Welcome to 2026, and our annual roundup of some of the best apps we hope you haven’t heard of! With a special emphasis on Canada this year, we are pretty sure there’s at least some that will be new to you!
By Carter Hammett
Let’s take something as a given shall we? Whilst surveying the app landscape for the latest and greatest apps to share, the usual suspects–Waze, Plug Share, Google Maps, Gas Buddy– continue to make their presence felt. And while these are certainly among the best apps, that offer the best services for drivers and industry folks alike, I find these sometimes are promoted at the expense of the some of the lesser-known apps that provide services that are often just as good. That said, the key needs–obtaining directions, vehicle health and finding gas/charging stations are still prominent in most drivers’ priority matrix.
Among the key trends for the new year that you can expect are Integration: More apps do and will integrate directly with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay thus making them part of the vehicle’s interface. Apps will also be more data-driven, leveraging real-time data enabling drivers to make better and more informed decisions for effective route planning and better planning for charging and fuelling.
This year, we’re approaching things a little differently. We’ve decided to offer a little space to shed light on some great apps that have maybe yet to receive their due recognition. So, in no particular order, we present the 10 best automotive and trucking apps for 2026
- Trucker Path: One of the most popular trucking apps available today, Trucker Path wins accolades from truckers across the country. This tool offers just about everything a trucker would want in an app, including listing over 7000 truck stops in both Canada and the U.S.; weigh station and scale information, advanced search for addresses, parking availability and an online forum for truckers to communicate with each other. No wonder this app wins raves.
- Drivvo/Fuelio/Simply Auto: enables drivers to track mileage, fuel expenses and other variables for comprehensive car care for both personal use and fleet management. More info at https://www.drivvo.com/en
This handy management tool helps you maintain your vehicle, making sure you stay on top of all the maintenance tasks while keeping expenses on track..
Once the car’s details have been entered, Drivvo will compile reminders for tasks like refueling and maintenance, track expenses on running costs, keep a record of your car’s service history, and monitor fuel efficiency. It’s everything you need to keep your vehicle running and your bank account in cheque (see what we did there?) - EV Connect Canada is a charging management app that lets users find public stations in their area and gives them control over their charging session. Drivers can:
- Monitor their current charge session in real time.
- Search for and find charging stations based on location, station ID, availability, charging level provided, and accessibility.
- Favourite spots that are home to their commonly used charging stations.
- Receive notifications as soon as their EV is finished charging.
- View a detailed report of charging sessions, including information on the cost and the amount of energy provided.
- Conduct secure payments.
- The EV Connect Canada app is user-friendly and has helped numerous drivers find charging stations on the EV Connect Canada network.
- WeatherCAN – Real-Time Weather Alerts: Canadian weather can change in a flash, affecting road conditions and visibility. Developed by Environment Canada, WeatherCAN offers real-time weather updates, severe storm warnings, and road condition alerts. Having this app helps truckers plan safer routes and avoid hazardous driving conditions.
- A Better Routeplanner (ABRP) is a free app for EV drivers to plan trips, taking into account the location of charging stations along the way. Users can enter their EV’s make and model, battery capacity, and desired charging levels to generate a route that optimizes driving range while minimizing charging time. Factors taken into consideration when generating a route include weather, elevation, and traffic conditions. Drivers can also customize various options, including specifying charging station types, adding waypoints, or adjusting charging settings. Once a route is generated, ABRP provides data insights into charging costs, average energy consumption (e.g., km/kWh), charging times, and the total energy used by the EV during the trip.
A Better Routeplanner is a helpful app for EV drivers travelling long distances. It helps alleviate range anxiety and helps by generating routes that maximize battery efficiency. The app also provides accurate estimates of travel and charging times. - Curvature This is a wildly innovative app that helps driving enthusiasts with finding a “fun” road to drive on. App founder Adam Franco created Curvature which adds up curved segments on each road while calculating total time spent cornering as a measure of how bendy and exhilarating a road might be. The app draws from OpenStreetMap, performs calculations and identifies roads it considers to be the most interesting, minus unpaved ones, to keep that smart phone on wheels intact.
Note to Canadian twisty road lovers: Curvature is available in Canada, but through a web-based map and downloadable KML files. To access, visit roadcurvature.com/map for a worldwide interactive map. - Joypop and Mindwell: We at ATA take mental health seriously and do our part in promoting positive mental health to all drivers, but with a special emphasis on trucking. These two apps, approved by the Mental Health Commission of Canada, are two of the latest self-management apps available for long nights on the road.
Joypop focuses on well-being and stress management. It offers features like mood scales, breathing exercises and games, along with sleep and crisis support to promote well-being by targeting emotional regulation.
Meanwhile, Mindwell offers evidence-based training validated by academic research, fortified by a Mindwell 24/7 coach to help diverse populations increase resilience, engagement and well-being while saving time and money on absenteeism and burnout. - Motive, a professional trucking app, claims to offer the best in fleet management software. It offers GPS Tracking, AI dash cams, ELD compliance and more. Worth checking out at gomotive.com
- Parkopedia is an ongoing source of consternation for many drivers, especially in urban areas like Toronto. This app can make that whole process much easier and less stressful through its enormous database of parking spaces. The app contains data on over 70 million parking spots in over 15, 000 cities globally.
And finally… - Clutch: With the price of virtually everything apparently spiralling out of control, a used car may be the answer for some drivers. Clutch positions itself as Canada’s largest online used car retailer. Users can buy and sell, obtain financing, calculate the value of a car and chat with a pro. The prices of the advertised cars ain’t bad either.
So there you have it. Another year, another roundup. Hopefully one or more of these apps have caught your eye and you’ll give it a try. We’re always on the look out for new and interesting and/or useful apps, so if you happen to come across one, please share! We’d love to help our readers out!