A Better Routeplanner (ABRP)

Review by eFreeware

If you drive an electric car and your trips regularly run past the range on a single charge, A Better Routeplanner is built for exactly that problem. The pitch is straightforward: choose your vehicle model, enter where you are going, and the app produces a trip plan with charging stops and a total duration. That is the whole idea, and it is a useful one for anyone who has ever stood at a charger wondering whether a different stop would have saved time.

The app comes from Rivian, LLC and has been on Google Play since December 2019, with more than a million installs and a 4.4 average rating from roughly 29,500 ratings. It is free to download, carries ads and offers in-app purchases. The developer describes it as a service for planning, learning about and dreaming about EVs, which sets the tone: this is a tool for thinking through electric journeys, not just a map with a battery icon.

From destination to a plan with charge stops

The core loop starts with your car: select the model, type a destination and hit plan. What comes back is a full itinerary with the route, charging stops and total trip time, which folds charging into the journey.

I like that planning is separated from driving. You can work out how a trip would look and adjust before you commit, and the developer frames the app as a place to learn about EVs and dream about trips.

The trade-off is that the plan is only as good as the details you feed it. You need to know your vehicle model and enter a destination before anything useful appears. That is a small amount of setup, but it means the app rewards people who plan ahead rather than those who want an instant answer with no input.

Driving mode turns the plan into a live guide

When you are ready to leave, driving mode takes over. The app follows the plan, replans when necessary and keeps trip information updated, so the same tool that built the itinerary can guide you along it.

Replanning is the feature I would value most here. A trip plan made in the morning can stop making sense by the afternoon, and the developer says the app adjusts as conditions change. The continuously updated information during the drive is what separates a live tool from a static printout of charge stops.

This is also where the app asks the most of you. Driving mode is a real-time companion, so it expects to be running while you travel, and the plan-following behavior only matters if you actually start the trip in the app. Treat it as something you set up before you pull out, not something you open at the first charger.

Recent updates sharpen the in-car experience

Version 7.1.8 shows where the developer has been putting effort. Android Auto overlays can now sit on either side of the screen, and the redesigned vehicle picker adds a Change vehicle button, so switching cars takes fewer steps.

Charging information got a useful correction: power and stall counts now count only the connectors that fit your car.

The release also fixes arrival times showing in the wrong time zone on Android Automotive and repairs saving routes to your calendar, alongside general bug fixes. None of these are headline features, but they point to an app being tuned around the realities of driving an EV rather than around a demo.

What the app needs from you, and what it costs

The clearest requirement is a vehicle model. The planning flow is built around it, and the recent charger change confirms the app tailors its output to your car's connectors.

The app is free to download, shows ads and includes in-app purchases. I would set expectations accordingly: this is a broadly accessible app. Whether the purchases matter to you will depend on how you use it, and I would judge that after planning a couple of real trips rather than before installing.

The other consideration is that the app is a companion, not a replacement for your car's own systems. It plans, follows and replans, but it does so alongside whatever navigation and charging tools you already rely on. The value comes from the planning layer it adds on top, which is why the vehicle selection step is worth getting right.

A planning tool for drivers who think ahead

The people most likely to get on with A Better Routeplanner are EV owners who take journeys that need one or more charging stops and who would rather think about those stops before leaving. If your driving is mostly short and local, the planning layer has less to do, and the app's strengths will not come into play very often.

It also suits drivers who want the plan to keep working once they are moving. Driving mode, replanning and updated trip information make a route followable, and the Android Auto work suggests the in-car side is being taken seriously.

Where it asks patience is in the setup. That sequence is the product, and it rewards long electric drives.

A considered pick for long electric journeys

A Better Routeplanner does one job with real focus: it turns an EV destination into a plan with charging stops and a time estimate, then helps you follow that plan while you drive. The recent update shows a developer attending to the details that matter in the car, from overlay placement to counting only the connectors your vehicle can use.

I would suggest it to EV drivers who regularly travel beyond a single charge and want to see the shape of a trip before setting off. It is free, ad-supported and includes in-app purchases, so trying it costs nothing but the time to enter your car and a destination. If your journeys are mostly short, the planning layer will rarely earn its keep; if they are long, it is the part you will open first.

What's new

What's New in 7.1.8 • Choose whether Android Auto overlays sit on the left or right, great for right-hand drive • A redesigned vehicle picker, plus a Change vehicle button on the vehicle screen • Charger power and stalls now only count connectors your car can use • Tapping a charger on the Android Auto map opens its details again • Fixed arrival times in the wrong time zone on Android Automotive • Fixed saving routes to your calendar • Various other bug fixes and improvements