TomTom vs Garmin HGV sat navs (2026): which truck unit to put in your cab

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Ask ten HGV drivers whether TomTom or Garmin makes the better truck sat nav and you'll get five of each, and a couple of them will be very loud about it. We've been through the Amazon reviews, the spec sheets and the forum arguments for the five units that matter in the UK: three Garmin dēzl models and two TomTom GO Expert Plus sizes. This is where each one is genuinely better, and who should buy which.

If you haven't read our main guide to the best HGV and truck sat navs in the UK, start there. This one assumes you've narrowed it to these two brands.

The line-ups

Garmin's truck range is the dēzl family. The dēzl LGV610 is the 6-inch unit at around £299.99. The dēzl LGV800 MT-S is the older 8-inch at around £329.99, and the dēzl LGV820 is the current 8-inch flagship at around £399.99.

TomTom keeps it simpler. The GO Expert Plus 6-Inch is around £279.99 and the GO Expert Plus 7-Inch is around £319.99. Same software, same maps, different screen.

Spec sheet, side by side

Unit	Price (around)	Screen	Maps	Traffic	Standout feature
Garmin dēzl LGV610	£299.99	6-inch	UK and Europe	Live traffic	Birdseye satellite imagery, HGV parking locator
Garmin dēzl LGV800 MT-S	£329.99	8-inch	UK and Europe, lifetime updates included	Live traffic, needs phone data	Multiple mounting options, big screen for the money
Garmin dēzl LGV820	£399.99	8-inch	UK and Europe	Live traffic	Wind radar, voice control, truck and trailer services
TomTom GO Expert Plus 6-Inch	£279.99	6-inch HD	World, WiFi updates	TomTom Traffic included	Live restriction warnings, USB-C
TomTom GO Expert Plus 7-Inch	£319.99	7-inch HD	World, WiFi updates	TomTom Traffic included	Same as the 6-inch with more glass

Routing, which is the only thing that really matters

Both brands let you build a vehicle profile with height, weight, width, length and hazardous load class, and both route around bridges and weight limits using it. Where they differ is temperament. Garmin's routing gets praised repeatedly for being decisive on awkward UK A-roads, the kind where a hesitant instruction at a five-way roundabout puts you on the wrong exit with nowhere to turn. TomTom's live restriction warnings are the counterpunch: it flags closures and restriction changes as they happen, which Garmin's units don't do as visibly.

Neither is infallible. Reviews for both brands include the occasional "it tried to send me down a lane" story. What we didn't find for either was a pattern of routing under bridges, which is the failure that actually ends careers.

Screens and mounts

Garmin gives you a choice of 6 or 8 inches. TomTom gives you 6 or 7. In practice the LGV800 and LGV820's 8-inch screens are the biggest you can put in a cab without it feeling like a tablet, and drivers doing long motorway stints tend to prefer them. The LGV800 in particular ships with several mounting configurations, which matters in older cabs with odd dash angles.

TomTom's units use a magnetic click mount that drivers like for taking the unit out of the cab overnight. Six inches on the GO Expert Plus feels small to some HGV drivers, which is why the 7-inch exists. TomTom sells both screens as HD, a claim Garmin doesn't make for the LGV610.

Maps and updates

This is TomTom's clearest win. World maps come included, not just Europe, and updates arrive over WiFi without plugging into a PC. If you do international work, or you just never get round to the laptop, that's a real difference. Garmin's dēzl units cover the UK and Europe, which is all most drivers need, and the LGV800 MT-S includes lifetime map updates in the price. World coverage is the gap, not the quality of what's there.

Traffic

TomTom Traffic is included on both GO Expert Plus sizes and it's generally very good, though we've seen consistent complaints that accuracy varies by region. Garmin's dēzl units list live traffic as well, with the LGV800 MT-S explicit that it needs your phone's data connection for it. Plan on pairing a phone to whichever Garmin you buy, which is fine until you're somewhere with no signal.

The extras

Garmin's LGV820 has two features TomTom doesn't answer. Wind radar warns high-sided vehicles about crosswinds ahead, and curtainsider drivers in the reviews rate it. Voice control means less prodding at a screen at 56mph. All three dēzl units have Birdseye satellite imagery, which shows you the actual yard before you turn in.

TomTom's answer is practicality. USB-C charging, WiFi updates, a cleaner interface that more drivers describe as easy to learn, and world maps. Less flashy, more everyday.

What about Snooper?

The Snooper TRUCKMATE S6900 at around £249.99 is the third option for UK-only drivers. It's cheaper than anything above, the speed camera database is the best of the lot, and the MY SPEED display shows the current limit constantly. The trade-off is a dated interface and PC-only map updates. If speed cameras cost you more sleep than European routing, it's worth a look. Otherwise, it's a TomTom or Garmin decision.

Who should buy which

Buy the Garmin dēzl LGV610 if you want the safest all-round pick for UK and European work and a 6-inch screen doesn't bother you. It's the unit we'd choose for most drivers.

Buy the Garmin dēzl LGV820 if you drive a curtainsider or anything high-sided and you'll actually use the wind radar. The extra hundred quid over the LGV610 buys the 8-inch screen and voice control too.

Buy the Garmin dēzl LGV800 MT-S if you want the 8-inch screen for less and you're happy to tether your phone for traffic.

Buy the TomTom GO Expert Plus 6-Inch if you want the cheapest proper truck unit from a big brand, world maps, and updates that don't need a laptop. Go 7-inch if you've got the dash space.

Our verdict

Garmin for routing and cab-specific extras. TomTom for maps, updates and price. There isn't a wrong answer here, which is why the forum arguments never end. What would be wrong is buying a £150 car sat nav instead of either. Current prices and ratings for all of them are in the HGV sat nav product list, and if you're wondering whether a phone app could do the job instead, we've answered that in best HGV sat nav apps in the UK.