Many new cars have infotainment systems that can recognize voice commands and give turn-by-turn directions. But OnStar has been around for 20 years, and for most of that time it's been the premier subscription-based automotive assistance service, using both electronics and human operators to provide information and help to drivers. It also offers a slew of convenience, safety, and security features, like monitoring and unlocking your car from your smartphone, automatically calling emergency services if you get into a crash, and tracking and blocking your car from starting if it gets stolen. I recently tested the service while driving between Boston and Baltimore for PCMag's Fastest Mobile Networks project, and it's more helpful than ever, making it worthy of an Editors' Choice award.

Tiers and Pricing

OnStar is available on all current GM vehicles, though you'll need to subscribe to a paid plan if you want any features beyond smartphone control.

The service is available at three paid plan levels. The Protection plan is the least expensive at $19.99 per month or $199.90 per year, and offers automatic crash response and roadside assistance, along with remote app support and car diagnostics. The Security plan is $24.99 per month or $249.90 per year, and adds stolen vehicle assistance, with features like remotely blocking the ignition or slowing the car down when police are chasing it. The Guidance plan is $34.99 per month or $349.90 per year, and includes everything in the other plans, plus navigation features, OnStar's AtYourService hotel booking and retail offers, and 30 hands-free calling minutes per month. I tested the Guidance plan in a 2015 Chevrolet Impala LTZ w/1LZ with Chevrolet's MyLink infotainment system. 

All OnStar plans can add hands-free calling minutes and the location-tracking Family Link feature for additional fees. Family Link is a flat $3.99 per month, while hands-free calling minutes are purchased in buckets ranging from 100 minutes for $39.99 to 1,000 minutes for $299.99.

OnStar's 4G LTE service is available to both subscribers and non-subscribers whose cars support OnStar. Data service ranges from 200MB monthly at $5 for subscribers and $10 for non-subscribers, to 5GB monthly at $50 for subscribers and non-subscribers alike. You can also purchase individual data passes for 250MB over one day or 10GB over 12 months. The 250MB pass is $5 for both subscribers and non-subscribers, while the 10GB pass is $150 for subscribers and $200 for non-subscribers. It gets pretty pricey, considering that you're paying for this data in addition to your smartphone plan.

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App Control

All OnStar plans support remote control with the free OnStar app, available for iOS, Android, Windows Phone, and Blackberry devices. The app can remotely lock and unlock the car, start the engine, and trigger the horns and lights, just like a key fob remote control. The app can also display the car's status, including fuel level, mileage, and tire pressure and oil levels (if the car supports it). Depending on your plan, you can also download directions to your car's navigation system through the app, and directly call an OnStar advisor or request roadside assistance.

Safety and Security

Outside of the app, OnStar sits mostly behind the scenes in the car, accessible by pressing the OnStar button, usually located under the rearview mirror. The button dials OnStar through your car's hands-free phone system to get assistance as you need it. A red SOS button next to the OnStar button places an emergency call to OnStar, which can then send emergency services to your location (OnStar's automatic crash response feature also places this call as soon as a crash is detected). As I didn't get into any major accidents, I couldn't directly test these features.

Similarly, I couldn't test the OnStar security features because the Impala wasn't stolen at any point during my trip. However, if your car is stolen and you have the OnStar Security or Guidance plan, OnStar can track your car over GPS, and send a signal to slow the car down if it's in motion or prevent it from starting if it isn't.

Navigation and Connectivity

The navigation features OnStar offers were very useful. I requested several sets of directions at different points in my trip. Each time, I pressed the OnStar button and was connected to someone within 20 seconds. The operators were courteous and helpful, and found the destinations I wanted, even when I got a hotel or street name wrong. After confirming my destination, the call ended and the address was downloaded directly into the Chevrolet MyLink navigation system.