Customers consistently note the DriveSmart 86's large and easy-to-see screen, user-friendly interface, and convenient Bluetooth connectivity. Many appreciate the voice command feature, which allows for hands-free navigation, and some even enjoy the integration of Alexa for added functionality. However, a few customers have expressed concerns about the mount and occasional inaccuracies in map updates.
This summary was generated by AI based on customer reviews.
The vast majority of our reviews come from verified purchases. Reviews from customers may include My Best Buy members, employees, and Tech Insider Network members (as tagged). Select reviewers may receive discounted products, promotional considerations or entries into drawings for honest, helpful reviews.
Page 1 Showing 1-20 of 311 reviews
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Best Garmin Car GPS Ever
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Posted . Owned for less than 1 week when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
Hands down the best in car GPS I've ever used. The large 8in screen makes it super easy to read directions and see the map quickly without having to spend a lot of time trying to read off a smaller version or your phone. However with that in mind, finding a suitable mounting position that doesn't block your view of the road may be difficult for some. The included suction cup mount is for WINDOWS only, not your dash. Luckily I have an extra tiny side window (not the main one that you can roll up/down) where it fits perfectly and therefore does not block a single inch of my windshield, side mirror, or actual side window.
The map coverage is superb. All of the new construction around me is there. All the tiny roads, including the dirt ones, are there. Parking lots are there. I'm amazed at how much coverage it provides. Everyone should absolutely install Garmin Express on their computer and update the maps and firmware immediately before use. It's easy, fast, and simple. Garmin releases about 4 map updates a year and they're free for life. Take advantage of that!
It's packed full of features and the device is overall very responsive and doesn't feel sluggish to me at all. It appears to have plenty of processing power to get the job done. I would never use the "OK Garmin" feature so I immediately disabled it - this improved overall performance and responsiveness a lot. I recommend turning it off unless you truly want to try it out. Disabling it boosts performance considerably.
Navigation, directions, etc. are excellent. You can setup a default of "straight" or "fastest" route. You can also view 2 possible routes by using the correct button and not hitting "Go" immediately if you feel like seeing options on where to go. I've used this feature a handful of times and the primary route has always been the fastest and my choice, so now I typically just hit "Go" as I set it up for "Fastest" default routing.
You can also configure the level of detail on the map: less, normal, or more. I chose more, which adds a good bit of extra resolution to the maps without affecting performance too much.
There's also a route planner feature that you can use to plan a trip with multiple stops, order the stops to your liking, and/or then use the "Optimize" feature - very hands for longer drives or if you're a delivery driver.
You can also setup what's displayed on the map, such as gas stations, ATMs, or even a custom search option - which I use myself.
You can also configure the 3 bottom row information boxes. The speed one is permanent, however the other 3 can be changed. Like I said, this GPS is packed with settings, features, and controls beyond anything you'll find on your phone.
It will also alert you to driving conditions, traffic, etc. The included power cable has an HD radio traffic receiver in it. However you must also use the "Garmin Drive" app for further traffic and road conditions information. Overall it's extremely accurate and always spot on. It will offer detours, which can be setup as automatic or as a pop-up (so you can choose if you actually want to or not) which really helps a lot with avoiding traffic. Having two sources (phone data via Garmin Drive plus HD radio) for traffic makes it extra reliable and extra accurate. It often times beats Google Maps or Waze in accuracy. It's amazing.
I suggest when you first open the box doing two things immediately: going through every possible setting, configurable options, windows, etc. and then immediately updating the maps via Garmin Express on your computer before use. This will greatly improve your experience of the device.
I am forever sold on having a standalone true car GPS and will definitely be sticking to Garmin and purchasing the newest model every time they release one. What they have to offer is excellent and it frees up your phone. You can also configure the audio and notifications and stuff to play either through the device itself or through your car speakers (requires Garmin Drive app).
For the money, it's way better than I expected. I am blown away by it. Waze and Google Maps don't come anywhere close to this in level of options and customization. Routing is as good as or better than the phone apps. Traffic is as good as or better than the phone apps. It's well worth the money. I recommend it to everyone. It's truly a marvel of a GPS.
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Screen size
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Best Garmin GPS
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Posted . Owned for 3 months when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
I like that this GPS can be used either horizontally or vertically. Huge screen, brilliant color. I added an anti-glare cover to it. This one access the apps at blazing speed. The updates are also pretty fast through my home WiFi. It’s very thin too.
I would recommend this to a friend
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
LOVE
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Posted . Owned for 2 weeks when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
This gps is amazing!!! Garmin did a wonderful job upgrading the maps and the traffic features. It's so convenient to have real-time traffic updates and alternate route suggestions, especially during rush hour. The voice command feature also makes it easier to navigate while keeping my eyes on the road. The high resolution display and clear audio also make for a great user experience. Overall, I'm very impressed with this GPS and would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a reliable and user-friendly navigation system.
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Screen size
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
Very good GPS
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Posted . Owned for 1 month when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
Big screen size and I can see everything around when I drive
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Gps
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Garmin GPS
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Posted . Owned for 1 month when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
Excellent product direction are easy to follow and accurate.
I would recommend this to a friend
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
My GPS
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Posted . Owned for 1 month when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
The Best GPS in its Class. My Garmin GPS is one of the best Auto Accessories I bought from BestBuy. All information you need to know while driving are at yiur fingertips, from Elevation, Time, Temperature, Speed, Arrival Time, Traffic Situations, Bluetooth for Phones, to nake a few. Very useful and compact. Reasonable in its price,
I would recommend this to a friend
Rated 1 out of 5 stars
Bad device
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Posted . Owned for 6 months when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
I got this 4 mouth a go and now it don't work no more am out of town with no gps. am force to use my phone. For directions and am not set up for that and to top it off am in a snow storm
No, I would not recommend this to a friend
Brand response from GarminProductExpert
Posted .
I'm very sorry to hear about this, Michael! Please get in touch with our automotive experts for further assistance with your DriveSmart. You can contact them at the following link: http://bit.ly/GarminContact-US
Rated 1 out of 5 stars
Don’t waste your money
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Posted . Owned for 1 year when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
This is the worst GPS I’ve ever owned.
Constantly giving wrong turns. Does not alert to traffic or road closures doesnt allow to select a detour route.
No, I would not recommend this to a friend
Brand response from GarminProductExpert
Posted .
Thank you for your review! The issues you are experiencing have solutions. Please view troubleshooting articles or contact Garmin's Product Support team at https://support.garmin.com/en-US/
Pros mentioned:
Gps, Map updates, Screen size
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Love this Garmin
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Posted . Owned for 1 week when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
We purchased a vehicle without navigation, so I found this Garmin to help find places where we need to go. I love the Garmin voice assist to simply finding a destination. There are different sizes in this Garmin, but I really like the 8” dual-orientation display with free map updates. It provides alerts for speed zones and potential hazards ahead. If you are going to take a trip, Trip advisor gives traveler ratings, there is also a directory of U.S. national parks and the history database of notable sites. You can also pair with the Garmin Drive app running on your smartphone for on-screen access to live traffic, fuel prices, parking, weather, and traffic cams to help avoid delays ahead. I really like how it will also alert you to school zones down the road. I haven’t tried this Garmin feature, but it also has Built-in Alexa where you can ask to play music, listen to audiobooks, hear the news and more but you need a compatible smartphone with Alexa on it or connect with your Amazon account.
First of all, you need to connect to your computer (PC or Mac) and download maps then it will use Bluetooth in your vehicle to update. If there is any trouble at all you can call the Garmin help line and they are great and will help to fix the issue. I had a little issue with maps not downloading correctly and the support team helped me to fix my problem in minutes free of charge. There is also a slot in the back for a micro-SD card to expand the maps download so there is no problem with memory being full. All in all, I really like this Garmin and would recommend it to anyone that does not have navigation in their car. It is kind of large so if you have a smaller vehicle you might want to look at a 65,66, 76. We have a minivan, so it doesn’t distract or cover too much of the windshield. I do not really like our Garmin stuck on the windshield, so I purchased an “Adhesive Dashboard Pad Mounting Disk for Suction Cup Phone Mount & Garmin GPS” from Amazon because Best Buy doesn’t sell them. No problem with it shaking or falling off.
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Ease of use, Screen size
Cons mentioned:
Mount
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Large Display Easy to Read While Driving
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Posted . Owned for 2 weeks when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
The large display is great. Very easy to read while driving. It performs as good or better than the built-in navigation in my other vehicle. Since this is a new model I wasn't able to find any other mounts (Garmin or after market) other than the one that came with it. I hard-mounted the suction mount on my dashboard. It is an older Toyota so I was OK with drilling some mounting holes.
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Ease of use, Map updates, Screen size
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Love this new Garmin GPS
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Posted . Owned for 1 month when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
I have had Garmin GPS's for almost 20 years. This is the best yet. The setup was and updating was very easy. Sharp, large, and clear map makes makes it easy to read. Updates construction zones automatically. Very easy to enter multiple destinations with with a predetermined final destination. Haven't tried optimizing my routing yet but I will. Expecting it to be fairly easy. Would buy this again in a heartbeat!
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Ease of use, Gps, Screen size
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Farman GPS
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Posted . Owned for 1 month when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
Screen is big, easy to see everything. You can answer calls using this device as well. Can use voice commands to take you to your destination. Highly recommend this gps system.
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Gps, Screen size
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Great product
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Posted . Owned for more than 2 years when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
Great product. Huge screen,Bluetooth works flawlessly,fast and reliable. Speakers aren’t that great for music but that’s not why I bought it. Honestly didn’t even knew it did that tell after I bought it. What else can I say it’s a Garmin and they make great products.
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Gps, Screen size
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Take me There
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Posted . Owned for 2 months when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
This GPS is amazing. We use it for our shipping team and the screen is big for the deiver to and yoru able to connect your phone so that they can receive text messages and phones and still stay handsfree. The mount also works great since big work flat beds bounce alot and we havent had any issues the GPS falling off the window. Im thinking of buying one for my perosnal truck depesite the fact eveeyones phones these days has GPS. I just really love this thing.
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Ease of use, Screen size
Cons mentioned:
Mount
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Good buy
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Posted . Owned for 1 month when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
Easy to set up and use, nice size screen however sometimes it looses grip from the windshield
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Screen size
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
Garmin DriveSmart 86
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Posted . Owned for 3 months when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
For people familar with Garmin, Its about the same. What I mean is Software is always years behind. Okay, As a product gps-map viewer, gas station (and anything else) Locater it works far better than the most current cell phone, is it worth it? Depends, taking a trip far from normal routes - Heck ya! I really like it when is shows multi cross or hwy Ramps in an automatic exploded view, A great screen most of the time. I would recommand this unit. The not so great. Everytime I have removed, stored and then put back into the vehicle it doesn't remember how to reconnect to the vehicle, this past time it was necessary to re install the app in the phone to get it to talk over the vehicle speakers. Sometimes the voice is so LOUD its unreal, you can turn the radio volumn down when it's Yelling but will regain volumn again the next time it talks. my truck has 3 volumn controls and none will correct it, but it doesnt always do that. Another issue, it does have a brightness control, but only through the menu, when close to dusk the screen is overwhelming in brightness, about 20 minuters after dark it will auto-change to night mode, I have had to turn in off when I can't take the distraction, and cant fiddle with the menu while driving alone.
When it works It is a very nice unit. Another thing to mention is it's power supply. I have plugged directly into the vehicles usb plug with voltage issues, Like the manual states, Use the included cigar plug adapter with a percise voltage, and the adapter has 2 usb plugs, only one is for the Garmin (blue usb to blue usb) Copy!
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Accuracy, Gps, Screen size
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Great GPS
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Posted . Owned for 3 weeks when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
It does everything I expected plus more! The Bluetooth to my iPhone is awesome. The screen size is perfect and the accuracy is great.
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Ease of use, Screen size
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
A Real Game Changer for Navigation!
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Posted . Owned for 1 month when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
I bought this for my mom. It is much easier for her to use than her phone because of the large, clear touchscreen and intuitive controls and voice commands. She has never been able to master her phone GPS app but she picked up on the Garmin right away!
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Ease of use, Map updates, Screen size
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Garmin DriveSmart 8" GPS
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Posted . Owned for 2 months when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
Love the size and ease of use. Map updates very helpful. Consider where you will place if on your windshield as it is larger than older models'. UNFORTUNITLY it does not come with a build-in driver's video camera.
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Ease of use, Gps, Screen size
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Great product
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Posted . Owned for 1 month when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
Works great love the speed alert and the Bluetooth option to run though my vehicles stereo. Screen is large and easy to use. Would recommend if you need GPS.