UPDATE: This model has been discontinued. For current recommendations, please refer to our auto GPS buyers guide.
The Garmin nüvi 260W
Related units
- Stepping down to the Garmin nuvi 250W, you’ll lose text-to-speech
- Check out my Garmin nuvi comparison chart to see how the 260W stacks up against other units’ features, including those of the newer 2×5 series
More Garmin nuvi 260W reviews
- Consumer-authored Garmin nuvi 260W reviews
are posted at Amazon
- Okaay.com posts a Garmin nuvi 260W review
- Consumer reviews of the nuvi 260W are also being posted at CNet
- Paul’s Travel Pictures reviews the nuvi 260W
- Here’s a brief Garmin nuvi 260W review / testimonial posted on the Garmin blog
- CNet’s Down Under division gives an 8 out of 10 rating in their nuvi 260W review
- GPS Magazine does their typically thorough job, reviewing the nuvi 260W
I’ll be posting more hands on GPS reviews as they appear, but in the meantime, here are some…
Other Garmin nuvi 260W resources
- The Garmin nuvi 260W owners manual
- There is a Garmin nuvi message forum at GpsPasSion
- Confused about the wide range of nuvi models? Check out this handy Garmin auto GPS comparison tool or use my own Garmin nuvi comparison chart
- The official Garmin nuvi 260W web page
- Five tips for nuvi newbies
- A video demo of the nuvi 260W:
Compare prices on the Garmin nuvi 260W at these merchants:
- Check the current Garmin nüvi 260W
- Get the Garmin nuvi 260W Wide-Screen Automotive GPS System with North American Maps
at TigerGPS, where you get free shipping on orders above $250
- Find the Garmin nuvi 260W
for an amazing price on eBay
About Rich Owings
how can i pair my nuvi 260w with my blackberry for handsfree calling from the GPS unit?
You can’t. The 260W doesn’t include Bluetooth.
Hi, my 260w doesnt power up when i turn on the button.. but it works when plug with car charger.. Any ways to solve?
How old is it? Is the battery dead?
I received a garmin 260w 6 months ago as a gift. The power cord for the car no longer provides a charge to the unit so I have not been able to use my Nuvi. I tried my neices power cord (she has the same one) and it worked fine. My power cord has not been abused and should work. Should Garmin provide me with a new cord?
Yes, call them.
my motherinlaw’s 260W does not show any categories under points of interest, and will not recognize any addresses. nothing in the quick start manual about this. help, pls.
Here’s what I would do, in this order:
1. Update the firmware if a new release is available.
2. Do a hard reset (search at Garmin.com support for details on how to). Backup your data first unless you’re willing to lose all Favorites.
3. Call Garmin support.
my nuvi 260w will not charge, its a year old and after having it on the charger for 8 hours when i unplug it, it says low battery and goes off. I do not leave this in the heat or cold, goes in everynight. I let the battery die like twice a month. I did use my buddies charger to make sure its not mine and it did the same thing. do the batteries only last a year in these things? its exactly 1 year old so im out of warranty.
Garmin has been known to be a bit extra generous, but if often depends on who you speak with. It’s still worth a try to call customer support.
Hi my Nuvi works pretty well everywhere but has stopped working when plugged into power. The screen simply shows it in a charging mode – but no maps!
Thanks! Brian
Will it go into mass storage mode if you connect it to your computer? If so, you could try updating it with more recent firmware. The best way to do that is with Garmin’s WebUpdater program. If that doesn’t work, back up your favorites (in the device under garmin/curerent.gpx) and do a hard reset. You can find instructions by searching Garmin support for reset for your model.
Rich which of the nuvi’s has the best internal antenna? In case I chance the Nuvi In my FJ (mounted under the roof overhang) I want to have the best chances of good sat pickup.
Gracias
I’d go with the most recent models. That means a 1xxx unit. If you’re looking for a low cost model, start with the nuvi 12xx series, or 13xx if you want a 4.3″ wide screen unit.
I havent used my garmin 260w in 14 months,it now will not recharge or turn on when plugged into car adapter.Do you have any idea whats going on? Any help would be appreciated.Thanks in advance John.
See if it will charge or go into mass storage mode when attached to your computer.
How often are the maps updated on the Garmon 260W and when was the last update?
They don’t get “live” updates. It comes with whatever map was pre-installed at manufacturing. Map updates are generally available quarterly. Register any nuvi you buy within 60 days to ensure that you have the latest maps… http://garmin.com/numaps
I rec’d the Garmin 260W a a gift for Christmas (09) and liked it so far. However when I stored it under the seat I put a deep gouge into the screen and it does not work now.
Can this be repaired?????
I’ve lost the warranty card, etc.
Should I just throw it away and buy another one????
Thanks for any replies.
Jimmbo
If it was new, it should still be under warranty. Call (rather than emailing) Garmin and see what they say. Occasionally they will go above and beyond and replace such units. Otherwise, buying a new one would probably be better than paying them to repair it.
My Nuvi 260W is 370 years old and do not turn on anymore? Any solutions? Thans
Sorry, I mean 370 days
Will it go into USB mass storage mode if you connect it to your computer?
My Garmin260 will no longer download the original maps. The green download bar stops just short of a full download. I would like to use the original maps that came with the my Garmin260.
Regards
Robert Harrison
How long have you waited? It can take up to several hours. Otherwise, I would call Garmin support (better results than emailing them, in my experience).
My Husbands Garmin nuvi 260W keeps doing the down loading thing every minutes, and it will not stop self down loading. what should we do? please help. Thanks.
What do you mean by downloading? What exactly is it doing? If you are updating maps, it really can take several hours.
once the gps is turned on, and it does that right a way by it self, it keep saying downloading map and once it’s finished, not even a minute it does it again. and it’s been doing that since after updating the map from a 2009 to a 2011 map like three weeks ago. But my GPS is doing fine it did not do that, just on my husbands.
You might try downloading the map again. Otherwise, I’d call Garmin support.
ok, thank you so much.
I should have elaborated a bit more…It could be that the process never quite completed. I’d love to hear back about how things work out if you get a chance.
I will let you know once I re download it again. thanks.
It doesn’t work even after re download, still doing the same thing. so I went out there and bought another one for my husband. The broken one will be my 2 years old son’s new toy 🙂
Ouch!
My 260W is dead. It become slower at a point that it hanged up. I slide On button until it turned off and never started up again.
It doesn’t have a reset button at the bottom so I tried to do a Hard Reset sliding de Power botton to the left for 8 sec but nothing happens. I’ve e-mailed Garmin ahd they suggested to push the power botton for 45 seconds but it also didn’t work.
Any suggestion, maybe I could open and reconnect the battery?
I live in Argentina and I have no official support here…
Any help will be appreciated!!
Have you tried connecting it to your computer? Will it go into mass storage mode?
to reset the 260w you don’t just hold the power button, but as you are doing that hold your finger on the bottom right hand corner to reset but you lose all your saved info.
Boa tarde,
tenho um GARMIN NUVI 260 (17T065347), e formatei. Depois de formatado não consigo visualiza-lo quando conecto ao computador, como resolver este problema?
Grato;
Humberto
If you formatted the nuvi drive and don’t have a backup, I think you would need to send it back to Garmin for repair.
Hey guys, I also have a 370 day old Nuvi260w, doesn’t turn on, have tried reset & power simultaneously to 55 seconds and still garmin will not work. any further suggestions? Thanks!
Chris,
Have you tried connecting it to your computer? Will it go into mass storage mode?
it does not go to storage either, when connected to the cpu.
At 370 days, I’d call Garmin and see if they’d cut you a little slack on the warranty. Their customer service folks are known to do that.
Howdy, The best info that I have seen was on Volt daddy (just google it) Probably the most helpful info on batteries and this things that I have found.