Stiftung Warentest: navigation devices for a good trip

In the 02/2014 issue, Stiftung Warentest launched 12 navigation devices for the major practical test: The models of leading manufacturers must be able to be measured, among other things, in speech recognition, pedestrian route guidance and map updates. We'll show you the surprising winners of the navigation test here, along with a look at the alternatives in the CHIP leaderboard.

Test winner at Warentest: Affordable navigation device from TomTom

The best don't have to be expensive, Stiftung Warentest proves and makes the TomTom Start 25 M Europe Traffic the test winner with a total of 1.9 (rating "good"). With a price of currently around 140 euros, the navigation device is also one of the cheapest products in the test.
The TomTom model gave precise driving recommendations in the product test and convinced with simple route guidance. The 5-inch navigation system is also comfortable and easy to use, according to the experts.
There was a weak point in all tested devices - the battery. Without a connection to the cigarette lighter or a socket, the devices quickly go limp in mobile use. The TomTom test winner also only disappointed with a mediocre battery life, but there are no better alternatives. You can find a small selection in our picture gallery.

2nd place: Smaller, cheaper and also TomTom

At 4.3 inches, the predecessor TomTom Start 20 M Europe Traffic (price: approx. 110 euros) is a bit smaller, but almost as good (grade 2.0). Only the battery runtime was about 20 percent shorter than the test winner.
The Garmin Nuevi 3597 LMT won in the race for third place: Compared to the TomTom winners, it does not have route guidance for pedestrians, but can also be controlled in the car by voice input. Competitor TomTom has since said goodbye to this feature. (Price approx. 250 euros)
All details about the test can be found at test.de.

Big and affordable: Becker Navigator wins among the giant satnavs

Stiftung Warentest also tested three navigation systems with 6-7 inches: The 7-inch Becker Ready 70 LMU model had an overall rating of 2.0. The size is more reminiscent of a tablet, but there were still pluses for handling it: Magnents help with easy attachment. Price about 200 euros.

TomTom is also at the top of the CHIP ranking

In the CHIP leaderboard, TomTom products also occupy the two best places:

The TomTom Go Live 1015 Europe tops the leaderboard, but is currently a little more expensive at around 250 euros.
The runner-up, on the other hand, is significantly cheaper: The TomTom Go Live 1005 is already available for 140 euros and therefore plays in a price range with the product test winners.
Another cheap alternative is the Medion GoPal X4345 Europe for around 130 euros. Among other things, it includes voice recognition and traffic jam avoidance.