Planning your route in advance

TomTom MyDrive

TomTom recently launched a new service, MyDrive, which enables synchronisation with multiple devices. Via the MyDrive website ( https://mydrive.tomtom.com/en_gb ) you can set a destination and then have it sent to your TomTom GPS system in your car. This is possible via the mobile MyDrive apps ( https://www.tomtom.com/en_us/mydrive/app - for iOS and Android) as well. This is highly convenient as it means that you no longer have to fiddle with the GPS device in your car before starting your journey: you can prepare everything on your computer, tablet or smartphone.

Extra features for everyone

The MyDrive website comes with several extra features. It lets you plan your entire route beforehand and it estimates the probable time of arrival taking into account the current traffic situation. The route planner bases itself on the movements of other GPS users in order to calculate and predict real-time travel times and up-to-date routes. The map uses icons to represent the current incidents on the roads (accidents, road works, traffic jams, etc.). Coloured lines tell you at a glance where traffic is smooth and where it isn’t.

You can set a future time of departure using historic traffic information. MyDrive will calculate the estimated travel duration and show the estimated time of arrival. It’s possible to set the desired time of arrival, the website will then calculate when you should leave. These functions make the MyDrive website worthwhile for drivers who don’t have a navigation system.

Tip 1. Still, we feel it’s better to use the alternative TomTom Route Planner ( http://routes.tomtom.com ): this website displays real-time traffic information, but this information is more detailed and you don’t have to sign in to the service. In addition, there are some extra options including the route description in text form, planning the return trip and alternative departure options. Oddly enough the routes turned out to be slightly different in our tests.

Tip 2. TomTom gives you one fixed route. To be able to change the trajectory yourself manually on the map, use Google Maps ( https://www.google.co.uk/maps ) or Bing Maps ( http://maps.bing.com ).

Note. Bing Maps turned out to be the best route planner in our previous test with the most and the best up-to-date traffic information.

Extra features for TomTom owners

An additional handy function - exclusively for TomTom users - is the possibility in MyDrive to set your home address, work address and favourite destinations (e.g. of customers you frequently visit). Via the cloud, all these addresses are made available on any connected device immediately. On http://uk.support.tomtom.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/19639 you can find out how to configure this.

This page tells you which TomTom GPS devices are compatible with MyDrive. It’s a standard feature on the latest models but on the older ones you will have to update the software first (see http://uk.support.tomtom.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/6133 ).