Motor Trend Digital Magazine

Review by eFreeware

Motor Trend Digital Magazine is the Android edition of the long-running automotive title, published by Hearst Communications. It brings each issue to a phone or tablet rather than a mailbox, and it is free to install with advertising and in-app purchases present. The appeal is straightforward: the same mix of car coverage the print magazine is known for, delivered as a digital issue.

It is the magazine of the world's automotive authority, a claim readers can weigh against the title's reputation. What matters more for anyone deciding whether to install it is the range of subjects each issue covers. This is a reading app for people who follow cars closely, not a tool for buying or maintaining one.

What each issue covers

The core of the app is the issue itself, and the developer describes a broad editorial mix. Testing of domestic and import cars sits alongside car care advice, so an issue can move from a road test to something practical about looking after a vehicle you already own. That combination gives the magazine a wider remit than a pure news feed.

Motor sports coverage is part of the package as well, which broadens the audience beyond buyers and owners. Readers who follow racing will find that side of the title represented next to the road-car material. It is the sort of mix that rewards reading an issue from start to finish rather than dipping in for one article.

Future models and industry news

Two further strands round out the editorial line-up: sneak peeks at vehicles that have not arrived yet, and reporting on the auto industry itself. The first is the part I would expect to draw casual readers, since early looks at upcoming models are the kind of thing that circulates well beyond existing subscribers. The second suits anyone who wants to understand the business decisions behind the cars.

Taken together, these features describe a magazine with an editorial point of view rather than a catalog of specs. Recent updates note only general performance improvements, so the app's focus remains the reading experience rather than new sections or tools. Anyone expecting an interactive companion to the magazine, with configurators or buying tools, is looking at the wrong product.

Costs, ads and what to expect

The app is free to download, carries advertising and offers in-app purchases. Those three facts are worth holding together when you decide whether it fits: nothing about the install costs you anything up front, but the reading experience is supported by ads and by whatever the purchases provide. I would treat the presence of both as a normal trade-off for a free magazine app rather than a surprise.

On the practical side, the app has been installed more than 10,000 times and holds a 4.1 average from 38 ratings, modest numbers that suggest a fairly small but reasonably satisfied audience. It first appeared in July 2021 and was last updated in September 2026, so it has been maintained over a long stretch. Content arrives issue by issue, which means the app is best suited to readers who are happy to check in periodically rather than expecting a constantly refreshing feed.

My advice is to treat it as a subscription-style reading habit rather than something to open daily. If you already read Motor Trend in print, this is the version that travels with your phone. If you are simply curious about cars in general, the breadth of each issue, from testing to motor sports to industry reporting, is what makes it worth trying.

A reading app for committed car followers

Motor Trend Digital Magazine is a sensible install for readers who already follow the title or want a single place to read about car testing, car care, motor sports and the industry. The editorial range is the strongest argument for it, and the free download makes trying it a low-commitment decision.

Go in expecting a magazine on a screen, supported by ads and in-app purchases, with issues as the unit of content. If that matches how you like to read about cars, this app does the job it sets out to do.

What's new in version 11.1.6

To make your reading experience even better, we update the app regularly. This update includes: • General performance improvements