Head to head
ABRP or Tesla: where they actually differ
Two products with different jobs. A Better Routeplanner is a dedicated route planner — its job is deciding where you stop and for how long; Tesla in-car navigation is the vehicle's own navigation, which is why it can do things no app can.
Where they differ
| Capability | ABRP | Tesla |
|---|---|---|
| Adjusts for weather and temperature | ◐ Partly | – Unverified |
| Live charger availability | ◐ Partly | ● Yes |
| Reads the car | ◐ Partly | ● Yes |
| Preconditions the battery | – Unverified | ● Yes |
| Turn-by-turn navigation | ◐ Partly | ● Yes |
| CarPlay or Android Auto | ◐ Partly | ○ No |
| Pays for the charge | ○ No | ◐ Partly |
| Compares session prices | – Unverified | ○ No |
| Driver check-ins and reviews | ◐ Partly | ○ No |
Where they agree
On the remaining 5 capabilities these two are recorded the same way. Rows where both are unverified are agreement about our own ignorance rather than about the products.
Which to choose
Choose Tesla in-car navigation if you need live charger status, a live connection to the car, battery preconditioning before a rapid charge and turn-by-turn navigation rather than a hand-off. Price and platform decide the rest, and both are in the table on each product’s own page.
Or both
Most people end up with two of these — a router and either a payment card or the car’s own navigation for the last leg, which is the only thing that reliably preconditions the battery. Using one tool for everything is a preference, not a requirement.