Phones and cars don’t generally mix well. For all the links that can be made between your phone and your car — whether via Apple CarPlay, or Android Auto, or through the car’s own on-board software — the fact is that distraction behind the wheel is a serious issue and we should all be putting our phones well and truly out of reach when we’re behind the wheel.
That said, driving apps can make journeys smarter, safer, and more efficient — here are our top picks available in Ireland.
1. The Best Navigation Apps for Irish Drivers
Pretty much every modern smartphone comes packaged with a navigation app, whether it be the ubiquitous Google Maps, or Apple’s own Maps app, but there are some other options that are well worth downloading, and many of these can be used through in-car software, making them safe and legal to use when you’re driving. Here We Go might have a slightly cheesy name, but it’s backed up by some excellent mapping tech. Here was once a part of of Nokia, but it has long since been bought out by a consortium of car makers, including BMW and Mercedes-Benz, who use the mapping tech for their in-car systems. Here We Go uses wonderfully clear maps and is at least as good as Google Maps at finding obscure locations. It’s also a good idea to download Waze which is especially good at picking up traffic jams and delays along your route, and helping you to find a way around them as well as giving you crowdsourced alerts for speed camera vans. Just be aware that Waze will find the shortest route for you, but it might be a route with narrow or otherwise restricted roads, so use your common sense when taking the app’s advice.
2. Find the Cheapest Fuel Near You
The best app for keeping an eye on the cost of unleaded or diesel (or, indeed, HVO) in your area is Fuelcompare.ie which gives you, at a glance, every service station in your area, and the live prices of the fuel at each location. It’s really handy for finding those fuel stations which can be as much as 5c per litre cheaper than others.
3. The Top EV Charging Apps in Ireland
One of the major bugbears of electric motoring is that there’s no one single unified app which allows you to find and pay for public charging. Hopefully, one day someone will invent one, but in the meantime you’re going to need a few EV-friendly apps on your phone. ESB’s e-cars app is a good starting point, and you can both locate and pay for charging points from within the app, once you’ve set up an account. It works on both sides of the border, too, which is helpful. Then you’ll want the IONITY app which locates all of that company’s very high speed 350kW charging hubs. You can join up to a monthly subscription which brings the cost of that high-speed charging down to a much more reasonable level, which is good if you’re racking up lots of kilometres each week. Finally, there’s ZapMap which is as close as we can get to a truly universal charger-finding app, but just be aware that a lot of the information on the app is crowd-sourced, so it’s not always accurate nor up to date.
4. The Best Apps for Finding Parking
Again, there’s no one, singular, unified parking app, which is annoying for a small country such as ours, but there are definitely a few park-and-pay apps which are well worth having on your phone. There’s the Payzone app for parking on-street and in certain car parks in Dublin and a similar app for Cork, Cork Park By Phone. It’s a good idea too to have the Q-Park app which allows you to book and pre-pay for spaces, and the Dublin Airport app is useful for pre-booking parking for your next holiday.
5. The Best Public Transport Apps
Eventually, you’re going to have to park up and use other means to get to your destination, so it’s a good idea to have some public transport-friendly apps in your phone. The TFI Leap app is a goods idea, especially if you’re using transport in the Dublin city area although annoyingly you still need a physical Leap card as well. The TFI Go app is also useful, and you can buy tickets for bus services within the app, which is handy.
6. Time to Eat
Yes, there’s a Michelin Guide app, which means you can carry the world’s foremost restaurant guide, designed originally for motorists don’t forget, in your phone. OK, so maybe a Michelin star puts a restaurant beyond your budget. That’s OK, as there are plenty of apps that will lead you to more affordable spots, such as Open Table. If you’re looking for something more off-the-beaten path, while it’s not strictly an app, you can download Lonely Planet guides to your phone’s e-book reader and that can be very handy for inspiration on the go.
7. Having Some Fun…
Finally, you’ll want to have some fun behind the wheel, and the best app for that is the Porsche Roads app. Don’t worry, you don’t need to actually own a Porsche, but the app is full of recommendations and curated route planners for some of the best driving roads in the world. No true driving enthusiast should be without this one in the phone.
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