Will my USA tomtom GPS work in the U.K.?

I kinda doubt it..in fact im pretty sure it wont. But what would you recommend for this? My situation is Ill be renting a car as I get set up in the UK. I know that rentals come with NAV system but as im staying in britain I want to buy one, preferably as soon as i arrive at airport.
Should I just get rid of my old tomtom before i move? Its almost 3 years old (thats about the 16th century in gps years) and if i would have to pay for UK mapping on it, maybe i should just buy a new one? Any opinions or advice? thanks

Why wouldn't it work in the UK? As long as you have UK/Europe maps loaded, there shouldn't be any reason for it not to work - otherwise what would be the point in being able to by foreign maps for it if you couldn't use it in other countries? You should be able to charge it through the cigar/cigarette lighter in a UK car, as I believe the lighters are standard across all countries. Obviously it's up to you if you want to buy a new one though.

P.S. We've taken our UK Sat Nav (with European maps loaded) to France and Belgium and it worked fine there.

Sorry I can't resist............the TomToms don't work in the US so it would be nice if they would work some place. Meow.
I bought mine on QVC a few years ago and they should have offered a session with a psycho. to go with it. Many has been the time I've wanted to throw it as far as I could and even farther than that.
I think most GPS's now carry a warning that says something like 'don't follow the directions on the GPS"

I have a Garmin satnav with worldwide maps and use it in the UK, USA and Asia. You should be able to load uk maps on to the Tom Tom memory card, and use in your UK rental car. Power outlets in vehicles appear to be universal so no problem there.

Any opinions or advice?

Do you have a smartphone?  If so, just use google maps if you've got an Android phone or whatever Apple map app comes with the iPhones.  Either way, it's free. 

Do you have a smartphone?  If so, just use google maps if you've got an Android phone or whatever Apple map app comes with the iPhones.  Either way, it's free. 

My suggestion was going to be this-- don't bother buying a new one, wait until you get your phone over here, if it is a newer smartphone you will be able to have a satnav app no problem. Personally I like the Navfree app on my android phone.

If you do rely on maps on your smart  phone do remember to purchase a UK sim, or you might get hit with a large bill on returning home.

My daughter's Garmin is from the US, and I can download UK maps on it, so I don't see why yours shouldn't work. For my routine commuting, I've downloaded Waze for free.

My daughter's Garmin is from the US, and I can download UK maps on it, so I don't see why yours shouldn't work. For my routine commuting, I've downloaded Waze for free.

How are you liking Waze? I used a different GPS app for ages, and I'm trying Waze, but I'm not sure it would be as useful for what I want it for (getting to new places).  And I always seem to end up places GPS/3G etc.

I like Waze.  I've used it to go to unfamiliar places, and it has proven reliable.  I also like the way it shows reported hazards on my routes.  Where I live, the nearest TV stations (50 miles away) don't always cover things that would delay me in traffic.  

I've also had good luck with Telenav's free version, which came on my Android phone.

Hi,

Some good points above!

The particular unit you have may or may not accept new maps, some of the earlier standalone units for instance couldn't accept for instance. You've not said which model you have so by looking at that, and cross checking with the TomTom website, you can determine if it can accept new maps or not. For you information, GPS signals are the same the world over as it's provided by the USA's satellites orbiting the earth.

Assuming it can, then you'll need to purchase the UK map and upload to the device. There will be instructions on the tomtom website to help you with this or, you can drop them a support email, in case you don't have the documentation that came with your device.

If it can't, then you have multiple choices as per above. Some GPS software solutions are indeed free, some paid for versions work much better than the free ones, other's have better interaction and usage and others provide better overall better value for money etc. Only you can decide which is the best solution for you.

I personally use Co-Pilot on my smart phone as I prefer to have less 'boxes' to lug around etc. Excellent value for money at £27 for UK mapping and £29 for USA and Canada maps. I tried some of the freeby GPS products and found them fiddly for entering data and speech recognition whilst good was sometimes quite innacurate, so a little opposite to Mariposa's findings.

Good luck whichever way you go!

Cheers, DtM! West London & Slough UK!