These are the underrated Apple CarPlay apps that will completely transform your experience

These are the underrated Apple CarPlay apps that will completely transform your driving (and passenger) experience.

If you only use Apple Maps, Messages, and Music, it turns out you might just be missing the best part of CarPlay.

A journalist called Sagar Naresh rounded up five third-party apps that he says genuinely improve daily driving and road trips.

He picked them based on long term personal use and strong App Store ratings, focusing on apps that feel more useful than the default options.

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The best underrated Apple CarPlay apps

Waze

The age-old divide between Waze and Google Maps rages on, and while some are torn between the two, others are firm backers of one over the other.

When it comes to tech, this journalist calls Waze a must for drivers who want more accurate, real-time navigation.

It uses crowdsourced reporting, so it can flag traffic, accidents, and hazards as they happen.

He noted that during a road trip through Europe, Google Maps kept letting him down, while Waze stayed more reliable.

He also said it integrated smoothly with Spotify and Apple Music, making it easy to switch between directions and entertainment.

Simple Radio

If your Apple Music playlists are starting to feel repetitive, Simple Radio brings something completely different.

The app gives access to over 90,000 radio stations worldwide, so you can jump between news, sports, talk radio, and music in seconds.

Journalist Sagar Naresh said he loved being able to tune into stations from India while living in the UK, which made long drives feel less samey.

He said the biggest downside was that heavy streaming could use a lot of mobile data.

GasBuddy

GasBuddy is built for one thing: saving money when you need to fuel up – it shows the cheapest nearby fuel prices using crowdsourced updates, and includes extra tools like trip cost planning, fuel logs, and savings offers.

He said it was especially helpful in places where prices changed constantly.

While it’s only available in the US and Canada, it relies on location tracking, which can be handy, but some users may not love it.

SpotHero

Parking is one of the most annoying parts of driving in a busy city, and SpotHero is designed to fix that.

It lets you search and reserve parking in advance in over 300 major cities, with photos, reviews, and amenity details included.

The big win is convenience, especially when you have plans and do not want to waste time circling.

Weather on the Way

This is the road trip upgrade that will change your life.

Weather on the Way shows forecasts for every point along your route and updates them based on your ETA.

It includes warnings, RADAR, and precipitation tracking, so you can avoid driving straight into a storm.

Some of the best features are locked behind a subscription, but the free version still gives you a smarter view of what is ahead.

And there you have it: a comprehensive list of some of the best lesser-known Apple CarPlay apps.