Google Maps vs Waze - which is best for PCO drivers?

Waze vs Google Maps: Which Should PCO Drivers Use? 

 If you've driven for Uber or Bolt in London, you've probably used both Waze and Google Maps at some point. They're owned by the same company (Google) but work very differently—and for PCO drivers, those differences actually matter to your earnings and your licence. 

The short answer?

Most experienced drivers use both. Waze for day-to-day navigation and speed camera warnings, Google Maps for finding EV charging stations and navigating to airport terminals. But which one you lean on depends on what you're driving and where you're working. 

Here's what actually matters when you're choosing between them. 

Speed Cameras: Waze Wins by a Mile 

Let's start with the big one. If you're a PCO driver, you know that speeding tickets aren't just expensive—they put your licence at risk. Three tickets and TfL starts asking questions about your fitness to drive. The average fine is £100 plus three penalty points, and unlike private drivers, PCO drivers face stricter consequences. 

"Waze detects far more cameras than Google Maps. It's not even close."

Waze relies on its community of drivers—over 50,000 in London alone—to report camera locations in real-time. Fixed cameras, mobile speed traps, average speed zones, red light cameras. If there's a camera on your route, chances are Waze knows about it. You'll get an audio warning about 500 metres before each camera, and the app displays the speed limit clearly on screen while you're driving. 

Google Maps, on the other hand, only shows fixed cameras from its map database. It doesn't warn you about mobile speed traps. It doesn't always catch newly installed cameras. And its warnings are less prominent—easy to miss when you're focused on navigation. 

 The difference is particularly noticeable on London's camera hotspots. The A40 Western Avenue has over 15 cameras in just five miles. The A406 North Circular has another dozen. The M25 between junctions 15 and 18 has eight cameras. If you're using Google Maps, you'll likely miss half of them. 

Put simply: if avoiding speeding tickets matters to you (and it should), Waze is the tool for the job. Drivers who switch from Google Maps to Waze report far fewer tickets. The difference is that noticeable. 

The main differences between Google Maps and Waze

Although they serve the same purpose, to make navigation easier for drivers, Google Maps and Waze each have their strengths, as shown in the table below.

EV Charging: Google Maps is Non-Negotiable for Electric Vehicles  

Now, if you're driving an EV—and more than half of new PCO vehicles are electric these days—Google Maps becomes essential for one reason: charging station data. 

Google Maps shows over 2,000 charging locations across London, with real-time information on whether chargers are occupied, what speed they charge at (7kW, 50kW, 150kW), and what plug type they use. You can filter by charger type, see exactly where they are in relation to your route, and plan your charging stops around your working hours. 

This matters because finding a working, compatible charger can be the difference between a productive hour and 30 minutes wasted driving around car parks looking for one that actually works with your vehicle. We've all been there—you pull up to a rapid charger only to find it's out of service, or it's the wrong plug type, or all four bays are occupied. Google Maps helps you avoid that. 

The app also shows which payment methods each station accepts, which is useful if you're using a charging card from your vehicle provider. You can see at a glance which stations will accept your card and which ones won't. 

Waze does show some charging stations, but the data is patchy and often outdated. There's no real-time availability, no filtering by charger type, and no detail on charging speeds. For EV drivers, it's simply not enough to rely on. 

If you're driving a petrol or hybrid vehicle, this doesn't matter to you. But if you're in a Mercedes EQB, Toyota bZ4X or any other EV, Google Maps' charging data is the reason you keep it installed—even if you use Waze for everything else. 

Real-Time Traffic: Both Work, But Differently 

Both apps handle traffic differently and understanding the difference helps you choose which one to trust in different situations. 

Waze relies on its community of drivers reporting accidents, road closures, and hazards in real-time. If there's a crash on the A40, you'll know within minutes because another driver reported it. If there's a protest blocking Oxford Street, Waze will route you around it almost immediately. If there's a new Low Traffic Neighbourhood camera that wasn't there last week, someone will have reported it by the time you get there. 

This crowd-sourced approach makes Waze incredibly dynamic. It reacts to changes as they happen, not 10 minutes after they happen. For PCO drivers working in Central London during peak hours, that real-time edge matters. You can reroute around a problem before you're stuck in it. 

Google Maps takes a more algorithmic approach, using historical traffic data and AI to predict traffic patterns. It's generally reliable and good at predicting where traffic will build up at certain times of day. But it's slower to react to sudden changes—a multi-car pile-up on the M25 or a water main burst closing roads in Stratford. 

In practice, this means Waze tends to be better for reactive routing during your shift, while Google Maps is better for planning routes before you start. If you're doing airport runs, Google Maps is generally more consistent. If you're doing short city trips during surge hours, Waze's real-time updates give you an edge. 

To be fair to Google Maps, it has improved significantly in the last year. It now shows incidents more prominently, and its rerouting has gotten faster. But Waze still has the edge when it comes to sudden changes. 

Airport Runs: Use Both, Switch Between Them 

If you do regular airport runs—Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, Luton—you'll find that the best strategy is actually using both apps at different stages of the journey. 

Use Waze for the motorway portion. From Central London to the airport perimeter, Waze will find you the fastest route and warn you about any accidents or closures on the M25 or M4. It's better at avoiding traffic jams and finding alternative routes through backroads if the motorway is gridlocked. 

But for the last two miles—getting to the specific terminal, finding the drop-off point, avoiding the pickup area when you're doing a drop-off—Google Maps is clearer. It has better terminal-level detail. It shows you exactly where the drop-off zone is versus the pickup zone. It displays parking availability at Heathrow and Gatwick in real-time. 

Getting the terminal wrong costs you 5-10 minutes and stresses out your passenger, which affects your rating and your tip. Google Maps helps you avoid that. 

The easiest way to do this is to set both apps to the same destination. Use Waze for navigation, and keep Google Maps open (either in split-screen or on a second device) to glance at for the terminal approach. Once you're familiar with each airport, you'll know when to switch your focus. 

Can You Use Both Apps at the Same Time?

Yes, you can use both apps simultaneously, and plenty of experienced drivers do exactly this. There are three ways to set it up. 

The first method is split-screen mode on Android. Start navigation on Waze, then swipe up from the bottom of your screen and tap the split-screen icon. Select Google Maps from your app list.  

Waze will display on the top half of your screen, Google Maps on the bottom half. This is particularly useful if you're driving an EV and want to keep an eye on charging stations while navigating with Waze. 

The second method is running them on two devices. Keep Waze on your phone for navigation, and run Google Maps on a tablet for checking charging stations or destination details. This gives you full-screen on both apps, which some drivers prefer. 

The third method is simply quick-switching. Keep both apps installed and use Waze as your default. When you need to check something on Google Maps—a charging station, a specific address, an airport terminal—quickly open it, check what you need, and switch back to Waze. 

There's no right answer here. It depends on your setup, your vehicle, and what you're comfortable with. The key point is that you don't have to choose just one. Use both, leverage the strengths of each, and your navigation setup becomes much more powerful. 

Offline Maps: Google Maps is Essential Backup 

Here's something that doesn't get talked about enough: offline maps. 

Google Maps lets you download maps for offline use. Waze doesn't. This means that when your data connection drops—in tunnels, in underground car parks, in some residential areas with poor signal—Waze stops working. Google Maps keeps navigating. 

To download offline maps for London, open Google Maps and tap your profile picture in the top right. Select "Offline maps", then "Select your own map". Zoom to cover all of Greater London (it'll be about 500MB) and tap "Download". 

Once you've downloaded the maps, they'll work completely offline. Turn-by-turn navigation, address search, basic map view—all without needing a data connection. The only thing that won't work offline is real-time traffic and charging station availability, which both require an internet connection. 

This is useful not just for signal drop-outs but also for conserving mobile data. If you're on a limited data plan and you've already downloaded London maps, Google Maps uses significantly less data than Waze during navigation. It's also useful as a backup when your data allowance runs out mid-shift. 

Even if you primarily use Waze, download Google Maps offline for London. It takes 10 minutes and gives you peace of mind that you'll never be stuck without navigation. 

London-Specific Features That Matter 

Both apps handle London's various road charges, but with different levels of detail. 

The Congestion Charge zone (£18 between 7am-6pm on weekdays and 12pm-6pm on weekends) is clearly marked on both apps. Waze gives you a more prominent warning when you're entering the zone and can route around it if you prefer. Google Maps shows the boundary but the warning is less obvious. 

The ULEZ zone now covers all 33 London boroughs, and both apps show the boundary clearly. This matters less for routing (since it covers basically all of Greater London now) but it's useful to know when you're entering if you're picking someone up from outside London. 

Low Traffic Neighbourhoods are where Waze has a real advantage. Because of its community reporting, Waze gets updates on new LTN cameras within days of them being installed. Google Maps relies on map updates, which can take weeks. If you drive regularly in areas with new LTNs—Hackney, Islington, parts of Lambeth—Waze will help you avoid PCN £130 fines (£65 if you pay within 14 days) from cameras you didn't know existed yet. 

Data Usage and Battery Life 

Let's be honest: both apps will drain your battery during navigation. That's unavoidable. But there are differences in how much. 

Waze uses more battery than Google Maps, roughly 15-20% per hour of active navigation versus 10-15% for Google Maps. This is because Waze is constantly updating in real-time from the community. It's a reasonable trade-off for better camera warnings and faster rerouting, but you need to account for it. 

Both apps also use mobile data, though Google Maps uses less if you've downloaded offline maps. Waze typically uses 200-300MB per month with continuous use. Google Maps with offline maps downloaded uses 50-150MB per month. 

The simple solution: always charge your phone while driving using a USB-C fast charger. Most modern vehicles (including all Splend vehicles) have USB ports that support fast charging, and you can keep your phone topped up throughout your shift. As for data usage, most unlimited plans or large data packages (20GB+) will cover both apps comfortably. 

If you're worried about either, download Google Maps offline and use that as your backup. You'll use less data and less battery, even if it means losing real-time traffic updates. 

Which App Should You Actually Use? 

After all that, here's the practical answer for most PCO drivers: 

If you drive a petrol or hybrid vehicle and work primarily in Central London doing short trips, use Waze as your main app. The speed camera warnings alone are worth it, and the faster real-time rerouting helps during peak hours. Keep Google Maps installed for offline backup and the occasional airport run. 

If you drive an EV, use Google Maps as your main app purely because of the charging station data. You can't rely on Waze for charging—the data just isn't good enough. But also install Waze and check it for speed camera warnings, or run both in split-screen if your setup allows it. 

If you do regular airport runs regardless of vehicle type, use both. Waze for the motorway portion, Google Maps for the terminal approach. 

If you're a full-time driver earning over £1,200 a week in London, you're probably already using both. The most successful drivers tend to run them simultaneously in some configuration—split-screen, two devices, or quick-switching. The setup takes a bit of getting used to, but once you've got it working, it gives you the best of both worlds. 

Quick Setup Tips 

If you're using Waze, change these five settings to make it work better for PCO driving: 

First, go to Settings > Display > Night Mode and set it to Auto. This reduces eye strain during long shifts and automatically adjusts based on time of day. 

Second, enable Planned Drives in Settings. This lets you set a departure time for airport pickups and Waze will alert you when to leave based on current traffic. 

Third, go to Settings > Voice & Sound and select British English as your voice language. It pronounces London street names more clearly than the default American voice. 

Fourth, enable Avoid Toll Roads in Settings > Navigation. This saves you the Dartford Crossing charge (£2.50 each way) and any other toll roads unless you specifically choose to use them. 

Fifth, enable Battery Saver mode in Settings if you're worried about battery drain. It reduces some of the visual effects to extend battery life slightly. 

If you're using Google Maps for EV charging, make sure you've enabled charging stations in Settings > Navigation > Show Charging Stations. When you search for charging, use the filter icon to select your plug type (CCS for most modern EVs) and minimum charging speed (50kW for rapid charging). This saves you from seeing chargers you can't actually use. 

A Note on Updates 

Both apps are updated regularly with new features. In the last year, Waze has added support for new camera types including bus lane violations and seat belt cameras. Google Maps has improved its incident reporting with larger icons and better visibility. These updates generally make both apps better over time. 

The trade-off is that the apps can sometimes change in ways you don't expect. Features move, interfaces change, and occasionally something stops working the way it used to. This is worth knowing because it means the app you're using today might work slightly differently in six months. Both apps have help sections that explain new features when they're introduced. 

What This Guide Doesn't Cover 

We should be clear about what we haven't done here. We haven't conducted independent testing comparing these apps over hundreds of trips. We haven't verified every speed camera location or charging station. What we've shared here is based on driver feedback, our understanding of how the apps work, and the experiences of PCO drivers using them daily in London. 

Your experience might differ based on where you drive, what time of day you work, and what kind of trips you typically do. App features also change regularly. If you find information that's out of date, that's worth checking directly with the apps or with other drivers. 

The key point is this: both apps are tools. Like any tool, they work better for some jobs than others. Try both, see which one fits your working style, and don't be afraid to use them together. 

How Splend Vehicles Support Better Navigation 

All Splend vehicles come with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as standard, which means you can run both Waze and Google Maps through your vehicle's display. You can switch between apps using your steering wheel controls without touching your phone, which is safer and more convenient during shifts. 

The vehicles also have USB-C fast charging ports, so your phone stays charged throughout your shift even when running navigation continuously. Phone holder mounting points are built in, giving you a safe, legal position for your device. 

For EV drivers specifically, all Splend electric vehicles include charging cards that work at major networks across London. Google Maps shows you which stations accept your card, which helps you plan efficient charging stops during quieter periods of your shift. 

Everything—the vehicle, insurance, maintenance, roadside assistance—is included in one weekly payment. No credit check required, no deposit needed. The vehicles are PCO-ready, which means you can start earning as soon as you collect the car. 

If you're looking to upgrade your vehicle or you're just getting started as a PCO driver, it's worth having a conversation with the team. You can browse the current fleet online, book a test drive, or call to discuss which vehicle would work best for the type of driving you do. 

Still want to learn more between the differences between these navigation apps? Watch the below in-depth video.

The Bottom Line 

For most PCO drivers, the answer isn't choosing one app over the other. It's using both strategically. 

Use Waze for speed camera warnings and reactive navigation during your shift. Use Google Maps for EV charging (if you drive electric), airport terminals, and offline backup. The drivers earning the most tend to be the ones who've figured out how to use both apps to their advantage. 

Your navigation app isn't just technology—it's part of your toolkit for earning efficiently and avoiding fines. Set it up properly, learn which app to use when, and you'll save both time and money.