Sat-Nav bargains

MSE_Martin

10 April 2007

What's the deal?

In-car satellite navigation systems used to be the preserve of those with flashy cars and big wallets. Yet, as the technology has improved, the prices of lower-end models have fallen dramatically, and now it's possible to get some models for less than £100.

All the models below rely on GPS (Global Positioning System). This means they receive signals from satellites which tell them exactly where they are on the globe. You just type in a postcode and they'll figure out how to get there, hopefully saving you time and energy, not to mention arguments. Bear in mind though that even with all this fancy technology, they're not 100% reliable.

Cheapest in-car sat nav units

• Garmin StreetPilot i3 (refurbished) £85 delivered Online retailer GPS Warehouse is offering this model, factory refurbished (no original box, 12 month Garmin Warranty) for £80 plus delivery. It's a miniature box, with a tiny screen (1.3" x 1.7"), but it boasts this year's 3D maps of the UK and Ireland, and a built-in speaker to tell you where to go.
  
  If you don't fancy a refurbished model, the Garmin i3 is also available brand new online or in-store at Motor World for £100 (free delivery). I've used the i3 quite a bit, and it is a very easy to use, simple functional piece of kit.

• NavMan F20 £117.49 incl delivery This budget box boasts a bigger touch-screen than those above (3.5"). It also has dedicated buttons to find petrol stations and car parks, and full 3D UK and Ireland maps. Staples was offering it at the best price, but it is currently out of stock. The same unit can be bought for £118.21 (including delivery) from web retailer Handtec.

• Medion PNA150 £93.84 incl delivery I've added this in since it was mentioned below. It's a fairly old model (2 years), available from web retailer Aria. Since support is limited for this unit, and it has known issues with freezing and crashing, my advice would be to steer clear of it and opt for a newer model if possible.

Cheapest TomTom

• TomTom ONE UK Edition £142 incl delivery While they're not the cheapest, TomTom GPS units are widely regarded to be the most reliable. Comet* is selling the basic TomTom ONE model for £142, no cheaper than it is at many other online retailers, but Comet gives you a free branded carry case, apparently worth £19.99.

Cheapest with Traffic Message Channel (TMC)

• Medion GoPal PNA 350 £135 delivered This unit comes complete with a separate receiver for traffic information, which purports to steer you clear of traffic black spots on your journey; though the juries still out on how good these are in general.
  
  This service is offered for free by Medion, which is a boon since some other manufacturers charge a yearly subscription for it. The unit also has an ample-sized 3.5" screen, 256mb memory card, spoken instructions, and full 3D maps of the UK and Ireland. It's available at this price direct from Medionshop.

£60 sat-navs if you're lucky - check your local Tesco/Halfords

Recently Tesco was offering a budget Medion PNA205 unit for £59.99, the offer has officially finished. Plus Halfords has a different model in at a similar price. While you can't by them online, you may be lucky and find them still available in store.

Anything else I should know?

Since Sat Navs are pretty complex bits of kit, it'd be impossible for me to give you a full rundown of each's features. Be sure to check out these models yourself to find one that best fits your needs.

If you're to stay up to date you'll need to pay for updates every once in a while. Prices vary depending on which model you have, but expect to pay at least £20 each time, plus extra for speed camera locations (these can also be paid for separately).

If you want to buy maps of other countries, you'll probably need to invest in a new memory card full of maps which can cost up to £100.

As ever, if you've seen any better deals on these or similar products, please click reply and post below.

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You shouldn’t notice any difference, the links don’t impact the product at all and the editorial line (the things I write) is NEVER impacted by the revenue. If it isn’t possible to get an affiliate link for the best product, it is still recommended and still included. The following comet.co.uk is an identical unaffiliated link provided for the sake of transparency. Click on the following link for more details on how this site's financed.

GoBoldly

Navsure 300i Sat-Nav £59.99(was £99.99)advertised in Halfords can use online code dont know if I can give it on here

chandlerscroft

The Spec is

Features and Benefits:
Turn-by-turn voice guidance, Postcode search facility, 2.7" touch screen with stylus pen, UK Mapping (Tele Atlas), Embedded GPS antenna
GPS chip set by SiRF, OS by Windows CE, Transferrable from car to car
Stylish silver metallic finish

What's included in the box?
NavSure 300i satellite navigation unit, 12V Car adaptor, Stylus pen
Car mounting kit, USB cable, Sync CD ROM, CD (mapping/manuals/GPS software)
Quick Start GuideSATELITE NAVIGATION,SATTELLITE NAVIGATION,NAVIGATION,GPS NAVIGATION,SAT NAV,SATTELITE NAVIGATION,SATELLITE NAVIGATION,GPS,SATNAV,SAT-NAV,NAVSURE
Specification


Transfers from car to car: Yes
Turn by turn: Yes
UK street level mapping: Yes
European street mapping: No
European major roads: Yes
Postcode search: 5 digits
Memory: -
Touch screen: Yes
MP3: No

Mr_Mister

Not sure if this a good price for a Tom Tom but Currys/Dixons/Pc World have got this for £141.78 online

http://www.currys.co.uk/martprd/store/cur_page.jsp?BV_SessionID=@@@@0375376044.1176120122@@@@&BV_EngineID=ccfeaddkilijmifcflgceggdhhmdgmk.0&page=Product&sku=289848

JamieB

Good price, don't forget quidco for a further 3% off!

malky39

try here and it is cheaper http://www.find-satnav-deals.co.uk/

Mr_Mister

Shall I go for this or the cheaper Garmin i3 ?

yogi3

the Co-op carronshore falkirk had the mio c210 sat nav for £65 yesterday, might be worth phoning your local store.

klb_3

The Medion PNA 205 was only available in the Tesco Extra stores and online at Tesco Direct. The promotion was only for the Easter Weekend as far as I'm aware, so may no longer be available.

roney

If you have an egg carf you can get 5% cashback on Tomtom One at dixons.co.uk priced at £141.
You could also use this in cojunction with various promotional codes to get it for even cheaper

I got one for £133 :T :j :T :j :T

mk-donald

Just a tip with Garmin. I would suggest NOT registering the product online until you NEED to - eg for a warranty claim or a software update - and if you make a typing mistake re when you bought it then accidents happen!

I registered mine and if I had done so just 3 weeks later would have got a map update free of charge instead of £40 extra (on a £100 item) so after just 4.6 months ownership the device nags that maps over a year old - ARGH - I certainly feel swizzed even though happy with i3's functionality, just their policy on maps updates.