Pioneer’s AppRadio 4 (SPH-DA120) is regularly priced at $599, but can usually be found for under $500 from Amazon and other retailers. You can also find features like Bluetooth, navigation, and DVD playback, but these options aren’t necessary for a basic wired CarPlay system.Īpple highlights four companies - Alpine, Kenwood, Pioneer, and Sony - on its CarPlay website that produce compatible aftermarket systems, but it doesn’t list individual head units like it does for new cars. Some aftermarket head units support both Apple CarPlay and Google Android Auto while others only work with the former. Different factors to consider include display size (bigger is usually better), screen type (capacitive is superior to resistive), hardware design (buttons versus knobs), and now there’s wired versus wireless.
Prices for aftermarket CarPlay units generally start around $500 and can range to over $1000 depending on included features. With this in mind, we’ve tested several aftermarket CarPlay models and have come up with recommendations for various budgets.
Lots of new cars are being introduced with Apple CarPlay this year, which is great if you’re in the market for a new vehicle, but you can easily add CarPlay to your current vehicle with aftermarket head units.
