With a standard on-road GPS you get turn-by-turn directions and not much else, which is fine for the daily commute but leaves you short once the sealed road runs out. An off-road GPS is built differently. It's loaded with topographic mapping data showing elevation, terrain features and remote tracks that a standard road map doesn't carry, so you can read the country around you instead of just following a line on a screen. Most off-road GPS units handle everyday road driving just as well too, so you're not giving anything up by choosing one.

Portable GPS or an in-dash head unit — which suits you?

A portable GPS is a standalone unit you mount on the dash or windscreen and can move between vehicles. An in-dash head unit replaces your factory stereo and stays fitted to one vehicle. Both do the same core job of off-road navigation; the choice comes down to how permanent you want the setup to be.

• Want a unit that moves with you between cars, caravans or a mate's rig? Go portable like the Garmin Tread or Drive range, or a Hema HX-2+.
• After a factory-look upgrade with a bigger screen built into the dash? Our Polaris head units are made to fit specific vehicle models, so check the listing matches your make and model before ordering.
• Heading out on foot rather than on wheels? A satellite communicator is a different category again, covered below.

Screen size is worth thinking about too. Portable units in our range run from a 5-inch Garmin Drive up to a 7-inch RV-specific screen, while Polaris in-dash head units come in 9-inch, 10.1-inch and 13-inch options depending on the vehicle.

Head units built for specific vehicles

Our Polaris head unit range covers fitments for Toyota (LandCruiser 70, 76, 78, 79 and 200 Series, Prado, Hilux), Nissan (Patrol GU, Navara), Mazda BT50 and Volkswagen, plus universal options for vehicles without a listed model-specific unit.

Tough units for off-road, powersport and hiking

For anything that's going to cop a hiding, the Garmin Tread range is built for it. The Garmin Tread 2 GPS Navigator | Overland Edition and the Tread 2 Powersport model are both designed for serious off-road and ATV work, and Hema's HX-2+ is built specifically for Australian touring and remote travel.

If you're leaving the vehicle behind, the Garmin inReach Mini 2 and inReach Explorer+ are satellite communicators rather than road navigators. They use satellite coverage rather than mobile phone signal, so they can send two-way messages and trigger an SOS alert even well outside phone range, which makes them a genuinely different tool to a vehicle GPS.

Browse by GPS type using the filters (or the filter menu on mobile) to narrow things down to portable or in-dash units, or check out our GPS accessories for mounts, cases and screen protection. If you're not sure which unit suits your vehicle or your trip, reach out and we'll help you sort it.