Garmin Drive™ 53 GPS Navigator, High-Resolution Touchscreen, Simple On-Screen Menus and Easy-to-See Maps, Driver Alerts
Original price was: $149.99.$99.99Current price is: $99.99.
Price: $149.99 - $99.99
(as of Nov 04, 2025 20:23:33 UTC – Details)
Simplify your drive with Garmin Drive™ 53, the 5” GPS navigator that helps you reach your destination. It features a bright 5” high-resolution glass touchscreen display and modern, beautiful design. With driver alerts, gain more situational awareness for sharp curves, speed changes, school crossings and more. Garmin Drive 53 shows food, fuel and rest stops along your active route. Make the most of road trips by checking the included Tripadvisor® traveler ratings for top-rated restaurants, hotels and attractions. Use the U.S. national parks directory to find visitor centers and notable landmarks within the parks. The Garmin Drive 53 navigator also includes detailed map updates of North America.
Bright, high-resolution 5” glass capacitive touchscreen display lets you easily view your route
Get more situational awareness with alerts for school zones, speed changes, sharp curves and more
View food, fuel and rest areas along your active route, and see upcoming cities and milestones
View Tripadvisor traveler ratings for top-rated restaurants, hotels and attractions to help you make the most of road trips
Directory of U.S. national parks simplifies navigation to entrances, visitor centers and landmarks within the parks
Includes detailed map updates of the North America
Provides spoken turn-by-turn directions with Garmin Real Directions landmark guidance feature
Customers say
Customers find the GPS navigator to be a great unit that works well and is simple to set up. The display is crystal clear and easy to read, though opinions about the screen size are mixed, with some finding it nice while others say it’s too small. The accuracy and direction features receive mixed feedback, with some finding it very accurate while others report bad maps. The map updates are also mixed, with some finding them up-to-date while others report outdated maps.
13 reviews for Garmin Drive™ 53 GPS Navigator, High-Resolution Touchscreen, Simple On-Screen Menus and Easy-to-See Maps, Driver Alerts
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Original price was: $149.99.$99.99Current price is: $99.99.
J Moyer –
Very good device
Works very well. Very accurate with good verbal directions to accompany visual directions.Did you know that unless you have special phone plans, your mobile phone GPS won’t work as soon as you cross the Canada border? This device avoids that nasty surprise.
Chewbdu –
Great little unit
I previously had a Garmin Nuvi2555 and I’d loved it. I like simplicity, not a lot of bells and whistles. I just want to know how to get where I want to go and back again. This GPS is very comparable to my Nuvi, but it was 12+ years old and quit so I needed a replacement. (It only steered me wrong 3 times in all those years!) The Drive 53 is just what I wanted. The functions are pretty much the same with a few extras. It’s easy to operate, but be sure you get a memory card. You cannot update without one. There are higher priced units that offer more options, with bigger screens, but if you just want basic functions made by someone who’s been doing it successfully for many years, this is a great unit. For the difference in cost get the “new” not the refurbished.
Rick –
A good GPS, but a little misleading
Garmin makes good GPSs, and this is no exception. Compared to some other ones I’ve seen, this is good because it is not trying to be your music system, or your calculator, or your smart phone – it is JUST a GPS, and does it well.So why the 4 stars? Two things.First off, it is disappointing that Garmin is still using old USB formats for their cable, and they stick straight out from the back of the unit. That makes it hard to mount on the dash, if you are clipping it into vents. They may be expecting that you use their post that suction/glues in place, but I have never had good luck with those.The second is that if you look online, you are going to see stuff that says that the Drive 53 can be updated wirelessly. This is NOT TRUE for this unit. Now, the page doesn’t say it will, so Garmin is not lying. However, since it doesn’t give much in terms of actual info, and what you find online is misleading… I am not impressed. (Wireless was something I was specifically looking for.)Both of these issues are not major, so I am only knocking off a star. I just wish it was different. Still think it is a good GPS, still kept it. Would still buy a Garmin again. (Even though they are a bit more expensive.)
jtheb –
Built for the Road
I start this by saying I purchased a Garmin Drive 53. And it replaced my Garmin Nuvi 1450 which treated me well. It died a peaceful death.Not having a Gamin made me feel naked. I reviewed the inventory on Amazon. My first choice was the Garmin Drive Smart 66. It appeared there wasn’t anything it couldn’t do. I will comment about this later.The Garmin Drive 53 proved to be a real change from my old Nuvi 1450. I especially liked the navigation voice which was clear and precise. A real improvement. The new unit fit the dash exactly like the old one and everything just worked The suction cup didn’t need moisture. And the new one stuck to the windshield like it had been glued. A real improvement.The final words on this new Garmin are sterling. A great build and a great price. I recommend to download the owners manual annd take advantage of everything built into it. It’s also available on the GPS.Now a comment on the Garmin Drive Smart 66 This was my first purchase because I was impressed with the many features. It took time to work through them. And then this popped up. A gray cloud strip covered a portion of the map. Not good. I returned the unit to the seller and Amazon applied the credit. Both operations were flawless. I now have experience operating a well built basic GPS vs a well built GPS with more features. Driving a vehicle requires your full attention. If you are able to talk on the phone, get a weather report, dial in music and maybe get the news, one must weigh these advantages in relationship to the attention needed on the road. Your call!
Tina B. –
Works well
Bought for granddaughter. Easy installation and connects well.
Amazon Customer –
NICE!
Very nice GPS system! I bought this for my husband (who is technically challenged) and he says it’s easy to use and he’s been enjoying it!
Amazon Customer –
Simple and effective Garmin
This is perfect for finding the destination without having to use the phone. It did have trouble with inner city Chicago, directions were all over the place to find a way out of hotel area toward outbound but just switched to phone then back to Garmin once I got onto highway. Love this simple to use, handy device!
Spencer –
Great product!
Works great and the touch screen is accurate and sensitive. The only problem is, even after being updated, any location I look up it searches 100+ miles away when the address I’m looking up is only a 5 minute drive away. I have to go into the settings each time and set the town I’m in and for some reason it won’t update my location. I don’t really use it unplugged so I can’t speak on battery life. The display is crystal clear though and is great for direction.
Amazon Customer –
Touch screen is sensitive and device is easy to use
Pedro –
Muito bom. Funcionando sem problemas.
Amazon Customer –
Very easy to use
Bob –
The item dercription was inadquate. The battery was sbort lived after vhargong. I believe this item wae probablt vlearance stock of older models as it had the older mini usb connecrion not up to date with descriptions of current usb C.
FGS –
Works great outside the city limits of Toronto. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work very well inside the city limits of Toronto. Knowing the city well, when I input a location that I’m not familiar with, it does not send me on the most effective route.