Best Tesla Trip Planner Apps

When you decided to invest in a Tesla, you were planning and thinking of the environment. But you also need to plan when taking a Tesla trip.

The last thing you want is to find yourself in the middle of nowhere with no means of charging your Tesla or getting to your destination. Worst case scenario, you have to leave the vehicle unattended because you can’t phone for help where you are due to a lack of cell phone signal. However, there is an easy solution. If you got yourself a Tesla trip planning app, you can plan all your road trips ahead of time, know where you can charge up, and avoid such a scenario ever happening.

Best Tesla Trip Planner Apps

We’ve been checking out some of the best Tesla trip planning apps around, and we’re going to be sharing our reviews with you here today. Our reviews are unbiased and cover the various pros and cons.But we get that choosing one can be tricky, which is why we’ve also put together a handy buying guide that will walk you through the key things to think about before you download.Then we’re going to top that off with a section where we tackle some of your most frequently asked questions on the subject.And without further ado, let’s get started!In a hurry? Check out our number one pick!

Best Tesla Trip Planner Apps

OUR TOP PICK

A Better Routeplanner (ABRP)

A Better Routeplanner (ABRP)

EDITORS CHOICE

PlugShare Trip Planner

PlugShare Trip Planner

BEST VALUE

Tesla On-Board Trip Planner

Tesla On-Board Trip Planner

OUR TOP PICK

A Better Routeplanner (ABRP)

A Better Routeplanner (ABRP)

Now, this is the most talked about and the most preferred Tesla trip planning app on the internet, beating Tesla’s own trip planners hands down in just about every category.

It’s stand out feature is its accuracy – it will take all kinds of factors into account for when and where your next charge should be, including road conditions, driving style, traffic, and the like.

And it’s based on real time data, not just generic, standard data such as the distance between stops.

It also offers more charging stops, and if you were to take advantage of them all, this means faster charging at each stop, and a much lower likelihood of being left stranded somewhere without any power.

The other thing we love about the ABRP app is that it features a bird’s eye view satellite picture of the route ahead, rather than merely only a standard 2D app.

Many people find it much easier and natural to navigate this way.

When we tried it out for ourselves, we found that navigating wasn’t quite as straightforward as with the other apps in the shortlist, but we had a good overall first impression.

Pros

  • Most popular Tesla trip planning app on the net
  • Incredible accuracy taking more factors into account
  • Locates more charging stations than all the other apps
  • It features a satellite view of the route if you so wish

Cons

  • Some users recommend manually adding each charge stop
  • There are in-app purchases offered, which some users may find annoying

Also available to download on:

EDITORS CHOICE

PlugShare Trip Planner

PlugShare Trip Planner

PlugShare is one of the most accurate EV and Tesla charging station maps around, featuring over 500,000 charging stations across all the major networks, including Tesla Supercharger, throughout North America, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand.

And not only does it offer route planning capabilities filtered especially for the model car you’re driving, but it also gives you access to the world’s biggest community of EV drivers. The benefits of this are many fold.

Users of the app can leave ratings, reviews, and photos for stations, and this can aid your decision-making about which charging stations to stop at, and which to avoid.

You can also use it to check whether an upcoming charging station is available, bookmark specific locations, and pay for your charging right in the app using Pay with PlugShare.

Additionally, you can get alerts for when a new charging station is installed nearby, and add new EV charge points to the map as you discover them.

When we tried it out, we received an alert to say that the next charging station on our road trip was occupied, and it recommended an alternative charging station and gave us directions to get there, which we then did.

So it’s definitely a thumbs up from us.

This app has received excellent customer ratings and reviews online, earning 4.8 stars out of 5 on the App Store and 4.2 stars out of 5 on Google Play at the time of writing.

It’s available for both Android and iOS devices.

Pros

  • Features over 500,000 charging stations
  • Users can leave ratings and reviews for stations
  • Check whether an upcoming charging station is available
  • Pay for your charging right in the app using Pay with PlugShare
  • Get alerts for when a new charging station is installed nearby
  • It’s available for both Android and iOS devices.

Cons

  • Some users have said that it could do with an update due to all the new charging stations installed more recently

Also available to buy at:

BEST VALUE

Tesla On-Board Trip Planner

Tesla On-Board Trip Planner

As you may already know, Tesla cars typically feature their own on-board trip planner, and using it has some very clear advantages…

Not only are you provided with the locations of recommended stops for charging up the EV, but it can also provide you with when it thinks you will need to recharge based on your driving and how much charge you have already used since the last charge.

And this is really valuable, because if at any point you get stuck in bad traffic, the amount of charge you use could come to more than you would otherwise expect.

But the other great thing about Tesla’s own trip planning is that you don’t have to wait until you’re in the car to use it…

Tesla also has a web based Go Anywhere tool that you can plan your trip on ahead of time.

It’s available on this link, and all you have to do is enter your location, your destination, and which model of car you drive, and it will automatically bring up the best possible route, and show you where charging points are along the route.

You’re probably wondering why we didn’t make Tesla’s own trip planner our number one pick.

Well the truth is, despite the Tesla brand being top of their game when it comes to producing EVs, the same cannot be said for their route planning, and it is well known that A Better Routeplanner (ABRP) is a much more accurate app that will take more variables into consideration.

Of course, we have tried this out for ourselves and were impressed with its simplicity and how it took charge usage into account when we got stuck in traffic.

Pros

  • You don’t need a smartphone or tablet
  • Get information on the go as you drive
  • Recharging takes your driving into account
  • You can also plan your trip ahead of time

Cons

  • Not as accurate as A Better Routeplanner (ABRP)
  • It excludes some superchargers on your route
  • It uses long stops, which means a slower charging rate

RUNNER UP

Google Maps EV Trip Planner

Google Maps EV Trip Planner

When planning a trip anywhere, what could be better than using the world’s most thorough and up-to-date map app, Google Maps.

Google Maps covers more roads and alleyways than any other map out there. And it’s not only available through a web browser, you can also download it as an app.

And surprisingly, it’s not only available on Google or Android devices, you can get it on Apple iOS systems as well.

Better yet, to get charging stations highlighted along your intended route, all you have to do is tap ‘Add charging stop’ once you have entered your destination into the app, and Google Maps will then pull up EV charging stations along your route.

All you have to do at this point is select which charging stations to stop at. It really couldn’t get much easier to use

Then the app has the added bonus of providing you with voice directions as you drive on your route, so you can concentrate on keeping both eyes on the road ahead.

When we tried it out for ourselves, we found it very easy to use, and that it had the most recent charging stations installed.

Pros

  • Available on both Android and iOS devices
  • World’s most comprehensive & thorough map
  • It’s very intuitive & easy to use & there are voice directions
  • Google Maps will pull up all the EV charging stations along your route

Cons

  • The app doesn’t automatically produce satellite images
  • The app doesn’t work out when you need to recharge

Also available to buy at:

RUNNER UP

ElectricRoutes

ElectricRoutes

Here’s another great EV trip planning app worthy of a spot on our shortlist…

It has a very simple, easy to use user interface. It uses GPS to identify your current location, then you enter your destination, and a route will be produced on its maps, with the most appropriate charging stops highlighted for you.

But then it goes on to be even more useful. You can use it to bring up nearby amenities at any of the stops along the way, so you can hit a hotel, store, restaurant, toilet, and so on.

You can even select a preferred charging station based around what amenities you need.

And that’s not all – it can also check the availability of the next charging station, and if it is already taken, it will offer you a different option on or around the intended route. Handy, hey?

You can use your personal account to save route settings and favorite stations and addresses.

When we tried it out for ourselves, we found it very easy to use, and it came in really handy to be able to find the whereabouts of local amenities on our trip.

It’s available for both Android and iOS devices.

Pros

  • Simple, intuitive, easy to use user interface
  • It uses GPS to identify your current location
  • You can use it to bring up nearby amenities
  • It can also check the availability of the next charging station
  • You can save settings and favorite stations and addresses
  • It’s available for both Android and iOS devices

Cons

  • There aren’t many customer reviews around for this app just yet

Also available to buy at:

Best Tesla Trip Planner Apps Buying Guide

As promised, here’s your buying guide. Let’s walk you through some of the key points to consider before you download.

Compatibility With Your Device

Granted, most of the best apps on the market are available for both of the main smart device operating systems, iOS for Apple devices and Google Play for Android devices.

However, they aren’t necessarily always available on both, so you need to pay due diligence and check whether the app you like is available  on your preferred operating system.

Range Of Maps Available

If you like to travel far and wide, you need to ensure that your trip planning has all the necessary maps installed.

Many trip planning apps cover the whole of the US, but there’s no reason why you should be limited to the US.

Regular Updates

Imagine how frustrated you’d feel if you went out of your way to get to a charge point, only to find out that there was one that would have been quicker and easier to get to.

The solution is to go with a trip planning app that has regular if not frequent updates, so that whenever a new charging point is installed somewhere, you will be able to take advantage of it.

Easy To Use

Although you want your app to be comprehensive in terms of the data it provides, you don’t want it to be overly complicated to use.

So to that end you should look for apps that are simple and straightforward to use.

One of the best ways to judge this is to take a look at some of the screenshots of the app in action. (Just click on the links provided.)

Then you can see for yourself how intuitive the app is, and whether you’d feel confident using it.

GPS Functionality

Your trip planning app should have GPS functionality. That way, the app can detect your current location and produce your desired route from exactly where you are.

This can come in really handy if you’ve had to make a detour for any reason.

Nearby Amenities

When traveling in unfamiliar territory, you’re going to need some guidance on where the local amenities are, especially if you’ve been on a particularly long drive.

And sometimes it’s not always convenient or even possible to ask a passer-by for directions. So an app that can do this for you, is really something worth looking out for.

Customer Ratings & Reviews

Some of the apps available in the shortlist have been around a while now, so they’ve attracted many customer ratings and reviews.

And these can be a good indicator of how well an app performs, it’s usefulness, and how easy it is to use.

Push Notifications

Push notifications from a trip planner can come in handy on a road trip. You could, for instance, receive a notification to let you know when you’re within a short distance from a charging point.

But on the flip side, too many unnecessary notifications could prove a distraction.

In-App Purchases / Adds

Trip planning apps have to make their money somehow. And for apps that are free to download, their money often comes through ads or in-app purchases, which some users find pesky.

Answers To Your Most Frequently Asked Questions

Does Tesla Have A Trip Planner?

We can confirm that Tesla does indeed have a built-in trip planner. We reviewed it earlier – scroll back up to check it out.

However, many users haven’t been a hundred percent happy with the Tesla trip planning, and it’s very common for Tesla drivers to use third party apps for their trip planning.

What Is The Best Tesla Trip Planner?

If you have decided that you don’t want to go with Tesla’s on-board trip planner, I can assure you that you’re not alone.

And while any of the alternatives in our shortlist would be great, the one that most Tesla drivers tend to go for is the ABRP app, also known as A Better Route Planner.

Can You Use A Better Route Planner In Tesla?

You’ll be pleased to hear that the ABRP app, also known as A Better Route Planner, can work alongside the car’s on-board interface for added convenience.

Is The Tesla Trip Planner Accurate?

The Tesla Trip Planner is pretty good, but unfortunately it’s not always 100% accurate.

For this reason, we recommend that if you plan to take a trip in unfamiliar territory, you download a better, more accurate app, such as our number one pick, A Better Route Planner, (ABRP).

How Do I Schedule A Tesla Trip?

The good news is that you no longer need to pull open a huge paper map to plan out your trips and get your calculator out to work out which trips are actually viable for an EV, with charging stations along the way.

Instead, all you have to do is open the EV trip planner app of your choice, fill in a few simple details, and you’re good to go.

To see a video on how to use scheduled departure on a Tesla Model 3, check out this link.

Michael Schuck

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