Consumer Reports has tested more than 100 portable GPS units ranging in price from $90 to $450 dollars.
They come with lots of features, including traffic information that show delays on your route.
Tester Jeff Bartlett said many new models provide traffic information for free, although there are small ads that may pop up on screen.
Then there's voice recognition, which is found on the most expensive GPS units.
You can operate menus and enter an address hands-free by speaking a command.
Bartlett said the function isn't foolproof.
"Our tests found that voice recognition doesn't work well enough to justify the cost," he said.
But text-to-speech is a low-cost feature worth having. Rather than simply hearing "turn left," you're given the street name as well.
Another good feature is the reality view. It displays a 3D view of exits and intersections. And "lane assist" shows you the best lane to be in for an upcoming turn.
In the end, Consumer Reports recommends the TomTom One 140 S. It costs around $160 dollars and the advantage of a portable is you can use it on trips in your rental car.
Almost all of the new smart phones have GPS applications.
Consumer Reports' tests find the navigation on some can work just as well as a traditional GPS unit but the smaller screens can be tough to see and the smaller buttons harder to use.
With a report from CTV British Columbia's Chris Olsen
