Best Mileage Tracker Apps UK 2026: An Honest Comparison

If you're self-employed in the UK and you drive for work, you need a mileage tracker. That's not really debatable any more. HMRC expects contemporaneous records of every business mile you claim, and paper logs don't cut it when you're doing 40 journeys a week.

The question is which app. There are dozens of options on the App Store and Google Play, but most are built for the US market and don't understand UK tax rules. The ones that do work in the UK vary wildly in quality, pricing, and how well they actually detect journeys.

I've compared five apps that are genuinely usable for UK self-employed mileage tracking in 2026. One of them is mine (KeptMiles), and I'll be upfront about that throughout. I've tried to be fair. If you think I've got something wrong about a competitor, let me know.

Pricing and features are accurate at the time of writing (March 2026) but may change. Check the app's own website for current pricing.

Quick comparison

Numbers in a table only tell you so much. Here's what each app is actually like to use.

KeptMiles

Disclosure: this is my app. I built it because the other options either didn't understand UK tax rules, cost too much, or required too much manual input. I'll describe it the same way I describe the others: what it does well, what it doesn't.

Strengths. KeptMiles is built specifically for UK self-employed workers. The HMRC 45p/25p rates are hardcoded, the tax year runs 6 April to 5 April, and the 10,000-mile threshold is handled automatically. When a journey crosses the threshold mid-trip, it splits correctly between the two rates. Auto-detection uses GPS and Android's activity recognition to start recording when you drive, without needing to tap anything. All data stays on your device (with optional Google Drive backup), which matters if you're privacy-conscious. Pricing is lower than most alternatives.

Weaknesses. It's Android-only. If you use an iPhone, KeptMiles isn't an option for you. The app is relatively new compared to established players like MileIQ, which means a smaller user base and less online community support. There's no web dashboard: everything is managed on the phone. And because I'm a solo developer, feature additions take longer than they would at a company with a team of engineers.

MileIQ

MileIQ is the biggest name in mileage tracking. It was acquired by Microsoft in 2015 and has millions of users worldwide. If you've heard of any mileage app, it's probably this one.

Strengths. MileIQ has been around for a long time and it shows in the polish. The swipe-to-classify interface is quick and intuitive. It works on both iOS and Android. The large user base means plenty of online guides, tips, and community support. The free tier gives you 40 trips per month, which is reasonable for light users. Microsoft integration is a plus if you're already in that ecosystem.

Weaknesses. Pricing is the main one: at the time of writing, the premium plan is around £7.99/month or £59.99/year, which makes it one of the more expensive options. MileIQ is a US-first product. While it does support UK mileage rates, the tax year defaults to the calendar year rather than the UK tax year (6 April to 5 April). The 10,000-mile threshold between the 45p and 25p rates isn't handled automatically, so you need to manage that yourself or rely on your accountant to apply it correctly when processing the export. For US users claiming the IRS standard mileage rate, this isn't an issue. For UK users, it's an extra step you shouldn't need to think about. Auto-detection can be inconsistent, with some users reporting missed journeys or phantom trips, though this varies by device and Android version.

Driversnote

Driversnote is a Danish company that's built a solid mileage tracking app with good European market awareness. It's popular in Scandinavia and has been growing in the UK.

Strengths. Driversnote has some of the best workplace detection I've seen. You can set locations that automatically classify journeys as business or personal when you arrive or depart. The Bluetooth beacon option (using a small device in your car) can trigger tracking automatically when you start the engine, which is more reliable than pure GPS detection in some scenarios. Available on both iOS and Android. The interface is clean and the classification workflow is efficient. Export options include Excel alongside CSV and PDF. The company is responsive to feedback and ships updates regularly.

Weaknesses. Pricing sits at around £6/month at the time of writing, which is mid-range. Like MileIQ, it's an international product, not UK-specific. The HMRC rates are supported, but you may need to configure the tax year period and rate thresholds yourself rather than having them set by default. The Bluetooth beacon is a nice feature, but it's an additional cost and another thing to keep charged. The free tier is limited to around 20 trips per month. Some users have reported that the GPS tracking can be aggressive on battery, particularly on older Android devices, though the Bluetooth option helps mitigate this.

TripLog

TripLog is a US-based app that's been around since 2012. It positions itself as a comprehensive vehicle expense tracker rather than just a mileage logger.

Strengths. TripLog goes beyond mileage. It tracks fuel purchases, parking, tolls, and other vehicle expenses alongside your journeys. If you use the actual cost method rather than simplified mileage, this is useful. It offers OBD-II integration (plugging into your car's diagnostics port for automatic trip detection), which is the most reliable auto-detection method available. The app is mature, feature-rich, and has good fleet management features if you ever expand beyond a one-person operation. Available on both platforms.

Weaknesses. TripLog is heavily US-focused. It doesn't have built-in HMRC mileage rates, so you'd need to set custom rates manually. The tax year, the 10,000-mile threshold, and the rate split are all things you'd manage yourself. Pricing is in US dollars (around $5.99/month at the time of writing), which isn't a dealbreaker but signals where their primary market is. The interface can feel complex because of the breadth of features: if you just want simple mileage tracking, there's a lot of screen real estate devoted to features you'll never use. The OBD-II integration requires purchasing a separate dongle. For a UK sole trader doing straightforward mileage claims, TripLog is more tool than you need.

Tripbook

Tripbook is a UK-focused mileage tracker that positions itself specifically for HMRC mileage claims.

Strengths. Being UK-built, Tripbook understands the HMRC framework natively. The 45p/25p rates and the 10,000-mile threshold are handled automatically, similar to KeptMiles. The tax year aligns to the UK fiscal year. The interface is straightforward and focused on the core task of logging and classifying business journeys. Available on both iOS and Android. Pricing is reasonable at around £3.99/month at the time of writing.

Weaknesses. Tripbook has a smaller user base than MileIQ or Driversnote, which means less community support and fewer online guides. Auto-detection reliability varies, with some users reporting the need to manually start trips more often than with competing apps. The free tier is limited. Feature set is narrower than TripLog or Driversnote: fewer integrations, no Bluetooth beacon option, less flexibility in reporting. For straightforward UK mileage tracking, narrow can be a positive: less to configure, fewer things to go wrong.

What the comparison table doesn't tell you

The most important factor in a mileage tracker is whether it actually captures your journeys reliably. No amount of HMRC compliance or export formatting matters if the app misses half your trips.

Auto-detection is hard. Every app on this list uses some combination of GPS, accelerometer data, and activity recognition to figure out when you're driving. Android and iOS both impose restrictions on background location access (for good privacy reasons), and these restrictions get tighter with every OS update. Every mileage app is fighting the same battle against battery optimisation, background process limits, and manufacturer-specific quirks (Samsung, Huawei, and Xiaomi are particularly aggressive at killing background apps).

The result is that no app detects 100% of journeys 100% of the time. Anyone claiming otherwise is not being honest. What varies is how close each app gets, and how gracefully it handles the misses. Can you easily add a manual trip? Does the app warn you when background permissions have been revoked? Does it recover after a phone restart?

Battery impact is the other factor that's hard to capture in a table. GPS tracking uses power. The question is how much. Apps that poll location frequently get better accuracy but drain the battery faster. Apps that use geofencing and activity recognition to trigger GPS only when needed use less power but may miss short trips or be slower to detect the start of a journey. Every app makes different trade-offs here, and the impact varies significantly by phone model, OS version, and how many other apps are competing for background resources.

Privacy: on-device vs cloud

Your mileage log is a detailed record of everywhere you go, when you go there, and how long you stay. It's sensitive data.

Most mileage apps process and store your data in the cloud. That's how they offer web dashboards, cross-device sync, and team management features. It also means your location history sits on someone else's servers, governed by their privacy policy and their security practices.

KeptMiles processes everything on-device. Your journey data never leaves your phone unless you explicitly choose to back it up to your own Google Drive or export a report. There's no KeptMiles server that stores your location history.

Whether this matters to you depends on your threat model and your comfort level. Cloud storage isn't inherently bad: the bigger apps invest heavily in security. But if you prefer to keep your location data under your own control, it's worth knowing which apps require cloud processing and which don't.

Which one should you pick?

There's no single best app for everyone. It depends on your situation.

If you're on iPhone: KeptMiles isn't available to you, so your main choices are MileIQ, Driversnote, or Tripbook. MileIQ has the largest user base and the most polished experience. Driversnote has the best workplace detection. Tripbook is the most UK-focused of the three. If budget matters, compare the free tiers. MileIQ's 40 free trips per month might be enough if you don't drive daily.

If you're on Android, UK self-employed, and want something purpose-built: KeptMiles and Tripbook are the two options designed specifically for HMRC mileage claims. Both handle the 45p/25p threshold automatically and align to the UK tax year. KeptMiles is cheaper and keeps data on-device. Tripbook is cross-platform if you might switch to iPhone later.

If you need expense tracking beyond mileage: TripLog is the most comprehensive option, covering fuel, parking, tolls, and maintenance alongside mileage. It's overkill for simple mileage claims, but if you're using the actual cost method and want everything in one place, it's worth a look.

If you work in a team or fleet: Driversnote and TripLog both have team management features. MileIQ has some fleet capabilities too. KeptMiles and Tripbook are focused on individual use.

If you're not sure: Download two or three free tiers and use them simultaneously for a week. You'll quickly see which one catches the most journeys, which interface you prefer, and which one you actually open and classify trips in. The best app is the one you'll actually use consistently. A theoretically superior app that you forget to check is worth less than a simpler one you use every day.

The thing that matters more than the app

Whichever app you pick, the most important thing is that you use it. Every day. From the start of the tax year.

HMRC's mileage allowance rules let you claim 45p for every business mile up to 10,000, then 25p after that. For a typical self-employed driver doing 8,000–12,000 business miles a year, that's £3,600–£5,000 in claimable expenses. The maths is broken down in the HMRC mileage rates guide.

The difference between a good mileage tracker and a great one might be 5% of journeys. The difference between using any tracker and not tracking at all is closer to 30–50% of claimable miles. People forget journeys. They round down. They don't bother logging short trips. Over a year, those missed miles add up to hundreds of pounds in lost claims.

If you're approaching the new tax year and you're still not tracking automatically, pick any app from this list and start. You can always switch later. You can't go back and recover the miles you didn't record.

For what it's worth, if you're new to Making Tax Digital, digital mileage records are about to become more important than ever. Starting with good habits now saves pain later.

All Premium features free until 5th April 2027 (end of 26/27 tax year). KeptMiles auto-tracks your business mileage and calculates your HMRC claim.