travel information.

 

Does your accessory pack include different sets of antennas and booster?

It is a good idea to buy these accessories as your GPS unit may require them for maximum reception of signals.

 

Can your car GPS be linked to local traffic service to get live traffic information? 
Although you need to pay charges for using this charge, this support often helps you to get rid of many problems related to road traffic.

 

If you use a portable GPS unit and wish to use it with your motor cycle, car or boat, make sure it can be removed and installed easily. Check whether it has come with powerful batteries and antennas so that you can use it for outdoor use for a longer time.