Following our summer driving tips blog, we wanted to share our recommendations for the best apps to make the most of your road trips. From driving directions to guides about the best places to keep you (food) and your car (electricity) fully charged, these apps will help your summer road trip live up to expectations.

🗺 Directions

We mentioned some of these apps in our last post, but getting lost can really put the dampers on a fun road trip, so we thought it would be good to run through them again, just in case.

Zap-Map

Zap-Map shows you all charging locations in the UK, as well as if the charge points are in use, out of service, and which cables are compatible. It also has a clever “plan your route” tool, which allows you to structure your trip based on charge point availability.

Zap-Map has also recently partnered with JustPark. This partnership allows Zap-Map users to see private home charge points, which are open to being used by anyone. Make sure to check out our charging guide to find out what chargers your car is compatible with. Zap-Map is available on all major app stores and is free to download.

A Better Route Planner

A Better Route Planner (ABRP) is an app that not only nailed its name but could also be considered the next step-up over Zap-Map. A Better Route Planner will plan the best possible route, based on your electric car, taking into account the charging speed, battery capacity, and range, as well as the availability of chargers along the way. It then gives you an estimate of how often and for how long you need to charge during your trip, giving you suggestions on which charge points to use.

They have a free version, but if you find yourself traveling often, then the premium version for £5 per month or £50 annually is definitely worth it. You can save locations, such as work or home, get live traffic updates, charging availability updates, weather forecasts, Carplay, and apple watch compatibility as well as notifications telling you when to charge or when you’ve got enough charge. Available on the App Store and on Google Play.

Waze

Waze is another great app to make sure you’re heading in the right direction. Unlike Zap-Map and ABRP, Waze is not EV specific, and therefore it won’t show you charging options and availability along the way. What Waze is very good at, however, is giving you live traffic updates and various other checkpoints along the way.

What3Words

What3Words is excellent when you need a precise location and an address or postcode just isn’t enough. What3Words creates a unique 3-word code for any location with a resolution of 3 meters.

With virtually every location in the world having its own code, What3Words is incredibly useful in emergency situations where a precise location needs to be communicated.

Also, Lotus has recently announced (besides the fact they plan to produce all their new electric sports cars in the UK) that they are partnering with What3Words and integrating it as standard in all future models. Finding an exact parking spot has never been easier!

The app is available on the App Store and Google Play.

🎵 Entertainment

Now, what’s a road trip, without a little music? To make sure you don’t get bored on your journeys, here are our top recommendations for entertainment apps.

Spotify

Spotify is one of the many apps that can keep you entertained during road trips. In addition to Spotify’s extensive library, you can collaborate on playlists with your friends, to make sure there is never a dull moment during the trip (in case you don’t have a go-to playlist, check out our summer driving playlist here).

Spotify also has a handy car view, which has a minimalist display so as not to distract the driver.

Available on all major app stores.

Apple Music

Apple Music is exclusively for Apple users, with an extensive library of music and podcasts. With Apple Music, you also have access to exclusive concerts, original shows, and radio stations hosted by your favorite artists.

Apple Music is available as a premium subscription, which allows you to listen to music offline and ad-free.

TuneIn Radio

TunIn Radio allows you to have access to radio stations all across the world.

You can sort by genre, sports, talk shows, podcasts and more. There is a premium version, which will remove ads from more than 100,000 radio stations across the world.

TuneIn Radio is a great alternative to your classic music streaming platforms.

🏕 Exploring

Despite the saying “It’s not about the destination, it’s about the journey”, we think great destinations make all the difference to the journey. Make the most of your destinations with these apps…

EV Hotels

EV Hotels is a great app for EV drivers looking for hotels with charging options. It features more than 250,000 hotels worldwide all with charging infrastructure or within walking distance of charging infrastructure. This app is currently only available on the Apple app store, but we highly recommend downloading it, so that your EV can charge while you’re sound asleep.

Tripadvisor

Tripadvisor is a must-have app for trips. With everything featured on Tripadvisor having been reviewed, you will also be able to find the top activities, restaurants and hotels at your destination. Tripadvisor is a free app and available on all major app stores.

National Trust App

The National Trust app is perfect for finding more than 500 special locations across the UK. You’ll be able to save your favourite locations, learn about the location, view opening times, and book guided tours at the locations. If you find yourself at a remote location, don’t worry! The app can also be used in offline mode.

So, where are you headed first?

We hope these apps will help plan and make your next adventure memorable. If you’re not sure where to go first, check out EV travel list with the most picturesque charge points in the UK on our Instagram.

And don’t forget to read our guide to summer driving before you set off! We give pointers on how warm weather affects your EV, some tips on how to extend your range, and a list of suggestions to make sure you’re ready to hit the road.