In short
Driving Routes publishes the real road routes examiners use at UK and US driving test centres, with voice-guided turn-by-turn navigation. Sat-nav apps (TomTom, Garmin) is general-purpose navigation apps for getting from a to b. They cover different parts of test preparation — read on for the side-by-side and the honest pick.
Driving Routes
Pros
- • 1,900+ real practice routes at UK and US test centres
- • Hand-verified by approved driving instructors
- • Voice-guided turn-by-turn on web, iOS, Android
- • CarPlay and Android Auto on every plan
- • Offline maps included
- • From £3.99/wk — one subscription covers every device
Sat-nav apps (TomTom, Garmin)
Pros
- • Excellent for everyday navigation between two points
- • Live traffic and routing
- • Offline maps in most paid tiers
Cons
- • No driving-test-route data — they don't know what the examiner uses
- • Not tuned for instruction or test-day learning
- • No integration with test-centre selection
Feature comparison
| Feature | Driving Routes | Sat-nav apps (TomTom, Garmin) |
|---|---|---|
| Real test routes | Yes — 1,900+ | No |
| Instructor-verified | Yes | No |
| Test-centre directory | Yes | No |
| Voice guidance | Yes | Yes |
| Pricing | From £3.99/wk | Free–£39.99/yr |
When to pick Sat-nav apps (TomTom, Garmin)
When you need to drive somewhere new in everyday life — they're the right tool for that job.
When to pick Driving Routes
When you need to practise the specific roads your examiner will choose — that's not what a sat-nav publishes.
Frequently asked questions
Can I just use Google Maps or Waze to practise driving-test routes?
Not really. Google Maps and Waze don't publish the routes examiners use — they route you the fastest or shortest way between two points, which is rarely the test route. You'd need someone to tell you the routes in the first place. That's what Driving Routes is.