The 3 best traffic apps for your summer road trip

Waze makes it at the top of this list for a number of things it does exceptionally well: It delivers reliable driving instructions based on up-to-date traffic data, it allows other Waze users to share valuable info—like pointing out speed controls or other traffic instances—, plus its gamified interface rewards passengers when adding data. The social traffic app also integrates with your smartphone calendar, can pull information from there, and alert you when to leave to arrive in time for your next scheduled appointment. Its biggest strength also leads us right to its downside: Being reliant so heavily on the input of its users makes Waze less useful for drivers in areas that might not be as frequently traveled like Vancouver or Toronto.

As one of the most popular apps for navigation Google Maps does deserve its spot on our list as well. One of the great advantages of this app is that it not only provides routes and updates for car traffic but also cycling routes, public transport routes, and walkways. It also ties in with Google Street View which can come in handy! On top of that, Google acquired Waze in 2017 and has since carried over a number of great functions—except the premium Waze features–from our number one traffic app.

Copilot is tailored to car drivers’, truck drivers’, and RV drivers’ needs. It doesn’t require a live data connection for you to use it and it lets you download a huge amount of maps and travel directions right onto your phone which is fantastic if you are traveling across borders and want to avoid extra data charges. The only downside to CoPilot is that it comes with a price tag for both iPhones and Android phones.

That depends where you want to go and on your choice of vehicle. Waze’s capability of finding alternate routes around accidents, construction sites, and traffic jams make it unbeatable to navigate in and around bigger cities with your car. If you are looking for bike paths or public transport alternatives, Google Maps would be our pick and for traveling abroad or taking a road trip through the beautiful, less trafficked Canadian countryside CoPilot gets the job done best.