TomTom “Tom” hazard alert device review: simple, clever, effective

As an automotive journalist for over 15 years, I'm very familiar with TomTom as a brand. On a personal level, its sat nav systems transformed my own mobility, and its latest products are still a force to be reckoned with, even competing against the ubiquity of Google Maps and Waze.

And while, on a general consumer level at least, you're most likely to find TomTom's navigation systems on apps, rather than on standalone devices, the brand has just launched a new gadget called "Tom". And it's a remarkably clever idea.

It's a small square unit that sits on your dashboard and alerts you to hazards in the road. Running alongside a navigation system, rather than being part of it, it can flash up a visible and audible warning of potholes, sudden traffic jams, road hazards, or even cameras.

If it thinks you're about to approach something you don’t know about, you get a coded alert, with a flashing colour corresponding to the type of hazard, paired with an audio beep.

I know what you're thinking. Waze has been doing this for years, and Google Maps does it too. But the important reality is, we don't always have our sat navs running. Many of us just go about our mundane daily commutes, whether it be the school run, or the drive to work, and we don't need navigation. But we still like to know of any dangers in our way.

I have actually tested a device like this before, the Ooono Co-Driver, and it's impressive as a concept, but it just doesn't feel widely-used enough in the UK to be effective.

The trouble is, the information network these gadgets tap into is usually reliant on enough users owning one to report the hazards. And if not enough people use them, there's a reliability issue.

However, with a community of 600 million drivers using TomTom devices, especially if you factor in all the commercial applications it specialises in, that knowledge gap should be well and truly plugged. And it gives "Tom" a fighting chance.

TomTom's free navigation app is very good, and it works on Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, but the chances are most people will overlook it for one of the standard apps offered by Google.

There's a paid TomTom app, too, which is even better, but it's unlikely many general users will subscribe when there are so many free options out there.

However the genius of this little device is that it's a standalone system. It even starts itself up automatically when it detects you're setting off. You can link it up to Apple CarPlay or Android Auto for an enhanced experience, but there's really no need. It'll take some time to learn what the beeps and colours mean, but once you've mastered it, you've got a simple, at-a-glance warning system.

You need to charge it off USB, but the battery lasts a long time, and if you don't want to stick it to your dashboard, you don't need to. I sit mine in a cup-holder, and it works really well.

In reality, there are still some occasions it misses out on an alert. This is because it's partly reliant on people reporting things and, if there's nobody in your area to do it, it won't know about them.

The more people who adopt one of these devices, however, the better it will be. And importantly, this links in to live data from TomTom's users, so it's not solely reliant on good Samaritans.

And, let's face it, Google Maps and Waze often miss things, so this is really no worse than those systems.

The beauty of it, though, is its sheer simplicity. It just sits there waiting to report for duty, and it's always ready to alert you if the data's there. Charge it up, forget about it, and fingers crossed it'll be there when you need it.

As fuss-free safety solutions go, this is a brilliant idea, and it's executed really well by TomTom. It's nice to have one back in my car.