Why is my Nissan Qashqai's satnav out of date?

Should I expect the satellite navigation system in my 2012 Nissan Qashqai to be up to date for European roads? I was disappointed to find, on a recent trip near Evian, France, that there was one part of the A26 around Reims which had opened in early 2011 and a new bypass around Besancon, also opening in early 2011, not showing on the navigation system.

I have been in touch with Nissan UK who advise me that the SD card is the latest supplied to them by NAVTEQ, who they rely on for their navigation systems, but I have tried to argue, without success, that roads that were opened on our around January 2011 should be on the system and that the navigation system is not fit for purpose. Am I being unreasonable in thinking this?

Asked on 13 October 2012 by LF, via email

Answered by Honest John

Unless a system is interactive, like TomTom Live, it relies on government-supplied mapping that is then digitised and released every year or so. It's very common for it to be up to two years out of date when released because the government mapping providers (the equivalents of Ordnance Survey in other countries) are slow to update their own maps. They can even be four years out of date in Spain, which can be interesting when new tunnels have been bored through mountains.

Tags: legal and consumer advice sat nav

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