We first got our Ford Focus when we were starting our little family. We needed something to get to the hospital on time, to carry around a stroller, and to head out on family trips. It’s taken us on adventures around BC, down to the States, and been a faithful method of battling the daily commute.

I love my car. Sure it could be a little bigger, a little flashier, or have enough trunk space to fit all the toys my daughter wants to bring on even the shortest of trips, but it works. It gets us from A to B, and the road trips have been fun.

Stuck in traffic for over an hour. Still having fun.

It gets serviced every six-months to ensure it’s ticking along, but keeping an eye on the car’s health and understanding how I’m driving is super important for making sure our Ford lasts as long as possible.

Sure, there are the warning lights that will announce themselves with a ding and start to flash when something’s gone really wrong, but wouldn’t it be nice to know ahead of time?

That’s where the TELUS Drive+ comes in.

This handy device plugs into your car’s on-board diagnostics system (super easy) and will talk to the TELUS Drive+ app on your phone.

You’ll be able to find out:

• Acceleration
• Braking
• Speed
• RPM
• Your car’s location (using GPS)
• Reports on common car issues, captured through Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTC)
• Battery level

It’ll also give you in-car WiFi, which is really useful when we have to resort to an episode of Peppa Pig on YouTube when my daughter is cranky and we still have an hour left of the journey.

Security-wise, TELUS have thought of it all:

• The device only reads information from your car
• It can’t send information to affect your car’s computer or change the way your car works
• All data communication between the device and the app occurs over a cellular Virtual Private Network (VPN), which provides security against unauthorized third-party access to those communications

Here’s a step-by-step guide to setting it up, are here are all the technical specs and details on what you can do with your TELUS Drive+ device

The most satisfying thing about the Drive+ is having the sense of security that comes with having an eye on what’s going under the hood. Oh, I almost forgot, the extra driving I do for work is always a hassle to expense, but now I can just save a screenshot and it’ll give the office Finance team everything they need.

Whether your car feels like part of the family, or it’s a work runaround, I can’t recommend this enough.

Disclaimer: Thanks to TELUS for sponsoring this unbiased and honest review. All opinions and photos are my own.