You are here: Home > How We Test GPS Sat Nav Systems

How We Test GPS Sat Nav Systems

We have prepared a stringent score sheet which scores each system out of 100, covering 46 areas. This is explained below.

The Tests

Appearance

We score each system on appearance. This takes into account the size of the screen, the build quality, the appearance and the size of the buttons. If a system feels like it would not be able to withstand the odd bump here or there, or if the screen size would limit the benefits gained from a sat nav system, this would be identified here.

Packaging

Packaging is a tricky area. On the one hand, manufacturers want the packaging to look sleek and sexy to entice customers to buy that product over a rivals. On the other hand, excess packaging is un-environmentally friendly. Under this category, we score the product based on the size of the packaging as well as the contents in the box. We also score the manual and quick start guides for ease of use.

PC Software

We test the ease of installation and use of the bundled software. Most systems come with bundled software to manage the device in some form or another. If the software is of poor quality or is just incredibly difficult to use, it will be highlighted here.

Manufacturer Support

You may have a question you need answering about your sat nav system  so how easy is it to contact the manufacturer? A higher score awaits those that offer telephone support over email only support or no support at all.

We also score on free updates when you first register your system and on future updates.

The System Itself

We've scored the packaging, the box contents and the support, but what about the actual satellite navigation system? Is it any good? Here we award points for functionality, ease of use and clarity. The more useful functionality that is crammed into a system, the better it should score.

The Road Test

You can't test a system without taking it on the road first. It's like saying chocolate tastes nice without actually trying it! Here we score on the accuracy of the navigation and the speed of rerouting. We've already tested the functionality in the previous test so this test looks at the use of the system in a day-to-day situation. Details of the course can be found here.

This test identifies how complex the menus are to navigate, how close to each destination the system can navigate us to, and the quality of the POI data. We also look at how accurate the instructions are and whether the maps correspond with the audio instructions. Finally, we calculate the actual times and distances taken and compare these to the system predicted times and distances to see how good the planning algorithm is.

Would We Recommend It?

One question. Would we actually recommend the system to you? This isn't awarded a high score but it's still a crucial question. After all, if we wouldn't recommend it to you, that should be reflected in the overall score.

The Overall Score

The maximum a system can score is 100 and the minimum is 3. This is then simply converted into a percentage. Therefore, if a system scores 89 points, it will have scored 89 out of 100, that is 89%.

Any score over 75% is good, and any score over 90% is amazing.