A Better Route Planner (ABRP) is one of the most popular EV trip planning apps available today, earning strong ratings of 4.7/5 on the App Store and 4.4/5 on Google Play. Designed specifically for electric vehicle routing, it promises accurate range predictions, intelligent charging stop recommendations, and stress-free long-distance travel. But does the app live up to the hype? If you’re considering ABRP’s free plan or its Premium subscription starting at €5 per month, it’s worth looking beyond the marketing claims. While ABRP is widely praised for its detailed route planning capabilities, real user reviews reveal recurring concerns around app stability, Android Auto performance, navigation reliability, and charging estimate accuracy. To help you make an informed decision, we analyzed more than 100 user reviews from the Google Play Store and Apple App Store. In this blog, we’ll break down what EV drivers consistently love about ABRP, the most common complaints, and whether the app delivers on its promise of making EV travel easier and more predictable. Table of Contents An Overview of A Better Route Planner How We Collected and Analyzed These Reviews What Do Users Like Most About A Better Route Planner? What Are the Most Common Complaints About A Better Route Planner? Pros and Cons of A Better Route Planner Based on User Reviews 3 Alternatives to A Better Route Planner Worth Considering Find Reliable Multi-Stop Route Planning With Upper FAQs on A Better Route Planner Reviews An Overview of A Better Route Planner A Better Route Planner (ABRP) is a consumer EV route planning app designed to help electric vehicle drivers plan road trips with optimized charging stops. Originally created by Iternio, ABRP was acquired by Rivian and now supports over 1,000 EV models with real-world consumption data. The app calculates optimal routes based on battery range prediction, elevation changes, weather conditions, and charger availability. AspectsDetails App Store Rating4.7/5 Google Play Rating4.4/5 (1M+ downloads) Best ForEV owners planning road trips with optimized charging stops Starting PriceFree (Premium: €5/month or €50/year) Free Trial14-day free trial, no payment info required Free PlanYes (route calculation, 1,000+ EV models, charger search, mobile navigation, vehicle live data) Key CapabilitiesEV route optimization, charging stop planning, live navigation, CarPlay/Android Auto (Premium), live traffic and weather (Premium), OBD-II live data The table below breaks down which features are available in the free plan vs. what requires a Premium subscription. FeatureFreePremium Optimal Route CalculationYesYes 1,000+ Data-Driven EV ModelsYesYes Customizable Routing PreferencesYesYes Save and Share PlansYesYes Vehicle Live Data (OBD-II)YesYes Mobile NavigationYesYes Charger Search and FiltersYesYes Community Charger DataYesYes Live Traffic IntegrationNoYes Weather Forecasts in PlanningNoYes Real-Time Charger AvailabilityNoYes Android Auto NavigationNoYes Apple CarPlay NavigationNoYes Speed Camera WarningsNoYes Multiple Vehicle ManagementNoYes Drive and Charge HistoryNoYes Priority Email SupportNoYes Apple Watch IntegrationNoYes Users rate ABRP highly for route accuracy and EV model coverage but consistently flag app stability issues, Android Auto bugs, and inaccurate charging estimates. The reviews below dig into these patterns. How We Collected and Analyzed These Reviews ABRP is a consumer mobile app, not enterprise B2B software. It does not have a listing on G2 or Capterra, the platforms typically used for SaaS product reviews. For this analysis, we sourced reviews from the Google Play Store and Apple App Store, which are the primary platforms where EV drivers leave detailed feedback after real trips. Our methodology: Scanned 100+ user reviews across the Google Play Store and Apple App Store published between 2024 and 2026 Categorized reviews by recurring themes: route accuracy, charging stop planning, app stability, Android Auto/CarPlay integration, premium value, and charger data reliability Prioritized reviews with substantive detail describing specific trip experiences, vehicle models, and measurable outcomes (selected 11 representative reviews covering different EV brands and use cases) Excluded one-line star ratings with no context or actionable insight The following sections present the most representative positive and negative feedback from real ABRP users. What Do Users Like Most About A Better Route Planner? Positive reviews cluster around a few consistent themes: long-distance trip planning accuracy, preferred charger network selection, OBD-II integration value, and the app’s ability to outperform built-in vehicle navigation for multi-stop EV trips. Users who connect their vehicle via OBD-II and subscribe to Premium report the highest satisfaction. This is, by far, the best tool for making longer trips in an EV. I've made several long trips in my Ioniq 5 and this is what made it workable. I was able to drive across five states and use only my preferred provider. Multi-state trip planning with preferred charger selection is the most frequently cited strength across positive reviews. Users with Hyundai, Kia, and Ford EVs consistently report ABRP outperforms their built-in EV navigation for long distances. So much better than I expected. If longer journeys are a regular thing then ABRP premium is an absolute must. integration with the cars system and planning a route on the app or a on computer makes it much better than any other planner I've used. Users who subscribe to Premium and connect their vehicle via OBD-II or cloud API report the highest satisfaction, citing the cross-device planning (computer to phone to car) as a standout workflow. This is such a great app. I have a Kia EV6, and couldn't imagine having my car without this app. It's so well done and is better than the in-car app for long distance EV trip planning. I always recommend this app to my friends who have, or are getting, an EV. “Better than the built-in nav” is a recurring comparison point. Users frequently note that automaker navigation systems lack the charging optimization depth that ABRP provides. Everything just works and now it's connected to my OBDII port it has saved us money on every long journey. I particularly like the timer that appears when charging, so I don't overcharge and cost me extra pennies. The OBD-II connection for live battery data is a feature that users who invest in the hardware consistently praise for improving prediction accuracy and reducing unnecessary charging costs. I really enjoy the app for what it allows me to do for long distance trips, my EV has a horrible built-in navigation app, which has led me to non-functioning chargers. I have an experience with A Better Route Planner. I'm able to pre-program my trips, use my ODB reader to get live readings of my energy usage, and efficiently manage my car through the trip. This review reflects a common pattern among long-distance EV drivers: ABRP fills a gap left by poor built-in navigation, and the OBD reader integration adds real value for managing energy usage across multi-state trips. ABRP consistently delivers on long-distance trip planning with optimized charging stops, especially when paired with OBD-II hardware for live data. Users who invest in the Premium tier and vehicle connectivity report the highest satisfaction, and the app frequently outperforms built-in OEM navigation for multi-stop EV trips. What Are the Most Common Complaints About A Better Route Planner? The most frequent complaints center on app crashes and instability during real-time navigation, Android Auto/CarPlay bugs, inaccurate charging time estimates, and charger data reliability issues. Many negative reviews come from Premium subscribers who feel the paid experience does not meet expectations. On a 2024 equinox EV, this app gets progressively laggier and laggier until it crashes. Also, most of the text-to-speech function refuses to function in the app. If you're moving, it locks out. The ability to type, so voice is the only way to change anything while you're on the move. Do anything when you speak. This app is nearly unusable on a long trip due to the lag and crashing Progressive lag leading to crashes is the single most cited complaint across negative reviews, with users on Pixel, Samsung, and Chevrolet infotainment systems all reporting the same behavior on trips over 200 miles. The android auto feature does not work well. - changing the cars current battery level during navigation is impossible, but even leaving nav to adjust doesnt always correctly update when resuming nav. - the interface is horrifically laggy. trying to scroll the map is near impossible, and even when it does work, it doesnt stay scrolled and will zoom back in. It was so laggy it was causing my phone to overheat. Android Auto lag and overheating is a persistent issue that multiple reviewers report across different phone models and vehicle brands, making the Premium subscription’s key feature unreliable for many users. It can give you places to charge. It gives it based on faulty information. It assumes a charge will happen at the theoretical max of the charging station not the max of the vehicle. Even if it assumed the theoretical max of the vehicle would be better but the charge times are 3 to 5 times actual real-world. Charging time inaccuracy frustrates users who plan tight schedules. When the app assumes station max rates instead of vehicle-specific charging curves, predicted stop times can be significantly shorter than reality. First and foremost, it seems like all the speed limits are in kph rather than mph. I have my info displayed in mph. As an example, on my way to work, the speed limit was listed as 112 and my speed at 70. It was a bit of an annoyance. Secondly, the efficiency at 65mph used to display into the hundredths digit on the phone screen when running navigation through CarPlay. Now it only displays in the full ones digit and I can't get more precise data without going into the reference data in my app. Major version updates introducing regressions is a recurring complaint across both app stores. Premium subscribers are especially frustrated when updates break features they rely on, like unit display accuracy and CarPlay data precision. The app work great for about 2 hour with a complicated road trip to Portland Oregon. Then for no discernible reason it stopped planning routes. I tried simpler routes which no longer worked and I tried deleting and reinstalling the app and I tried the Reset Settings option and tried different cars but it wouldn't work. I also tried the website in safari but that didn't seem to work either. Route planning failures that appear without warning and persist through reinstalls are reported on both iOS and Android. When even simple routes stop calculating, users lose trust in the app’s reliability for trip-critical planning. The best of bad options. ABRP is broken in some fundamental ways that they refuse to fix. Most importantly, routing using traffic data means that ABRP routing will only believe a road is viable if someone in their dataset has driven it recently. Elsewise ABRP treats the road as closed, which means routing fundamentally breaks in rural areas. The traffic data dependency creates a catch-22: enabling it breaks rural routing, but disabling it removes real-time traffic avoidance. Users in less-traveled regions report this as a fundamental design flaw. The negative patterns cluster around three core issues: app stability that degrades during real-time navigation, Android Auto/CarPlay integration that underdelivers on the Premium promise, and charging data (both time estimates and station accuracy) that cannot always be trusted. For users who need reliable, crash-free route guidance during actual drives, these concerns represent meaningful risk. See it in action Optimize Multi-Stop Routes Without the Crashes Upper builds optimized routes for hundreds of stops across your entire fleet in under a minute, with real-time GPS tracking that works reliably every time. Try for Free → Pros and Cons of A Better Route Planner Based on User Reviews The following pros and cons are synthesized directly from the review patterns above, not from first-hand assessment. Each entry traces back to specific themes observed across the 11 reviews analyzed. ProsCons Best-in-class long-distance EV trip planning with optimized charging stop placementApp crashes and progressive lag during real-time navigation, especially on trips over 200 miles Supports 1,000+ EV models with real-world consumption data and OBD-II live connectivityAndroid Auto and CarPlay integration is buggy, laggy, and causes phone overheating Outperforms most built-in OEM navigation systems for multi-stop EV charging routesCharging time estimates assume station max rates instead of vehicle-specific curves, leading to significant inaccuracies Strong free tier covers core route planning without requiring PremiumUpdates frequently remove or relocate established settings, frustrating long-time users Preferred charger network selection lets users plan around their favorite providersCharger database includes inaccurate locations and recommends excluded networks despite filter settings ABRP works well for EV owners who primarily use it as a pre-trip planning tool on the web or desktop, where the stability issues are less impactful. For users who need reliable real-time navigation during drives, or who expect the Premium-tier Android Auto/CarPlay experience to match Google Maps reliability, the cons represent real friction. For anyone needing multi-stop commercial route optimization rather than EV trip planning, ABRP is not designed for that use case at all. 3 Alternatives to A Better Route Planner Worth Considering EV route planners like ABRP optimize around charging infrastructure and battery state. Multi-stop route optimizers serve a different purpose entirely: they handle stop sequencing, time windows, driver assignment, and fleet dispatch for delivery and field service operations. If the stability issues are pushing you toward alternatives, or if you need commercial multi-stop routing that ABRP was never designed for, these three tools serve different route planning needs. AspectsUpper Route PlannerRouteXLSpoke G2 Rating4.8/54.2/55.0/5 Starting PriceFree (20 stops); $40/user/mo (fleet)Free (20 stops); EUR 35/mo (100 stops)$10/driver/mo Pricing ModelPer-userPer-stop tierPer-driver Free Trial / Free PlanFree route planner (20 stops, no account); 7-day fleet trialFree plan (20 stops/route)Not specified Key LimitationGPS/POD requires Professional plan ($48/user/mo)No mobile app, no GPS tracking, no dispatchLimited fleet management and dispatch capabilities Best ForMulti-stop route optimization for delivery fleets and field service teamsBasic web-based multi-stop route planning for solo usersSolo drivers and small delivery teams needing mobile-first routing Where ABRP optimizes routes around EV charging stations, Upper optimizes multi-stop sequences for delivery fleets and field service teams, factoring in time windows, vehicle capacity, and driver availability. For operations managing multiple drivers, Upper provides centralized dispatch, real-time GPS tracking, and proof of delivery, all capabilities that consumer route planners like ABRP do not offer. Upper’s fleet management software handles the full workflow from route planning through delivery confirmation. See it in action Plan Optimized Fleet Routes In Seconds With Upper Upper handles multi-stop route optimization for delivery and field service teams with one-click dispatch, GPS tracking, and proof of delivery in one platform. Try Upper for Free → Find Reliable Multi-Stop Route Planning With Upper Users consistently praise A Better Route Planner for its long-distance EV trip planning and charging stop optimization. The app supports over 1,000 EV models, outperforms most built-in vehicle navigation systems, and offers a generous free tier for occasional trip planning. At the same time, persistent complaints about app crashes during navigation, unreliable Android Auto/CarPlay integration, and inaccurate charging time estimates mean the real-time driving experience often falls short of the planning experience. For users who need route optimization beyond EV trip planning, specifically multi-stop routing for deliveries, field service, or fleet operations, Upper provides optimized routes for hundreds of stops, one-click driver dispatch, real-time GPS tracking, and proof of delivery in one platform. Upper Crew manages multi-driver fleets with centralized dispatch, tracking, and analytics from a single dashboard. Upper Solo serves independent operators who need to optimize their daily routes on mobile. Book a demo to see how Upper handles multi-stop route optimization for your team. FAQs on A Better Route Planner Reviews 1. Is A Better Route Planner good for long road trips? Based on user reviews, ABRP excels at pre-trip planning with optimized charging stops, especially when paired with OBD-II hardware for live battery data. However, app stability issues during real-time navigation (crashes, lag, overheating) mean many users plan on ABRP but navigate with Google Maps or built-in nav. For trip planning accuracy, A Better Route Planner reviews are overwhelmingly positive. For in-drive reliability, the experience is mixed. 2. What do users complain about most with A Better Route Planner? The most frequent complaints in A Better Route Planner reviews center on three issues: app crashes and progressive lag during drives over 200 miles, Android Auto/CarPlay integration that is buggy and causes phone overheating, and charging time estimates that assume station max rates rather than vehicle-specific charging curves. Users also report charger database inaccuracies and frustration with UX changes in major updates. 3. How does A Better Route Planner compare to alternatives like Upper? ABRP and Upper serve fundamentally different use cases. ABRP optimizes EV road trips around charging stations and battery management for individual drivers. Upper optimizes multi-stop routes for delivery fleets and field service teams, handling hundreds of stops across multiple drivers with dispatch, GPS tracking, and proof of delivery. If you need commercial multi-stop route optimization rather than EV charging planning, Upper is the better fit. 4. Is A Better Route Planner Premium worth paying for? At €5/month or €50/year (with a 14-day free trial requiring no payment info), ABRP Premium unlocks Android Auto/CarPlay, live traffic, weather forecasts, real-time charger availability, speed cameras, and multi-vehicle management.Users who travel frequently and connect via OBD-II generally find Premium worth it for the planning depth. However, many reviewers report that the Android Auto experience is too buggy to justify the cost, and some find the free tier sufficient for occasional trip planning. 5. Is A Better Route Planner more accurate than Tesla’s built-in navigation? Based on user reviews, ABRP outperforms Tesla’s built-in navigation for multi-brand charger selection and trip customization, since Tesla nav routes primarily to Superchargers. However, Tesla’s native nav benefits from seamless vehicle integration, automatic battery preconditioning, and more stable real-time performance.Users who drive non-Tesla EVs consistently rate ABRP as the better option, while some Tesla owners find the built-in system sufficient for most trips. 6. Does A Better Route Planner work well with Android Auto and CarPlay? Android Auto and CarPlay support requires the Premium subscription (€5/month or €50/year). Based on user reviews, the Android Auto experience is one of the most criticized features, with reports of severe lag, phone overheating, UI elements getting stuck, and the inability to update battery level while navigating.CarPlay receives fewer complaints but still has reported stability issues. Many users plan routes in the app or web version and then navigate with Google Maps instead. 7. Does A Better Route Planner work offline? ABRP requires an internet connection for route calculation, charger data, and live features like traffic and weather.There is no offline mode for route planning. This is a concern for users traveling through areas with poor cell coverage, as the app cannot recalculate or provide charger information without connectivity. Some users report switching to their vehicle’s built-in navigation in low-signal areas. 8. Is A Better Route Planner free to use? Yes. ABRP offers a generous free tier that includes route calculation, support for 1,000+ EV models, charger search and filtering, mobile navigation, and vehicle live data via OBD-II. Premium features like Android Auto/CarPlay, live traffic, weather forecasts, and real-time charger availability require a subscription at €5/month or €50/year. Many users find the free version sufficient for occasional trip planning. 9. Can A Better Route Planner handle plug-in hybrids? Currently, ABRP does not support plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs). Multiple users have reported frustration that their PHEV models are not available in the vehicle selection, and the “request a missing vehicle” function does not always work. The app is designed exclusively for fully electric vehicles and their charging needs. 10. Has ABRP improved since Rivian acquired it? Reviews are mixed on post-acquisition changes. ABRP 7.0 (January 2026) introduced up to nine route alternatives and a redesigned interface, but many long-time users report that the update removed or relocated settings they relied on.Some reviewers note that Rivian’s terms of service are now required, and a few report that Premium features like OBD-II connectivity have become less reliable. Other users praise ongoing improvements to route calculation accuracy and the new charger reliability data.
