Is Apple’s CarPlay Ultra Worth Buying a New Car For?

Last updated on November 23rd, 2025 at 03:02 am

Check, the CarPlay Ultra rollout of Apple has been under my eyes since May and frankly speaking? My next question was the question you are likely to ask yourself: is this worth some serious cash to buy a new car?

Here are the preliminary results of my research regarding demos, reviews, and actual user experiences.

What Makes CarPlay Ultra Different

The point is as follows–CarPlay Ultra is not regular CarPlay but a fresh paint. It occupies your complete dashboard. I mean instrument cluster, center screen, even heads-up displays in case your car has a heads-up display.

The very moment I watched it running over an Aston Martin DBX, I had my mouth open. Your music, navigation and speed are all synchronized on all the screens. No longer staring at a phone-reflected centre display and having a digital gauge cluster.

And also you can now change climate without leaving CarPlay. That is the only thing that corrects one of my largest dislikes with standard CarPlay.

CarPlay Ultra: How to (Actually) Use.

When you are getting an outfitting automobile matching (at the moment it is essentially only Aston Martin, but Hyundai, Kia, and Porsche are on the anvil), the following is required:

Require: You will require an iPhone 12 or above and without running iOS 18.5. The initial connection is approximately of 30 seconds as your phone downloads the package that is specific to the car. After that? It’s instant.

Customize Everything: Click the settings button and customize your instrument cluster. I would begin with an empty theme with speed, fuel, and navigation on the centre stage. You are able to customize the colors, the wallpapers, even the way the information is presented.

Voice Commands Are the most important: Siri now runs your car. Simple say make it 72 degrees or turn up the bass and it just works. Safety measures Way better than driving with touch screens.

widget Strategy: Start a weather, calendar and music widget on your home page. Swipe between pages with various driving situations- commute to work and road trips.

So… Is It Worth a New Car?

Alright, being straight about it: most likely not, in case you are contented with what you have been riding on.

CarPlay Ultra is an amazing thing however it is not that life changing that it can be used to purchase a new car as an independent factor. Are you already on track of purchasing a new car, and CarPlay Ultra can be found? By all means–it is a really healthier experience.

But the twist to this matter is that it is only Aston Martin that produces it at the moment. And some of the larger brands such as Mercedes-Benz, Audi, and Volvo have already canceled out, fearing that Apple is taking over its systems.

My take? Wait a year. Get to know the real performance of mainstream brands. Make sure the features you are interested in are functional in real life testing.

CarPlay Ultra may be your personal heaven should you be locked in too deeply on the Apple bandwagon and drive a ton. But for most people? The normal CarPlay performs the task perfectly well.

FAQs

Can I add CarPlay Ultra to my current car?

Nope. It demands hardware integration of factories that is irreversible. You would have to purchase a car that has it installed in it.

Which cars support CarPlay Ultra right now?

By November 2025 only Aston Martin (DBX, Vanquish, DB12, Vantage). Future support by Hyundai, Kia, Genesis, and Porsche are not committed yet.

Does it work with Google Maps?

Not at launch. At the moment, you are left with Apple Maps or Waze. Apple is rolling out Google Maps support in due course, although not with a schedule.

Is my information going to be disclosed with the car manufacturer?

No. Apple retains everything secret using iPhone security. The information remains confidential without being distributed to automakers.

Also Read: 

Cyberpunk 2077 on Mac: Your Complete Guide to System Requirements and Performance