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I've been thinking of getting a GPS since I'm doing a roadtrip from Auckland to Wellington but it was hard to decide on one. According to friends, getting one that updates the map for free every year or so is the best but I haven't been able to find any. Tomtom.. Garmin, Navman... Do you have any more suggestions as to how to pick one?

Different brands and models have different features. Navman and TomTom have very good websites which explain what their different models do.

There is no best brand or model and new ones come out frequently. The question is what do you want to use it for. For example is real time traffic important? Do you travel for business or pleasure? Do you want something portable that you can take overseas or use in other vehicles? Do you need a large display? Look for AA certified maps.

GeoSmart updates maps 4 times a year. The price and availability varies with different brands and on promotions being run at any time.

It is also possible to subscribe to quarterly updates. How important it is to update depends on how much you rely on it. In the last year in Auckland alone there have been significant changes to major road networks and it is not appropriate to show them on car nav map updates until they are available to be driven. Recent examples are SH18 and SH20.