Your Google Maps trips might soon get a style upgrade with fresh vehicle icons

(Image credit: Jay Bonggolto / Android Central)

What you need to know

Google Maps is working on expanding car icon options, four years after first introducing them.
Currently, users only have a few basic choices—red sedan, yellow SUV, and green pickup truck—since 2020.
A new update is being tested, adding five new vehicle models (hatchback, Jeep, sedan, SUV, and a Tesla-like design) and eight new color choices.
These expanded customization options are currently available on iOS and will likely come to Android soon.

Google Maps appears to be gearing up to add more car icon options, four years after first introducing them.

Currently, Google Maps only gives you a few basic choices for vehicle icons—a red sedan, a yellow SUV, and a green pickup truck. This feature was introduced back in 2020, and it hasn’t really seen any updates since.

Android Police recently found that Google is working on new ways to customize vehicle markers in Maps, with a fresh update currently being tested.

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If the current testing goes well, a future Maps update will offer users five new vehicle models, including a hatchback, a Jeep, sedan, SUV, and a Tesla-inspired design. Additionally, there will be eight new color options to choose from, expanding the customization choices for your vehicle icon.

The classic blue arrow and old vehicle icons will presumably stay, but the new color customization options won't be available for those older models—you'll only get them with the updated vehicle icons.

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(Image credit: Android Police)

Android Police uncovered the expanded vehicle customization options on the iOS version of Google Maps. Though still limited, this marks a big step toward more personalization.

While these new icons might not be as playful as those on Waze, they do offer a more realistic take on real-world vehicles, moving beyond the old, limited choices.

Given that Google develops both Google Maps and Android, it makes sense to expect that the new vehicle customization features will eventually make their way to the Android version of the navigation app.

Jay Bonggolto always keeps a nose for news. He has been writing about consumer tech and apps for as long as he can remember, and he has used a variety of Android phones since falling in love with Jelly Bean. Send him a direct message via Twitter or LinkedIn.