Your phone as the GPS in a rental car abroad
Skipping the rental company's sat nav works well if the phone is ready: a data line for maps and traffic, offline maps for the stretches without signal, a mount and a cable. CarPlay and Android Auto put the phone's maps on the car's screen, but the data still comes from your phone, and both have country and car limits worth checking before you collect the keys.
See the Europe packWhat CarPlay and Android Auto actually need
Google lists the requirements for Android Auto plainly: a phone with Android 11 or later and an active data plan, a compatible car and a good USB cable. The wireless version also needs a phone with 5 GHz Wi-Fi. Apple asks for a car that supports CarPlay, a country or region where CarPlay is available and Siri turned on; you plug the iPhone into the car's USB port, or pair it wirelessly if the car allows it.
Not every rental car has either, and the booking page rarely guarantees a specific model. Ask at the desk, and pack your own cable in any case, with the right plug at both ends: a car with only USB-C ports and a USB-A cable in your bag, or the other way round, leaves the phone on the passenger seat instead of on the dashboard screen.
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Will it work on my phone?
On iPhone: Settings → General → About, and scroll to EID. If there is an EID, your phone takes eSIMs. Every iPhone from the XS (2018) onwards does.
On Android: Settings → About phone → Status, and look for EID. If there is an EID, your phone takes eSIMs. Most Galaxy S20, Pixel 3 and later do.
It also has to be carrier-unlocked. If you bought it outright or your contract is over, it almost certainly is.
Not sure about your model? Ask us before you pay and we will tell you — a person answers within 24 hours.
How it works
- 1Choose and payCard, Apple Pay or Google Pay. No account.
- 2Install it at homeThe QR arrives by email. Scan it on wifi in a minute.
- 3Connect when you landTurn on data roaming for the eSIM and you are online.
The car's screen, your phone's data
With CarPlay or Android Auto, the maps, traffic and rerouting are those of the apps on your phone, and they load over your phone's connection. Google's setup steps even include checking that the phone has mobile data signal before you start. If your home line is expensive outside your country, the line set for mobile data needs to be the travel eSIM before you drive off.
Navigation itself uses little data compared with video or social media, as we measured in how much data Google Maps uses. What catches people out on a road trip is borders: a country pack stops at the border, and some coastal roads cross another country for a few kilometres. Our road trip guide lists the stretches where that happens.
Offline maps for the gaps and the countries left out
Download the whole area of the trip on the hotel or home Wi-Fi. In Google Maps, driving directions inside a downloaded area work with no connection, though without live traffic; the steps are in using Google Maps offline, and the iPhone version in using Apple Maps offline. Mountain passes and rural valleys are where you will be glad you did.
There is a second reason. Google publishes the list of countries where Android Auto is available and says that most features won't work outside them; Greece, Croatia and Iceland are not on that list. Apple publishes its own list of countries for CarPlay. If your route goes through a country that is missing, plan to navigate on the phone itself, held in a mount, with the maps already downloaded.
Set the route before you pull out
In Spain, the traffic law forbids using phones or navigation devices while driving unless it is done without hands. The points table is specific: holding a phone in your hand while driving costs 6 points, and using a navigator or a phone manually in any other way costs 3. Both are serious offences, and the law sets the fine for serious offences at 200 euros. Other countries have their own rules, and none of them rewards tapping a screen at a roundabout.
The practical routine is the same everywhere: phone in a mount, destination entered while parked, voice guidance on, and any change of plan made by voice or by the passenger. If you need to search for a petrol station or a car park, pull over first.
Before you hand the keys back
Connecting by Bluetooth or CarPlay leaves your phone's name in the car's system and, if you accepted the prompts, often your contacts and call history too. Before returning the car, open the infotainment settings, find the list of paired phones and delete yours. If the car asks to sync contacts when you first connect, you can usually say no and still use navigation.
On your iPhone, Apple's steps to remove a car are Settings, General, CarPlay, tap the car, then Forget This Car. Then check the USB ports and the glovebox for your cable and mount. If you also need data for the rest of the trip, Snoozim's Europe pack covers the 33 countries most road trips go through.
Does CarPlay or Android Auto use mobile data?
Yes. The maps and apps run on your phone and use its connection, so the phone needs a data line or maps downloaded in advance.
Can I use my phone as a GPS without data?
Yes, for driving. Download offline maps of the area first; directions inside the downloaded area work without a connection, but without live traffic.
Is it legal to touch the GPS while driving in Spain?
No. Using a navigator or phone manually while driving costs 3 points, and holding the phone in your hand costs 6. Set the destination before you move.
Does the car's built-in sat nav use my data?
No. Built-in navigation runs on the car's own system, so it does not depend on your phone's data plan.
Get your eSIM before you fly: the QR arrives by email in minutes and the plan only starts when you connect at your destination.
See the Europe pack