In comparison, portable systems can be purchased for around the same price as an old street directory – as cheap as $60 – with free map updates that can be downloaded via the internet. While more and more car makers are including satellite navigation as standard equipment in mainstream models, some still charge as much as $3000 for it to be fitted as an optional extra. Most existing factory units use a CD, DVD, memory card or hard disc drive to store the map data. 'In fact, we are working on new systems that are cheaper and more convenient to update.' 'Our recommended pricing covers the licensing fees for the data, the software costs and any freight charges. 'We don't make anything from these upgrades,' said Mercedes-Benz spokesman Jerry Stamoulis. However most of the manufacturers said they are not profiteering by charging such high prices.

'What the car companies charge after that is up to them,' a Telstra spokesperson told Drive. It says that is because it has create new data for between 10,000-15,000km of new roads built in Australia each year and constantly verify the road network that extends beyond 235,000km on its existing maps. Telstra’s Whereis Maps division provides updated map data to the manufacturers, priced up to $295 depending on make and model. However, one dealership – clearly recognising the frustration at motorists paying such high prices – offered to upgrade the satellite navigation for free by inserting the new disc to download the data.īut don’t blame the dealers and manufacturers for the stratospheric costs. In between, prices varied from $350 for a Holden Commodore SS and $367 for a Toyota Aurion Sportivo ZR6 to $500 for a BMW 335i, $550 for an Audi A4 and $641 for a Mercedes-Benz C250.

The cheapest was a replacement CD for a Volkswagen Passat costing $62 while the most expensive was an SD memory card for a Ford Falcon G6E costing $670. GPS-based satellite navigations system may be more convenient than an old dog-eared street directory, but a simple upgrade to load the latest road maps into your car can cost up to $670 in some models – or around the same price as buying a new street directory every year for a decade.ĭrive contacted a number of dealerships in New South Wales and Victoria to enquire about upgrading the maps of a 2010 family vehicle from car makers including local manufacturers Holden, Ford and Toyota and luxury European brands Mercedes-Benz, Audi, Volkswagen and BMW.

Hundreds of dollars, going on the quotes given to Fairfax for updating maps in the satellite-navigation systems of many popular cars.

Latest audi map update