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The average American spends 300 hours a year in their car, and nearly nine in 10 American households have one car per driver in their home, according to AAA. That's a lot of cars and a lot of driving.
Since people spend so much money and time on their automobiles, it only makes sense to use technology to enhance the driving experience.
Whether you need help navigating traffic, finding parking, or scheduling maintenance and repairs, there are a number of useful car apps right at your fingertips.
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Below are some car apps that you may have not heard of, but can come in handy on your next big road trip or simply for everyday use.
If you've ever parked your car at shopping mall or concert venue only to come outside hours later and not remember where you parked, you are not alone. Find My Car makes finding your parked car as easy. The free app uses Google Maps Navigation, takes pictures of your parking spot, and stores as many positions as you want.
But Find My Car is more than a simple GPS car-parking app. It also allows users to remember the GPS coordinates of any other location (i.e. your car, your hotel, or a meeting point), and users can share stored locations with friends.
Parkopedia
No one understands difficult parking better than big-city dwellers. Named the largest and most accurate parking service on the planet, Parkopedia offers users a database of thousands of car parks, parking structures, and street and metered parking options.
With information on more than 60 million parking spaces around the world, Parkopedia has the parking insight anxious drivers are looking for. The app also provides users with info on parking hours and pricing. You can find Parkopedia on Google Play and iTunes.
ChargePoint
In 2018, according to Inside EVs, there was an 81% increase in the sale of electric vehicles in the US alone.
ChargePoint is making electric vehicle charging simple by allowing users to view more than 50,000 charging stations within all major charging networks. You will get real-time updates on charging stations and have the ability to filter for stations that are compatible with your car.
Users are also able to save their favorite charging station and their most recently used stations. You can leave reviews and view tips from other electric vehicle drivers about stations and their locations. And you can even request to be added to a waitlist in case you need to come back and charge later.
FGL DriveTracker
If you have a new driver in your home who is still learning the basics of the road, then FGL DriveTracker is the app for you.
Not only does it record the driving hours required for a graduated driver's license or learner's permit, but it also lets parents and teens know the highest risk for each drive. If you're rolling through those stop signs, speeding at traffic lights, or constantly braking hard or accelerating, the FGL DriveTracker will be quick to let you know what you need to fix.
FGL DriveTracker will notify you when other apps are open, distracting the driver from the road. It will also record the number of driving hours required by a state for a license and give tips on how to improve driving. It even tracks the driver's recorded speed in comparison to the posted limit.
NuWash
On average, a traditional car wash uses more than 40 gallons of water per wash. NuWash is on a mission to change that. The eco-friendly Texas startup allows users to manage and pay for eco-friendly on-site car detailing services at their office, home, or apartment with just a couple of taps.
NuWash's eco-friendly model uses less than a gallon of water to clean one car, while also allowing washing your vehicle right where it's parked. All a NuWash user has to do once the app is downloaded is book a time and date for their wash, set the location, select the wash package, manage any add-ons (like stain remover, dashboard conditioner, or interior clean), and pay online. Leave your car unlocked or request for your technician to contact you, and you are all set.
Car-wash packages range from $24 to $135. As of the time of this publication, NuWash is only available for drivers in the Austin and Dallas areas.
TrueCar
Available for Android and Apple users, TrueCar is a car app that allows users to search for, buy, sell, or trade both new and used vehicles.
The beauty of the app is that before you ever step foot on car dealer's lot, you are able to see what others paid for the same vehicle, see the upfront price, and review competing offers from other dealers.
The goal is so make the car-buying process as simple and headache-free as possible. With TrueCar, dealers provide you a discounted price that includes all fees, accessory costs, and incentives.
Radarbot
Radarbot, a speed-camera detector and speedometer app, is free and completely legal.
The app was created for drivers to find out what is happening on the road at any moment. Users will avoid the unexpected and receive alerts about all kinds of cameras in the vicinity: tunnel cameras, fixed speed cameras, traffic light cameras, and mobile cameras set up by other users.
The app boasts a community of more than 2 million users who frequently share live updates. Some cool features of the app include real-time reports of your current and maximum speeds, alerts when you surpass a specified speed limit, and a route-saving function. The app can also be integrated with any maps application.
SpotHero
SpotHero is an app that allows you to reserve car parking and pay for parking ahead of time.
SpotHero partners with parking facilities across the US to provide users with parking options ranging from one-day to monthly. Users can reserve parking spots at reduced rates and can cancel up until a minute before their reservation begins.
GasBuddy
GasBuddy helps drivers find nearby gas stations and the cheapest gas prices.
Users can search for gas by city, state, and zip code, with listings for all cities in the US and Canada. Gas prices are updated in real time, and the app even shows you the average national price for gas.
Users can also save on gas with the app's GasBack model. If you pay for your gas while using GasBuddy, then you will save $0.10 a gallon for the first fill and $0.05 a gallon on every fill-up after that. The app claims users save an average of $340 per year.
Openbay
Openbay was created to help modern consumers find high-quality automotive service nearby.
The process is simple. Users enter their maintenance needs, like an oil change, alignment, or tire rotation, and Openbay gives service quotes from nearby mechanics and allows users to schedule service from their phone.
Turo
Turo is a car-sharing marketplace app that allows users to find an alternative to a rental car or earn money sharing their car. It's basically AirBnB for your car.
Whether you need an affordable daily-use car for a trip or you want to go for a cruise in a specialty car, Turo can help. You just need to enter the date range and the city, nearest airport, or your pickup address to find a list of cars available. You can have the car delivered or pick it up at whatever time is best for you.
