Best Mileage Tracker App UK: What to Compare for HMRC Claims

If you drive for business in the UK, a mileage tracker app saves you from the most tedious part of tax season: reconstructing a year of journeys from memory and calendar entries. The right app captures trips as they happen, classifies them correctly, and produces the evidence HMRC expects.

But not every app is built for UK tax rules. Many popular trackers are designed for the US market and bolt on UK support as an afterthought. This guide covers what to look for, compares four leading options, and explains how to run a proper evaluation before committing.

What to look for in a UK mileage tracker

Before comparing individual apps, define what actually matters for HMRC compliance and day-to-day usability.

Automatic trip detection

Manual logging fails over time. You forget to start tracking, you forget to stop, and eventually you are estimating distances from Google Maps after the fact. Automatic detection — using GPS, motion sensors, or Bluetooth — removes that failure mode.

The best auto-detection works in the background without draining your battery. Test this over a full week before trusting any app’s marketing claims.

HMRC-ready exports

HMRC does not mandate a specific format, but your records need to include: date, start and end addresses, business purpose, miles driven, and the vehicle used. Any app you choose should export reports containing all of these fields, ideally in PDF or CSV.

The GOV.UK guidance on keeping records applies to self-employed drivers. Employees claiming Mileage Allowance Relief need the same level of detail — see GOV.UK: vehicles you use for work.

Business, commute, and private classification

UK tax rules treat these three categories differently. Business travel is claimable. Ordinary commuting is not. Private trips obviously are not. Your app needs a clear three-way classification — not just “business” and “personal.”

AMAP threshold awareness

The Approved Mileage Allowance Payment rates split at 10,000 miles: 45p for the first 10,000, then 25p thereafter. A good UK app tracks your cumulative total and adjusts calculations accordingly, rather than applying a flat rate all year.

Data privacy

Your mileage log contains a complete record of everywhere you drive. Check where the app stores data, whether it shares location data with third parties, and whether you can export and delete your data at any time. GDPR applies — you have the right to a full data export and deletion.

Four UK mileage tracker apps compared

Here is a direct comparison of four apps available to UK users, evaluated against the criteria above.

Feature	MileTrack	MileIQ	Driversnote	Triplogik
Auto-tracking	Yes, GPS + motion sensors	Yes, background GPS	Yes, GPS + Bluetooth	Yes, phone or OBD dongle
Price	Free	Paid plan	Free + paid plans	Paid plan
HMRC reports	Yes, built for UK fields	Yes, UK template available	Yes, UK support included	Yes, UK-focused
Platform	iOS and Android	iOS and Android	iOS and Android	iOS and Android
Best for	UK-focused drivers wanting privacy and automation	Users who prefer swipe-to-classify simplicity	Established tracking with fleet options	Fleet managers or OBD-based tracking

MileTrack

MileTrack is a newer app built specifically around UK and international tax rules. Trip detection runs automatically using GPS and device motion sensors, and every journey is classified as business, commute, or private — matching the distinction HMRC actually cares about.

Reports include all the fields needed for Self Assessment and Mileage Allowance Relief claims: dates, addresses, distances, purposes, vehicle details, and AMAP calculations with threshold splits. The app is currently free to use, so there is no cost barrier to trying it.

MileTrack takes a privacy-first approach — location data stays on-device by default and is not sold or shared with advertisers.

MileIQ

MileIQ is an established swipe-based tracker: swipe right for business, left for personal. The simplicity is appealing, but the two-category model means commute still needs a separate workflow.

The UK template produces reasonable reports, though the product was originally built for a different primary market. Before choosing it, verify the current publisher, pricing, and any free-plan trip caps on the official product page or app-store listing, because those details can change.

Driversnote

Driversnote has solid UK support. Auto-tracking uses GPS and optional Bluetooth beacons. The app handles HMRC reporting well and includes team management features for small fleets.

Pricing and plan structure vary by current offer, so check the official site before buying. Driversnote has a mature, stable product — the trade-off is that the interface and feature set have not changed dramatically in recent years.

Triplogik

Triplogik is a UK-based company, which gives it an edge in understanding local requirements. It offers phone-based tracking or an OBD (On-Board Diagnostics) dongle that plugs into your car for more reliable detection. The OBD approach eliminates phone battery concerns entirely.

Current pricing should be checked on the vendor site. The fleet management features are a strong point — if you manage multiple drivers, Triplogik provides centralised dashboards and reporting. For solo users, the OBD hardware adds an upfront cost.

HMRC compliance features to check

Beyond the basics, dig into these specifics before choosing:

Edit history and audit trail. If you change a trip classification or distance, does the app keep a record of the original entry? HMRC may want to see that records have not been tampered with after the fact.

Vehicle management. If you use more than one vehicle — say a car and a van — the app should track mileage per vehicle. AMAP rates differ for motorcycles (24p flat) and bicycles (20p flat), so multi-vehicle support matters.

Tax year awareness. The UK tax year runs 6 April to 5 April. Your app should produce reports aligned to this period, not the calendar year. The 10,000-mile AMAP threshold resets each tax year.

Offline recording. Poor mobile signal is common on rural business trips. The app should queue trips locally and sync when connectivity returns, without losing any data.

Auto-detection vs manual logging

Automatic trip detection is the single most important feature for long-term compliance. Here is why.

Manual logging depends on your memory and discipline. In the first week, you will log every trip. By month three, you will forget occasionally. By tax season, you will be estimating a quarter of your journeys. HMRC can reject estimated claims — they want contemporaneous records, meaning logged at or near the time of the journey.

Auto-detection solves this by recording every drive without your input. The trade-off is that you still need to review and classify trips — auto-detection captures movement, not business purpose. The best workflow is automatic capture combined with a weekly review to classify and annotate.

Battery impact varies significantly between apps. Some drain 10-15% of your daily battery; others are barely noticeable. This is another reason to run a real-world trial before committing.

Detection methods compared

Different apps use different mechanisms to detect that you have started driving:

• GPS polling — the app periodically checks your location. Reliable but can drain battery if the polling interval is too short.
• Motion sensors (accelerometer/gyroscope) — the app detects vehicle-like movement before activating GPS, saving battery. MileTrack and some newer apps use this approach.
• Bluetooth beacons — a small device in your car triggers tracking when your phone connects. Driversnote supports this. Reliable, but requires the hardware.
• OBD dongle — plugs into your car’s diagnostic port. Triplogik offers this. Most accurate for vehicle-on/vehicle-off detection, but adds upfront cost and does not work in every car.

No single method is perfect. The best apps combine two or more signals to reduce both missed trips and false starts.

How to run a two-week evaluation

Do not pick an app based on screenshots or reviews alone. Run a proper pilot:

1. Install two or three candidates alongside your current process (spreadsheet, paper log, or nothing)
2. Drive normally for two weeks — do not change your routine to suit the app
3. Compare missed-trip rates — how many real business drives did each app fail to capture?
4. Time your weekly review — how long does it take to classify, correct, and annotate all trips in each app?
5. Export a test report — does it contain every field HMRC needs? Can you open and verify it easily?
6. Check battery impact — note your phone battery at the start and end of a typical workday with each app running

The app that captures the most trips with the least manual correction wins. A beautiful dashboard means nothing if you are still reconstructing missing journeys every Friday.

Free plan considerations

A free mileage tracker app can work at low volumes. If you drive fewer than 20 business trips per month, a free tier may cover your needs. But watch for these common restrictions:

• Trip caps: Some free plans cap the number of automatically tracked trips per month. Heavy drivers hit these limits quickly.
• Export limits: Some free plans restrict CSV or PDF exports, forcing you to upgrade at tax time.
• History retention: If the app only keeps six months of history on the free plan, you lose records before you file.
• Delayed features: Free users often get auto-detection with a delay or reduced GPS accuracy.

If mileage claims are a meaningful part of your tax return, the cost of a paid app usually pays for itself many times over in saved time and higher-quality records.

Team and fleet considerations

If you manage a team of drivers — even just two or three field staff — consistency matters more than individual preference. Look for:

• Centralised reporting so you can export one combined report rather than merging individual files
• Shared classification rules so everyone distinguishes business, commute, and private the same way
• Admin dashboards that flag unreviewed trips or missing classifications before month-end
• Per-driver and per-vehicle breakdowns for accurate reimbursement calculations

Triplogik and Driversnote both offer team plans. MileTrack is building team features for a future release. Check the current MileIQ product pages if team functionality is part of your decision, because plan packaging can change.

Related UK guides

• HMRC Mileage Rates 2026: Practical AMAP Guide for UK Claims
• HMRC Mileage Logbook Rules: Recordkeeping Checklist for 2026
• HMRC Mileage Calculator Guide 2026: Split Rates Without Mistakes

MileTrack captures journeys automatically, classifies them as business, commute, or private, and exports claim-ready reports with all the fields HMRC expects. See the current UK product page at miletrack.app/en-gb.

Tax note: educational content only, not tax advice.