Skip to main content

Best Buy slashes prices on car electronics and GPS devices for Cyber Monday

There is no need to visit a car dealership to benefit from many of the latest advances in automotive technology. Whether you’re missing a GPS or you’d like to warm up your engine in the winter without freezing, there are reliable aftermarket devices you can buy that will upgrade your ride without changing it. Best Buy has shockingly good deals on car electronics and GPS devices for Cyber Monday 2019, and we’ve picked out five that sound unbeatable.

Compustar One-Button Remote Starter

Image used with permission by copyright holder

With winter right around the corner, the remote-start function is one you’ll be hooked on after trying it just once. Picture this scenario: you need to pick up dinner, but it’s below freezing outside, and your car has been sitting in your driveway all day. Getting in will feel like walking into a freezer, and your engine is going to take a few minutes to warm up.

Installing Compustar’s One-Button Remote Starter allows you to start your car at the push of a button so it warms up without you turning into an ice cube inside it. The One-Button Remote Starter is compatible with most cars made after 1998, and Best Buy’s $230 deal (a $70 discount) even includes free, seamless installation.

Escort Max 360 radar detector

Image used with permission by copyright holder

The Escort Max 360 is the radar detector we use to keep our driving record squeaky clean. We named it the best radar detector of 2019 after praising its accuracy and the features packed in it. It comes with dual antennas, so it picks up more signals, and we like the arrows that tell you which direction the threat is coming from. Smartphone connectivity lets you network with other motorists using Escort devices in your area, so you’ll know what someone else picked up and where.

While there are other great radar detectors on the market, like the Valentine One V1, the Escort Max 360 stands tall above them. Its biggest downside is that it’s one of the priciest models on the market, but Best Buy’s Cyber Monday 2019 deal addresses that with a $150 discount that lowers its price to $400.

Garmin DriveSmart 65 GPS with Amazon Alexa

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Garmin’s DriveSmart 65 GPS is the proverbial two birds with one stone. It’s a bigger, more high-tech, and pricier alternative to the Drive 51, which we named the best GPS of 2019. It displays directions on a crystal-clear, 6.95-inch color touchscreen and provides turn-by-turn directions. We like that it takes traffic information, tolls, and even parking costs into account; it can tell you the parking garage around the corner is a lot cheaper than the one you’re about to drive into, for example.

It’s a great GPS, but it also doubles as a voice assistant thanks to Amazon Alexa compatibility. You can use voice commands to ask Alexa to play The Offspring from Pandora, Amazon Music, SiriusXM, iHeartRadio, and other apps. This two-in-one device is $100 off during Cyber Monday 2019, so its price falls to $200.

Anker Bolt Charger with Google Assistant

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Anker’s Bolt Charger is another multi-tasking device that punches above its weight class. It’s part phone charger, part voice assistant, so you’ll arrive at your destination with a full charge, and without getting lost. Its two USB ports feature PowerIQ technology, so it immediately recognizes whether it’s charging an iPhone, a Samsung Galaxy, a Kindle, an iPad, or any other device. It adjusts the charging accordingly, so you don’t need to worry about overcharging.

It doubles as a Google Assistant with machine-learning-based signal processing technology connected to the Google Cloud, so it essentially learns how to better understand your commands over time. The more you use it, the smarter it gets. It lets you stream music from a variety of different sources (including Pandora), make phone calls, and get navigation services. Anker normally charges $50 for its Bolt Charger, but Best Buy reduced it to $35 for Cyber Monday 2019.

Thinkware Q800 Pro dash cam

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Thinkware’s Q800 Pro dash cam has a 140-degree viewing angle, so it won’t miss something happening in the next lane, and it records footage in sharp 1440p resolution. Super Night Vision technology improves visibility in low light conditions, and Thinkware worked hard to make sure the Q800 stands up to the extreme temperatures that often destroy dash cams. It’s a smart device, too. It records footage on a 32GB memory card that’s included in the box, and Wi-Fi compatibility lets owners upload footage to a compatible Android- or Apple-powered smartphone using Thinkware’s purpose-designed app.

While all dash cams record footage, the Q800 goes above and beyond by warning you of red lights and speed cameras ahead of time, and by detecting potential collisions. It turns on automatically and immediately when its built-in G sensor senses that someone has bumped into your car, which helps protect you when your car is parked in public areas. Best Buy reduced its price from $300 to $230 f0r Cyber Monday 2019.

Ronan Glon
Ronan Glon is an American automotive and tech journalist based in southern France. As a long-time contributor to Digital…
The Kia EV3 could be the cheap electric SUV we’ve been waiting for
White Kia EV3

The Kia EV9 was already one of the cheapest ways to get an electric SUV, but now the company is taking things to the next level. After teasing the Kia EV3 last year, the car is now official.

The EV3 is built to be a slightly smaller, cheaper version of the EV9 -- following the path of the Rivian R2, which arrived after the Rivian R1S. It's certainly not as technologically advanced as the EV9, but it still looks unmistakably like a modern Kia, and is clearly a sibling of the larger SUV. On the outside, the vehicle has the same split taillights and very similar Tiger Face front. But it is quite a bit smaller. The vehicle will be available in nine finishes -- however only "Aventurine Green" and "Terracotta" are being announced right now.

Read more
Kia EV3: release date, performance, range, and more
White Kia EV3

Kia is on a roll. Hot on the heels of the success of the Kia EV6 and EV9, the company is already announcing what could be its cheapest electric vehicle yet -- the Kia EV3.

The Kia EV line seems to follow the rule of lower numbers indicating a lower price — and if so, the EV3 will end up being the cheapest electric car Kia has released to date. That, however, thankfully doesn’t mean that the EV3 will be a low-end car — it just means that Kia may be pushing the boundaries on electric car pricing.

Read more
Kia EV3 vs Tesla Model Y: Can Kia’s new entry-level car take on Tesla?
White Kia EV3

The Kia EV3 is finally coming, and it could well end up being the best small-size electric SUV to buy when it finally rolls out. It's smaller than the Kia EV9, but it offers many of the same design elements and features. But there's another small-size electric car that's currently one of the most popular vehicles out there -- the Tesla Model Y.

How does the Kia EV3 compare with the Tesla Model Y? And is one vehicle actually better than the other? We put the Kia EV3 and the Tesla Model Y head-to-head to find out.
Design
The design of the Kia EV3 is very different than that of the Model Y, though they're both reasonably good-looking vehicles.

Read more