Paper mileage logs? That’s a relic of the past. They used to be a handy (though disturbingly labour-intensive) way to write off your car expenses. Now they’ve been replaced with up-to-the-minute car logbook apps that do much of the hard work for you. What once took hours of filling in car logbook forms today is accomplished with a few swipes on your smartphone. Still not using a vehicle logbook app for claiming expenses on your tax return? This article is helpful for anyone from total newbies to gizmo freaks who keep up with cutting edge car gadgets. We put 5 popular car logbook apps to the test to bring you the benefits, drawbacks, and nuances of each. This will hopefully make your choice much easier when deciding on which app to buy. Now, let’s take a look under the hood. What You’ll Learn Toggle 1. GOFAR2. Vehicle Logger3. Driversnote4. DriverDirect5. LogbookMeWhat’s the Best Car Logbook App for Me?Why is the GOFAR Car Logbook the Best Value for Money? 1. GOFAR Needless to say, you’re looking for top functionality in a car logbook app. When it comes to keeping a logbook for tax purposes, the makers of GOFAR went the extra mile to give motorists all they need in one app. The app’s advanced functionality begins with automatic mileage tracking. And even goes as far as saving you money on tickets and fines. Now let’s tackle everything in between. GOFAR is an all-in-one app that: Logs your trips automatically, even if you don’t have your phone with you. The app comes with an OBD2 adapter that can store a week’s worth of detailed driving logs. Next time you have your phone with you, you can clear the backlog of unclassified trips in just a few clicks. Offers hassle-free trip classification. Classify your trips as business or private with a swipe and state the purpose of the trip. The app allows you to create preset descriptions for future use so there’s minimal input on your part. Gives you real-time feedback so you don’t burn money on fuel. The intelligent Ray device teaches you how to drop the revs so you’re always driving in the sweet spot. The end result is being able to save up to 9.8% on fuel usage or about 10 cents per litre. Awesome, right? Connects to your car so you can save money on car servicing. Get to the bottom of any car issues BEFORE you drive to the mechanic. GOFAR does this by using car diagnostics technology, so you get an insider’s view. Get GOFAR and start logging business expense mileage while saving on your running car expenses. Sum up how much you can save with GOFAR. Cost: Device only – Paid (app included, lifetime updates) Developer: GOFAR Download: iTunes Store / Google Play 2. Vehicle Logger Vehicle Logger will do a great job at collating the data into an ATO-compliant report. Its easy-to-use interface makes tracking your kilometres for tax returns hassle-free. The app enables you to track the distance you’ve travelled and generate your mileage records in PDF and CSV formats. For all the bells and whistles, though, you’ll have to subscribe to a Premium package. Once you do, you’ll gain access to a trip trigger feature that’s based on Bluetooth technology, similar to GOFAR. Here are some more useful features Vehicle Logger brings to the table: A GPS-based tracking feature enables you to log your trips in no more than 3 taps. The expense logging feature helps you keep track of all work-related car expenses: fuel, maintenance, registration, parking, tolls – all included. The app’s calendar integration feature makes keeping a logbook easy. Cloud storage enables you to always have your data available on Google Drive, DropBox, etc. The app’s compatible with Android phone only. Cost: Free (with in-app purchases) Developer: Michaelsoft Download: Google Play 3. Driversnote Like most other logbook ATO mobile apps, Driversnote saves you time with automatic trip logging. It keeps track of your mileage using GPS technology, so you have neat driving records compiled at the end of the tax year. However, you’ll have to have your phone on you for Driversnote to record your miles. The paid version of the app allows you to use automatic start and stop functionality. Otherwise, you’ll have to do the tracking manually. This top-rated car logbook app offers many other attractive features, such as: Auto Tracking. All you have to do is have your phone in your pocket and let the app work in the background. Press start and let the mileage logging begin. Easy trip categorisation. You can easily document your trips and classify them as business or private. Supports multiple vehicles. This feature is handy if you keep a mileage log for multiple vehicles. With Driversnote, splitting your trips between different cars and workplaces is easy. iBeacon connectivity. This means mileage tracking is not reliant on your phone solely but on the iBeacon device. The iBeacon records your trips even if your app is closed. However, to get your hands on the iBeacon, you’ll either have to buy it outright or receive it when you sign up for a yearly subscription. This functionality is reserved to iPhone owners only. Cost: Lite Version: Free / Basic Subscription $9,50/month Developer: Driversnote Download: iTunes Store / Google Play 4. DriverDirect This is one for the best logbook apps for Toyota fleet drivers. It shares many of the useful features with the other apps reviewed in this blog. Here are a few: tracking trip data via GPS; business/private trip classification; handy presets for trip descriptions; multiple vehicle tracking; easy expense recording; and logbook data storage on a cloud. Importantly, DriverDirect ticks all the necessary boxes for its intended audience. The app brings Toyota drivers the following in-demand, Toyota-specific features: A fuel finder. The feature locates service stations anywhere on the map. You can filter specific brands and economise your fuel spending. Locate a dealer. It lists out the names on the map so you can navigate your search for better convenience and pricing. Novated lease tools. The app gives you quick access to Roadside and Accident Assistance. Cost: Free Developer: Toyota Fleet Management Download: iTunes Store / Google Play 5. LogbookMe Want to use this app? First, you need to get yourself a paid account. Then get hold of a LogbookMe GPS device. You’ll need it for the app’s full-range functionality. LogbookMe uses an intelligent “plug & play” device for automatic mileage tracking. Once you have the device set up, the app starts recording your trips. When the trip is completed, the app sends a push notification to remind you to fill in the trip details. Below are some extra features you can expect from this app: The calendar integration makes entering trip data easy. It enables you to pick any of your phone calendar events and match them to your business journeys. ‘Find My Car’ feature comes in handy for any busy driver. It helps you locate your vehicle in case you forgot where you parked. The app offers a set of functionality modules for fleet management use as well. Cost: 52 week subscription: $360 Per Vehicle + GST Developer: GDML Pty Ltd Download: iTunes Store / Google Play What’s the Best Car Logbook App for Me? Now you have all the nuggets of information you need to find the logbook app best suited to your needs. First and foremost, you’ll want to figure out whether an app is good value for money. In other words, is the app’s functionality worth your investment? You might also want to ask yourself these questions: Does saving time come first to me? Do I need a free app due to budgeting restrictions? Do I want to maximise my savings on car expenses or just basic car logbook functionality? If I want a reliable app that will track all my trips, how much should I expect to fork out? This blog article hopefully answers all of these questions. Why is the GOFAR Car Logbook the Best Value for Money? After trying them all, we found that GOFAR offers excellent value by providing you with the following deliverables: Easy trip classification Both iOS and Android compatibility A week’s worth of data storage – useful if you forget your phone Intuitive driver feedback that enables you to save money on fuel Car health diagnostics that helps save money on car servicing Check if GOFAR is compatible with your car. Then get yourself the best logbook app that will help cut your car expenses unlike any other app.