Android apps for the Petrol head

If cars are your thing or even if you’re just looking for some enhancements to your vehicle, Android can pimp your ride.

Android smart phones and tablets can be wonderful tools for petrol heads with the help of Google Play, otherwise known as the Android market. Whether it is news that you are after or extra gadgets for your car, there are so many different apps to play around with. Put your searching skills into gear and explore the world of Android apps for your car.

CarBuzz, an app developed CarBuzz, is one of my favourite apps on the Android market if you’re after information and great graphics. Featuring beautiful images of cars, CarBuzz is a platform for the latest news straight from the car industry. The videos are fantastic, the reviews in-depth and the updates completely up to date. CarBuzz even includes rumours circulating the automotive industry and spy shots of some of the newest vehicles coming onto the market. You can entertain yourself for ages with this free app.

If you’re less interested in the flashy side of the car industry, there are some very useful and practical apps that you can download. FuelLog, developed by Simon Morgenthaler is one such example. The free app allows you to keep track of all of your consumption and maintenance costs when it comes to your vehicle by logging and analyzing data. You’ll get feedback on your fuel consumption as well as the economy of your car. Easy-to-use and very handy, this is the app to download if you’re on a budget and want to calculate how much money your vehicle uses up. My favourite part of this app? The fact that it also works for electric cars.

Another very useful, app which can come in handy if you’re someone like me, is Car Locator, developed by Edward Kim. Car Locator will help you to find your car no matter where you have parked it, so you’ll never end up walking up and down parking lots, balancing groceries, while you search for your vehicle. You’ll have to fork out R32.58 for this app, but it is totally worth it with a radar, parking timer and even a map included so that you’ll be able to locate your car quicker than you can blink. The app also logs a location history and gives you your car’s coordinates. If you’re someone who loses their car on a regular basis, this is one to try out.

There are also some fantastic apps for the dashboard of your car, keeping tabs on things like your speed. Car Dashboard, developed by Mandaria Software, is a great one to try out. This app works as a speedometer and much, much more. It is feature-rich with all sorts of inclusions like a compass, your current location, speed alerts, what street you’re on and what the maximum speed is for that area. You’ll never be caught with a speeding fine again with this app.

Another great one to try out and very similar to Car Dashboard, is SpeedView: GPS Speedometer. A free app from Code Sector, SpeedView includes tons of features that break down things like your average speed. By using a GPS system to track information about your journey, this app can also be used for sports like hiking or cycling. It features a compass and speed warnings too.

There are many more apps available on Google Play for the petrol head, but these are just some of the great ones on the market at the moment. Give them a try and watch as driving becomes that much more convenient.