Customer Ratings & Reviews

Hands down the best in car GPS I've ever used. The large 8in screen makes it super easy to read directions and see the map quickly without having to spend a lot of time trying to read off a smaller version or your phone. However with that in mind, finding a suitable mounting position that doesn't block your view of the road may be difficult for some. The included suction cup mount is for WINDOWS only, not your dash. Luckily I have an extra tiny side window (not the main one that you can roll up/down) where it fits perfectly and therefore does not block a single inch of my windshield, side mirror, or actual side window. The map coverage is superb. All of the new construction around me is there. All the tiny roads, including the dirt ones, are there. Parking lots are there. I'm amazed at how much coverage it provides. Everyone should absolutely install Garmin Express on their computer and update the maps and firmware immediately before use. It's easy, fast, and simple. Garmin releases about 4 map updates a year and they're free for life. Take advantage of that! It's packed full of features and the device is overall very responsive and doesn't feel sluggish to me at all. It appears to have plenty of processing power to get the job done. I would never use the "OK Garmin" feature so I immediately disabled it - this improved overall performance and responsiveness a lot. I recommend turning it off unless you truly want to try it out. Disabling it boosts performance considerably. Navigation, directions, etc. are excellent. You can setup a default of "straight" or "fastest" route. You can also view 2 possible routes by using the correct button and not hitting "Go" immediately if you feel like seeing options on where to go. I've used this feature a handful of times and the primary route has always been the fastest and my choice, so now I typically just hit "Go" as I set it up for "Fastest" default routing. You can also configure the level of detail on the map: less, normal, or more. I chose more, which adds a good bit of extra resolution to the maps without affecting performance too much. There's also a route planner feature that you can use to plan a trip with multiple stops, order the stops to your liking, and/or then use the "Optimize" feature - very hands for longer drives or if you're a delivery driver. You can also setup what's displayed on the map, such as gas stations, ATMs, or even a custom search option - which I use myself. You can also configure the 3 bottom row information boxes. The speed one is permanent, however the other 3 can be changed. Like I said, this GPS is packed with settings, features, and controls beyond anything you'll find on your phone. It will also alert you to driving conditions, traffic, etc. The included power cable has an HD radio traffic receiver in it. However you must also use the "Garmin Drive" app for further traffic and road conditions information. Overall it's extremely accurate and always spot on. It will offer detours, which can be setup as automatic or as a pop-up (so you can choose if you actually want to or not) which really helps a lot with avoiding traffic. Having two sources (phone data via Garmin Drive plus HD radio) for traffic makes it extra reliable and extra accurate. It often times beats Google Maps or Waze in accuracy. It's amazing. I suggest when you first open the box doing two things immediately: going through every possible setting, configurable options, windows, etc. and then immediately updating the maps via Garmin Express on your computer before use. This will greatly improve your experience of the device. I am forever sold on having a standalone true car GPS and will definitely be sticking to Garmin and purchasing the newest model every time they release one. What they have to offer is excellent and it frees up your phone. You can also configure the audio and notifications and stuff to play either through the device itself or through your car speakers (requires Garmin Drive app). For the money, it's way better than I expected. I am blown away by it. Waze and Google Maps don't come anywhere close to this in level of options and customization. Routing is as good as or better than the phone apps. Traffic is as good as or better than the phone apps. It's well worth the money. I recommend it to everyone. It's truly a marvel of a GPS.

This gps is amazing!!! Garmin did a wonderful job upgrading the maps and the traffic features. It's so convenient to have real-time traffic updates and alternate route suggestions, especially during rush hour. The voice command feature also makes it easier to navigate while keeping my eyes on the road. The high resolution display and clear audio also make for a great user experience. Overall, I'm very impressed with this GPS and would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a reliable and user-friendly navigation system.

I like that this GPS can be used either horizontally or vertically. Huge screen, brilliant color. I added an anti-glare cover to it. This one access the apps at blazing speed. The updates are also pretty fast through my home WiFi. It’s very thin too.

The Best GPS in its Class. My Garmin GPS is one of the best Auto Accessories I bought from BestBuy. All information you need to know while driving are at yiur fingertips, from Elevation, Time, Temperature, Speed, Arrival Time, Traffic Situations, Bluetooth for Phones, to nake a few. Very useful and compact. Reasonable in its price,

Big screen size and I can see everything around when I drive

Excellent product direction are easy to follow and accurate.

I got this 4 mouth a go and now it don't work no more am out of town with no gps. am force to use my phone. For directions and am not set up for that and to top it off am in a snow storm

This is the worst GPS I’ve ever owned. Constantly giving wrong turns. Does not alert to traffic or road closures doesnt allow to select a detour route.

We purchased a vehicle without navigation, so I found this Garmin to help find places where we need to go. I love the Garmin voice assist to simply finding a destination. There are different sizes in this Garmin, but I really like the 8” dual-orientation display with free map updates. It provides alerts for speed zones and potential hazards ahead. If you are going to take a trip, Trip advisor gives traveler ratings, there is also a directory of U.S. national parks and the history database of notable sites. You can also pair with the Garmin Drive app running on your smartphone for on-screen access to live traffic, fuel prices, parking, weather, and traffic cams to help avoid delays ahead. I really like how it will also alert you to school zones down the road. I haven’t tried this Garmin feature, but it also has Built-in Alexa where you can ask to play music, listen to audiobooks, hear the news and more but you need a compatible smartphone with Alexa on it or connect with your Amazon account. First of all, you need to connect to your computer (PC or Mac) and download maps then it will use Bluetooth in your vehicle to update. If there is any trouble at all you can call the Garmin help line and they are great and will help to fix the issue. I had a little issue with maps not downloading correctly and the support team helped me to fix my problem in minutes free of charge. There is also a slot in the back for a micro-SD card to expand the maps download so there is no problem with memory being full. All in all, I really like this Garmin and would recommend it to anyone that does not have navigation in their car. It is kind of large so if you have a smaller vehicle you might want to look at a 65,66, 76. We have a minivan, so it doesn’t distract or cover too much of the windshield. I do not really like our Garmin stuck on the windshield, so I purchased an “Adhesive Dashboard Pad Mounting Disk for Suction Cup Phone Mount & Garmin GPS” from Amazon because Best Buy doesn’t sell them. No problem with it shaking or falling off.

The large display is great. Very easy to read while driving. It performs as good or better than the built-in navigation in my other vehicle. Since this is a new model I wasn't able to find any other mounts (Garmin or after market) other than the one that came with it. I hard-mounted the suction mount on my dashboard. It is an older Toyota so I was OK with drilling some mounting holes.

We love our latest Garmin version! The screen size is large and it is so easy to use. It is our 5th Garmin and by far the best. We always use ours by sitting it in a beanbag holder which works well for us- only this time because the ball of the joint was larger, we had to resort to purchasing a new one. Overall, it has been great for us. Thank you.

The size, screen definition and ease of use is great. My vision is not what it used to be and the large screen helps. It is too early for comments on long term durability but if it is anywhere close to my Nuve it will work great.

Big enough screen, clear voice and heads up before turns-doesn’t wait until turn is on top of me. Red light camera warnings also a plus. This replaces a much older Garmin that served me well for over 10 years.

For a person who wear progressive lenses having a bigger screen helps alot and it is easier to use than any other gps app or even stand alone gps I have tried.

I was incredibly excited when I saw the Garmin at Best Buy. I'd been searching for a map that was easy to follow, small enough yet large enough to follow if I needed to briefly look at it at a stop, The map is beautifully clear. I've been a retirerd person for quite a long time and can get incredibly lost going somehwere, to a point that friends would have to find me! Sad, but unfortunately true, even though an I'm an intelligent person, since childhood I've never had a sense of direction!!! I can literally get lost in parking areas if they have a lot of buildings there. If people tell me to go North, West, etc. I have to ask them to please say left, right, etc!!!! Now I don't get lost because my Garmin will get me to anywhere from wherever I am!!! What a joy it is to be able to get places without being late everytime!!! P.S. my friends are SO glad they don't have to keep finding me when I got lost!!!

Great GPS! Bought this right before a big roadtrip through all the national parks! It was very helpful to have through destinations inside the parks. The GPS has a very big display and makes it easy to see which exits to take. It took a while to figure out how to use it but once I got the hang of it, it’s great!

We recently planned a vacation that was 2000+ miles round trip driving. I've used Garmin GPS units for 20yrs and our older Nuvi was getting a little old and cumbersome to use so I decided to upgrade to the Garmin DriveSmart 86 8" Pros: 8" Display is bright and crisp WiFi enabled for updates along with traditional USB cable Faster than older models Satellite based system means it works everywhere Cons: Still uses antiquated interface Touch display is still laggy Searching is still awkward Still slow overall Smart Notifications are intrusive Smart phones are now just as capable if not more Mounting system is proprietary and windshield compatible only Summary: Many years ago, we tried to use Apple Maps and it was horrific and I swore I'd never use it again and stuck with my Garmin at the time but clearly times have changed and Apple has gotten their act together and then some. While on our way to our destination, my daughter kept insisting we use Apple Maps, so we ran Apple Maps on her iphone 11 in tandem with the Garmin and found Apple Maps to be just as capable if not more along with being faster to adjust and giving more detailed in the moment instructions than Garmin (IE, "Go past this light." "Do not turn here", etc...) little quality of life improvements that made a difference real time. The Garmin got confused a few times which ended up confusing us but Apple Maps was able to offer the correct route. Apple Maps responded to changes and rerouting real time incredibly quick vs the Garmin. I was so impressed with Apple Maps vs Garmin that I put the Garmin in the glove compartment and used my iphone the entire time we were on vacation and for the entire ride home (1000+ miles) and it was near flawless. I found the Smart Notifications intrusive on the Garmin and pairing it with your phone just seemed to introduce a lot of redundancy that wasn't needed. It seemed out of place layered on top of Garmin's old school interface system. Another bug was you had to keep turning off Smart Notifications as it would re-enable itself every time you turned your Garmin back on. The iphone, even the iphone 11 which is several years old, ran circles around the Garmin in regards to speed and responsiveness. Another issue was the mounting system. While it works great on the windshield, it did not work at all for dash mounting in our Nissan Rogue. I ended up using a $10 maglock compatible mount for my iphone that worked on every surface including my dash perfectly. In the end, I am going to return it and just stick with my iphone with Apple Maps. It proved itself more than capable for my use case. After 20+ years, I never thought I'd see the day I'd prefer my smart phone over a traditional tried and true Garmin GPS yet here we are. I will revisit Garmin when we finish getting our RV ready for seriously extended road travel as that is where Garmin reportedly shines and potentially separates itself from the pack but for normal day to day GPS use? Smart phones are officially good enough for GPS.

So much nicer than maps on a phone. The size, the information, less strain to figure out what's ahead. Feels like I just added the current technology to my car.

I am still learning all the new features for the Garmin DriveSmart 86 8" GPS, since I switched from a Garmin GPS that was over 15 years old. I really like that I can connect to the bluetooth app and receive weather and traffic alerts. I use it with a weighted mount on my dash instead of my windshield due to the eyesight in my Subaru Crosstrek, and it works well that way.

the best thing about the garmin is that "she" shows a picture of off ramps and turns. She does not hear very well and i sometimes get location choices that she wrongly interprets. I just have to learn to keep requests simple and to understand how she interprets my requests. overall she has been very helpful. I have been using it around home to see if she will remember the correct routes.