4 free driving apps I'd be hopelessly lost without

The final bugbear for any driver is parking, and my last entry is about a very popular parking app that allows you to find parking, get the price, and book the space before you leave. All apps have niggles, including the ones on this list. But the reviews on them are generally good, and because they are free to download, you can try them and see if they work for you.

1 Waze

Best navigation app for daily driving

• Cost: Free
• Compatible: iOS and Android
• CarPlay and Android Auto: Yes
• Voice commands: Yes

Waze goes up against Google Maps and Apple Maps, and they will all get you there, but I find Waze to be quicker and more agile. Because it's so focused on real-time updates, it will spot snarl-ups, lane closures, and other issues that crop up on your route and alert you immediately. Notifications and route deviation suggestions are quick and accurate.

Waze goes even more granular, for example, telling you when to move to the right lane to take your exit, and warning you about specifics like speed cameras, and crashes ahead.

I initially found the constant alerts on Waze irritating and distracting, until I realized I could change the settings to eliminate the clutter. Now it only gives me the updates I actually care about. One feature I really appreciate is its parking info, showing available spots at my destination along with the cost.

Both Waze and Google Maps have voice command options, but I rarely use them while driving. I usually set my route before I leave, and let the app ping me if there's a detour or traffic change along the way.

2 GasBuddy

Find the cheapest gas prices and more

• Cost: Free/paid for options
• Compatible: iOS and Android
• CarPlay and Android Auto: No
• Voice commands: No

GasBuddy has been around years, and in its basic free format it is handy for those driving a lot in urban areas. You can scan at a glance where the best fuel cost in your area is, how far it is from you, and so on. It is the kind of app that you should launch when you need it, and turn it off when done, otherwise it could eat your data.

The information it supplies is crowd-sourced, and works best in areas with many users, but it could be iffy in rural areas with only a few users. It also has other features, including:

• A trip cost calculator
• A gas price map
• Fuel log book
• Warnings of gas stations that are offline

Like most free/paid membership apps, GasBuddy also offers a card to pay for gas, with discounts when you use it, and some other stuff like winning prizes. Most of the negative reviews focus on this part of the app, so I would suggest you do a bit of homework before committing to a paid-for service.

3 IPCamSoft Smart Dash Cam

A free app that turns your phone into a handy dash cam

• Cost: Free
• Compatible: iOS and Android
• CarPlay and Android Auto: No
• Voice commands: No

Dashcams are great when someone jumps a red light in front of you, or rear ends you at a light. But dashcams are the wild west of technology, with the good, bad, and ugly ranging from over $300 to as low as $30. So, while you are deciding how high or low you are prepared to go, you can download IPCamSoft Smart Dash Cam and turn your phone into a dashcam, which you can set to your own needs:

• Choose the recording resolution
• Choose the frame rate
• Display time/speed on the video
• Choose the time range for loop recording
• Choose how much space it can use on your phone for recordings
• Auto-lock the recording when it detects an impact
• Store video on the cloud
• Share via email or post on YouTube

4 ParkWhiz

Find and book parking

• Cost: Free
• Compatible: iOS and Android
• CarPlay and Android Auto: Yes
• Voice commands: Yes

Finding parking is a major bump in the road for anyone who regularly has to go to meetings downtown, or go to a major concert or sporting event. ParkWhiz takes the strain out of this stupid activity, and it can do it for free.

You can find and book a parking space in advance, and get a discount on the parking fee as well. The way it makes money is through a commission from the parking facility. ParkWhiz is one of those apps that gets mixed individual reviews, with some loving it and others hating it. However, it gets 4.5 stars on Google Play, so let's go with that.