Sometimes a good GPS units review is invaluable in helping you choose the right unit for you and your needs. Sometimes, however, a review can really mislead you into buying something that’s not the right one. Since GPS’s cost anywhere from $150 to $900, you want to make sure you’re buying a unit you’re going to be happy with.

What’s going to help you make the right decision for your budget and needs is understanding the marketplace.

So, let’s talk about who makes these great little devices, generally what the features are, and how much you need to be prepared to spend for these features.

Although there are a ton of manufacturers, only three dominate the U. S. GPS market. These are Garmin, with about 50% of the market share. Tom Tom with 20% of the market share. And Magellan with slightly less than 20% of the market share.

This accounts for almost 90% of the U. S. market. (Just so you know, Tom Tom is the industry leader in Europe.)

Sure, you can buy a device made by one of the smaller companies, but personally I like to go with the winners. I know what I’m buying will be supported next year and the next.

As far as features, all GPS units do the same basic functions. They have a touch screen that shows you where you are on an electronic map. They give you directions for getting where you want to go. And they have a pre-loaded database of popular destinations, called Points of Interest, or POI’s.

You can get this and more for only $150 from all three of these companies. The Garmin nuvi 200, Tom Tom One, 3rd Edition, and the Magellan Maestro 3100 are all examples of great entry level devices.

Consumer reports recently did a very good GPS units review, but they failed to mention two of the three GPS’s I just told you about. That’s why you can’t just depend on reviews. They’re incomplete!

If you want to pay more money, you can get more features. Like more extensive maps of Canada or Europe, for example. Or real-time traffic and weather. Or Bluetooth capability. Or multiple point routing.

All of this can be had for $400 or less!

For $50 or so extra, you can get a wider screen–4.3-inches instead of the normal 3.5-inches.

A few units to consider here are the Magellan Maestro 4250, the Tom Tom GO 920T, and the Garmin nuvi 760.

Of course, if you want the cutting edge of technology you can always opt for the Garmin nuvi 880 at around $900. Garmin doesn’t have any real competitors in the high-end price range, so I can’t recommend any of Magellan’s or Tom Tom’s products here.

So, what’s the GPS units review you absolutely should not read? The one that makes you buy something that’s not suited for you and your needs!

What you need to do now is to find an informative website where you can take a look at individual units and see what they’re currently selling for.

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