Why does Google Maps show a different speed compared to the meter?

There's a good chance you've noticed differences in your car's speedometer and Google Maps speed recording. But why does this happen?

As the American company continues to develop it and provide more and more high-quality services, the Google Maps application is also the most used by drivers around the world for their transportation.

One of the valuable information provided by Google Maps is the speed at which we move in our car, which is a particularly useful service In cases where the vehicle we drive does not have a speedometer – a bicycle for example – or the speedometer of our car is broken.

If you also use Google Maps, you will notice that there is a slight discrepancy in the speed of movement between what appears in the American company’s navigation application and what the car’s speedometer shows. In the vast majority of cases, the speed provided by Google is lower than what we see on the speedometer.

The main reasons for this difference relate to the accuracy of measurement and applicable legislation. By receiving data from a satellite that detects in real time the movement of the vehicle in relation to the road it is moving on, The speed we see on Google Maps is closer to reality, although there is a slight discrepancy in this case.

To stay within legal limits, manufacturers choose the speed shown by the meter to be slightly higher than the actual speed. Depending on the type of speedometer the car usually has The deviation from reality is in the range of 8-12 km/h. Regarding Google Maps, the meter deviation is usually around 3-7 km/h.

On the other hand, in a car speedometer the measurement accuracy is initially affected by applicable legislation Manufacturers are prohibited from displaying a lower than actual speed on the speedometers of their cars.

So manufacturers deliberately show a higher movement speed on the table than the real one. They have also calibrated the meter taking into account not only the wheel size of the vehicle we are using but also on average and based on other options that may have been present from the factory regarding its dimensions.

Regarding reality The deviation in the speed of the meter movement decreases as one wheel decreases and vice versa, and is also affected by other factors Such as tire pressure and tread wear, which are factors that manufacturers also take into account when adjusting the car's speedometer, which is why the deviation compared to Google Maps and reality is greater.

However, Google explicitly states that its “speedometer” is there for informational purposes only and how to do it The driver should always use and refer to his vehicle's speedometer.

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