You might not have the most modern car on the road but that doesn't mean you can't have all the latest tech. You don't have to layout for a new motor in order to stream music from your phone, or let your passengers enjoy 4G connected internet over a local Wi-Fi hotspot.
We've found the best kit you can buy now to upgrade your car to make it more connected. It's not going to turn the dashboard into a Tesla over night but it'll certainly make your wheels more gadget friendly without the cost of buying a new car.
Car streamers
For a quick and easy way to stream music from your mobile to your car stereo you can pick up a Bluetooth adapter. One example is the Justop BTR006 Bluetooth Wireless Stereo Audio Receiver which plugs into the 3.5mm aux port on any stereo. It then receives A2DP quality audio over Bluetooth meaning quality music playback from anything on your mobile.
It's only £13 on Amazon but does require a charge after 12 hours, but this can be done via USB so if your car has that, or you've bought an adapter (see below), this shouldn't be an issue.
READ: Which is the best music streaming service in the UK? Spotify vs Rdio vs Deezer and more
For HTC owners there's a brand specific streamer called the HTC Car StereoClip Audio Bridge. This connects to your AUX in the car stereo and to your phone via Bluetooth. Thanks to aptX streaming the quality of your music should be tip-top and since it's over Bluetooth it'll work with Spotify, or any other music service you use, included stored tunes. It's on Amazon for £58 now.
Charge via USB
Most cars now come with some iteration of a USB port allowing you to charge your gadgets from the car when on the go. For those that don't there's a simple solution. The Veetop Dual USB High Speed Car Charger is one of many variations on the theme offering USB power via the car's 12v power output.
The Veetop features two ports allowing you not only to charge more than one device at a time but also, using the 3.4Amp output, fast charge your kit. Ideal for phones where you only have a short journey time to charge. The Veetop is available for £10 but there are simpler versions for even less.
Wi-Fi connectivity
The latest way to upgrade your car to offer its very own Wi-Fi hotspot is to buy EE's Buzzard 2. This plugs into the car's 12v power slot and uses Cat 4 4G to offer a local Wi-Fi network so anyone in your car can enjoy high-speed connectivity on the go. It also doubles as a charger with a USB port on the front so phones and tablets can also be charged while in use.
The EE Buzzard 2 is £80 with 100MB per month of free data if bought before 31 January 2015, and other data plan available too.
G-Force monitor and camera
It's not only top end sports cars that offer G Force readouts when going round corners. You can now buy a dashcam that double as a GPS and G-Force sensor. The NextBase InCarCam 101 is on sale now at Halfords for £50.
Buying a dashcam with sensor readouts isn't just about fun though, it'll also bring the price of your car insurance down with Swiftcover offering 12.5 per cent off if you buy this dashcam.
Satnavs
Some cars have satnav built into the dash while plenty of people simply use their mobiles as an alternative. But it's still hard to beat a purpose built sat nav. They have maps downloaded so losing connectivity isn't an issue, the screen is large and clear, they sit in a mount so they can be viewed easily and they plug into the car's power supply. Then of course there's the added extra of live traffic update options allowing you to avoid accidents and pile-ups.
Garmin and TomTom are the leaders in Satnavs. How much you want to spend can vary from £80 up to £370. And, of course, you can add special voices to direct you making it worth the money alone, surely?
READ: 10 Star Wars satnav voices we'd like to see
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