5 Underrated CarPlay Apps Every Driver Should Try Now

• Key Takeaways:
• Waze, Simple Radio, GasBuddy, SpotHero and Weather on the Way all extend CarPlay with real-world benefits: navigation, radio, fuel prices, parking, and route weather.
• Waze’s crowdsourced alerts and Simple Radio’s 90,000+ stations beat many defaults; GasBuddy and SpotHero save money and time; Weather on the Way maps forecasts along your route.
• Expect trade-offs: ads, location sharing, data use, regional limits (GasBuddy US/Canada, some Weather alerts), and paywalls for advanced features.

Why swap default CarPlay apps?

Apple CarPlay integrates many iPhone apps into a vehicle’s infotainment system, but third-party apps often solve specific driving pain points better than stock alternatives.

These five apps were chosen for practical gains: clearer navigation, broader radio selection, cheaper fuel, guaranteed parking, and actionable weather on a trip-by-trip basis.

Waze — community-driven navigation

What it does

Waze relies on real-time, crowdsourced reports to surface traffic, hazards, and police alerts. It’s widely rated by users and often finds faster routes than generic mapping apps.

Pros and cons

Pros: fast rerouting, voice options, easy integration with Spotify/Apple Music. Cons: UI clutter from many reports, ad displays when stopped, and variable report quality.

Simple Radio — global stations in your dash

What it does

Simple Radio streams more than 90,000 radio stations worldwide, removing FM range limits and surfacing genre filters, sports and news stations directly through CarPlay.

Pros and cons

Pros: broad discovery, familiar live radio experience. Cons: continuous mobile-data use, intrusive ads on the free tier, and the need for a reliable signal for uninterrupted playback.

GasBuddy — find the cheapest fill-ups

What it does

GasBuddy aggregates user-reported fuel prices and shows stations filtered by fuel type. The app also offers trip cost tools, receipt contests, and ways to earn discounts.

Pros and cons

Pros: can save money and time. Cons: available only in the U.S. and Canada, requires continuous location access, and the free version contains ads and promos.

SpotHero — reserve parking in advance

What it does

SpotHero lists and lets you reserve parking across hundreds of cities. Listings include pricing, availability windows, photos and user reviews so you can book before you arrive.

Pros and cons

Pros: reduces parking uncertainty and often offers discounts. Cons: service fees, some garages may not honor reservations, requires payment details and iPhone running iOS 14+.

Weather on the Way — forecast for the whole route

What it does

This app shows weather conditions for stops along your route and updates forecasts based on your ETA. It also provides precipitation radar, road-surface notes and sunrise/sunset times.

Pros and cons

Pros: excellent situational awareness for trips; free tier is ad-free. Cons: advanced features like live radar and alternate routes are behind a subscription; full weather warnings are limited to certain countries.

How these apps were selected

These choices are based on long-term, hands-on use and positive App Store ratings. Each app was evaluated for safety, utility while driving, and whether it meaningfully improves on built-in CarPlay functionality.