Australia's Best Auto Apps



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GET SMART AND LEARN HOW TO DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE'S DOLLAR FURTHER

Owning a car isn't cheap and can add up to $8500 a year when finance, depreciation, servicing and maintenance costs are considered, according to motoring organisations.

But there are plenty of smartphone apps that can help save you money on the road - or turn your car into an additional income stream.

CAR SHARING

Own a car that doesn't get driven? Consider signing up to a neighbourhood car-sharing service. Car Next Door, Drive My Car, Carhood and other businesses make your car available to rent, offering a side hustle for savvy owners.

Melbourne carnextdoor.com.au

Melbourne drivemycar.com.au

Melbourne carhood.com.au

Car Next Door statistics show the number of borrowers on the platform has increased from 88,000 in October 2019 to 135,148 in November 2020, with about 2000 users signing up each month.

INSURANCE

Drivers can save up to 10 per cent from their insurance bill by downloading the Youi app and signing up for Smartdrive, which keeps an eye on their distance travelled, the time they are on the road, speeds, and other risk factors.

Melbourne youi.com.au

"Big Brother" style telematics were the next big thing in car insurance a few years ago, but the idea of using vehicle data from individual customers (as opposed to lumping them into risk groups) has fallen away.

NAVIGATION

Motorists can save money with good navigation apps such as Waze. Rather than taking you on congested main roads, the app will have you ducking down backstreets to beat the crowd - saving time, and possibly money. It displays your true GPS speed (handy as all cars have a tolerance factor in the speedometer, meaning that your 110km/h indicated speed might be more like 104km/h) and can even warn you of police radar traps on the road, reducing the likelihood of fines.

Melbourne waze.com

PETROL

There are many apps designed to help drivers find the cheapest petrol in their area. MotorMouth, Fuel View, Gas Buddy and Fuel Map show prices for nearby service stations, allowing customers to shop between different outlets to get a better deal.

Melbourne motormouth.com.au

Melbourne petrolspy.com.au

Melbourne gasbuddy.com

Melbourne fuelmap.com.au

Other apps such as Coaster attempt to change driver behaviour by making you smoother on the road, saving on brake and tyre wear as well as fuel costs.

DASHCAMS

Many drivers use dashcams to record what happens on the road, which could save you cash by exonerating innocent parties in collision disputes. You can pay $1000 or more for the best dashcams, or take a cheaper route by using your phone to record the road - you just need a modern smartphone and a secure mount with a clear view of the road ahead.

The free Smart Dash Cam app uses your phone as a makeshift dashcam which could avoid paying an insurance excess and help retain your no claim bonus. The "Pro" version automatically records footage before and after an impact, saving five seconds either side of a crash detected by the phone's accelerometer.

Melbourne apple.com

Melbourne google.com

BUDGETING

Some apps encourage drivers to track their expenses and help budget for maintenance. Drivvo encourages you to log your car's fuel use, servicing, registration and other elements to help understand exactly how much running a car costs - it's easy to lose track. The App will also remind you of upcoming payments for insurance, registration or scheduled servicing, so big bills don't come as a shock.

Melbourne drivvo.com

This article by DAVID McCOWEN is from the December 9, 2020 issue of The Herald Sun Digital Edition.
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