Key Takeaways
Clear subject
TomTom is still active in 2025. It has changed from a maker of standalone car sat-nav devices into a wider location-technology company that sells maps, software and traffic data to carmakers, businesses and developers.
Old device, new role
An older TomTom sat-nav with a suction mount, LIVE services and a CE mark on the back can still be useful today, but support and map updates depend on its exact model and memory.
Business shift
Most of TomTom’s growth now comes from its automotive and enterprise work, not from selling new plastic boxes for the windscreen, and this shift includes job cuts as the company leans into artificial intelligence.
Dutch on the screen
A small Dutch street-name mini-lesson makes the TomTom map easier to read: common endings like straat, laan and weg give simple hints about the type of road.
Story & Details
A quiet device on a kitchen table
Picture a small black sat-nav resting on a checked kitchen cloth in the Netherlands in late 2025.
The glass screen is dark. Around it runs a slim plastic frame. In one corner, a small word reads LIVE. On the back there is a round speaker grille and a neat printed code: CE0168. A curved arm ends in a wide suction cup, ready to stick to a windscreen.
For many drivers, this kind of TomTom box used to be the main way to cross a new country without a paper map. Today, phones can do the same job. Even so, a dedicated sat-nav is still handy: it can stay in the car, it does not drain a phone battery, and it can be easier to read in strong sunlight.
Is TomTom still alive as a company?
The device looks like a relic, so a natural question comes up: has TomTom closed, or is it still around?
The answer is simple. TomTom is still very much alive in 2025. It is a Dutch location-technology company based in Amsterdam. The firm describes itself as a provider of location data and technology for drivers, carmakers, businesses and developers. Its main products today are digital maps, routing software and real-time traffic information that other companies build into their own systems.
Results published during 2025 show that most of TomTom’s revenue now comes from its automotive location-technology segment. Carmakers pay for maps and navigation that appear inside in-dash screens. Enterprise clients pay for tools that plan routes, monitor traffic and help fleets move more efficiently. Consumer apps and standalone sat-navs still exist, but they are no longer the centre of the story.
Job cuts and an AI-heavy strategy
This shift has a human cost. In June 2025, TomTom announced plans to cut around 300 jobs as part of a move towards a “product-led” strategy with deeper use of artificial intelligence. The cuts mainly affect staff working on application layers, sales and support.
The aim of the change is to speed up map-making, standardise products and rely more on automated systems to keep road data fresh. By the time winter 2025 arrives, TomTom is smaller than it once was, but it is focused on being the quiet engine behind many other brands’ navigation tools.
What happens to older sat-navs
Back on the kitchen table, the question is more personal: what happens to this particular TomTom box?
TomTom keeps a public list of “end of life” devices, which are older sat-nav models that no longer receive new maps or software. The company explains that some older units simply do not have enough memory or processing power to run the latest maps. These devices still start up and still show routes, but their maps grow slowly out of date and their owners cannot buy new updates.
Newer models, or older ones that are still supported, can receive map and software updates in several ways. Some connect to a computer using TomTom’s MyDrive Connect or TomTom HOME programs. Others connect directly to Wi-Fi and update themselves without a computer. In every case, the basics are the same: the device checks TomTom’s servers, downloads new data and then restarts with fresher maps.
Finding out which TomTom you own
To know which group the device on the table belongs to, the owner needs a small piece of information: the serial number. TomTom support guides explain that this number is printed on a barcode label on the case or mount and also appears in the settings menu. The first letters of the serial number match a table on TomTom’s website. That table tells you the exact model name and whether it still receives updates.
For people who are not comfortable with these details, one short video on the official TomTom Support channel is very helpful. In less than three minutes it shows a range of devices and points to the exact place where the serial label sits on each one. The host turns each unit, taps the screen and shows both the sticker and the menu entry, so owners can follow along at home.
The meaning of the CE0168 mark
The CE0168 mark on the back of the device is easy to overlook, but it connects the little box to a wide legal system.
The letters “CE” are used on many products sold in the European Economic Area. They show that the manufacturer declares the product meets key European rules on safety, health and environmental protection, and that it can be placed on the market in countries that share those rules. The mark is not a quality award or a marketing badge; it is more like a passport that says, “this product meets the basic law”.
Public information from European and Dutch authorities makes clear that, for many electrical and electronic devices, CE marking is mandatory. The four-digit number after the letters, in this case 0168, identifies a notified body, an independent organisation that may be involved in checking that the product meets the relevant standards. When the TomTom sat-nav first went on sale, the mark signalled that it met those requirements at that time.
Dutch street endings on a small screen
Turn the TomTom on and the map shows a web of roads with names that may seem long and unfamiliar. Dutch street names often glue several words together. That can be hard to parse at driving speed if Dutch is not yet familiar.
A short language mini-lesson helps. Dutch guides explain that many street names share a small set of endings:
- straat usually means a normal street in a town or city.
- laan often marks a broad, tree-lined avenue.
- weg tends to be a main road or route out of town.
- gracht is generally a street that runs along a canal.
- kade is a road or path along a quay or embankment.
With these endings in mind, the display starts to make more sense. A road that ends in straat is likely a built-up street with houses or shops. A name ending in laan hints at a larger, possibly greener road. A weg often carries through-traffic. A gracht or kade suggests water nearby. Even with a basic level of Dutch, a driver can quickly guess what lies ahead.
The sat-nav’s place in a phone-first world
By December 2025, most people use smartphones to navigate. Apps update themselves, pull live traffic over mobile networks and sync across devices. Yet the TomTom on the cloth still has a role. It can serve as a dedicated navigator in a second car. It can help visitors who do not want to use mobile data. It can act as a backup when a phone battery dies or a signal drops in the countryside.
Its value now depends on three things: whether TomTom still supports the model with updates, how old its maps are and how well it has been cared for. If those pieces fit together, a small, ageing sat-nav still offers calm guidance on dark winter roads, quietly following lines of code and cartography that TomTom now also sells deep inside the dashboards of brand-new cars.
Conclusions
A small box that tells a larger story
The TomTom sat-nav on the kitchen table is more than a forgotten gadget. It shows how technology can move from the spotlight to the background without disappearing. An object that once defined a brand now represents just one end of a much wider business that powers maps and navigation for many others.
Company in motion
TomTom in 2025 is not a closed chapter but a company in motion. It cuts jobs, leans into artificial intelligence and wins contracts in cars and enterprise systems. At the same time it keeps some older devices alive, retires others and leaves small plastic boxes like the one on the cloth to live out their days as backups, hand-me-downs or quiet travel partners.
Maps, words and reassurance
The CE0168 mark on the back offers reassurance that the device was built to meet shared European rules. The Dutch street endings on the screen turn long names into simple hints. Together, hardware, law and language come together in a way that still makes sense for a careful driver in the Netherlands in late 2025, even if the loudest navigation buzz now comes from a phone.
Selected References
[1] TomTom. “First quarter 2025 results.” Company press release describing TomTom as a provider of location data and technology for drivers, carmakers, businesses and developers, and outlining the role of its location-technology segment. Available at: https://www.tomtom.com/newsroom/press-releases/earnings-other/29026/first-quarter-2025-results/
[2] TomTom. “Second quarter 2025 results – TomTom delivers on strategy and upgrades guidance.” Update on revenue, automotive performance and strategy. Available at: https://www.tomtom.com/newsroom/press-releases/earnings-other/29141/second-quarter-2025-results/
[3] Reuters. “TomTom to cut 300 jobs amid AI shift.” News report on job cuts linked to a more AI-driven, product-led strategy. Available at: https://www.reuters.com/technology/tomtom-cut-300-jobs-amid-ai-shift-2025-06-30/
[4] TomTom. “End of life – support for older generation navigation devices.” Explanation of why some older sat-navs no longer receive updates. Available at: https://www.tomtom.com/en_gb/navigation/obsolete-products/
[5] TomTom Help Centre. “Finding the serial number of your device.” Support article on locating the serial number and using it to identify a model. Available at: https://help.tomtom.com/hc/en-150/articles/31217476865298-Finding-the-serial-number-of-your-device
[6] TomTom Support (YouTube). “Finding the serial number of your navigation device.” Short official video showing where the serial label sits on different TomTom models. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dyjrAHEl5jc
[7] European Commission. “CE marking.” Overview of CE marking and what it signifies for products sold in the European Economic Area. Available at: https://single-market-economy.ec.europa.eu/single-market/goods/ce-marking_en
[8] European Union – Your Europe. “CE marking – obtaining the certificate, EU requirements.” Explanation of CE marking as a manufacturer’s declaration of conformity with EU rules. Available at: https://europa.eu/youreurope/business/product-requirements/labels-markings/ce-marking/index_en.htm
[9] Business.gov.nl. “Mandatory CE marking for products.” Dutch public-information page on when CE marking is required and what it means. Available at: https://business.gov.nl/regulation/ce-marking/
[10] ExpatINFO Holland. “Dutch street names.” Guide to common Dutch street-name elements and endings. Available at: https://expatinfoholland.nl/help-guides/arrival-settling/common-dutch-street-names/
[11] Expat Spouses Initiative. “The story behind Dutch street names.” Background article on Dutch street naming and recurring suffixes. Available at: https://expatspousesinitiative.org/the-story-behind-dutch-street-names/
[12] Municipality of Amsterdam. “What does a street name say?” Online glossary explaining Dutch street-type words such as straat, laan, weg, gracht and kade. Available at: https://maps.amsterdam.nl/straatnamen/
Appendix
CE marking
Mark printed on many products in the European Economic Area to show that the manufacturer declares the item meets key European rules on safety, health and environmental protection and may be placed on the market there.
Dutch street endings
Common final parts of Dutch street names, such as straat, laan, weg, gracht and kade, which give simple clues about whether a road is a normal street, a broad avenue, a main road, a canal-side street or a quay.
LIVE services
Online extras on some TomTom sat-nav devices, including live traffic information, speed-camera alerts and other connected features delivered over a mobile data link.
Location technology
Set of digital maps, software and data services that make it possible to know where people or objects are, plan routes and travel times and provide navigation and traffic information.
Sat-nav (satellite navigation)
Portable device or built-in system that uses signals from satellites together with digital maps to show a vehicle’s position and guide the driver with on-screen maps and spoken directions.
Serial number
Unique code printed on a TomTom device and shown in its menu, used to identify the exact model and to check which kind of software and map support still applies.
TomTom
Dutch company based in Amsterdam that designs and sells digital maps, navigation software and traffic services for carmakers, businesses, developers and consumers, and that once became widely known for its small standalone car sat-nav units.
My Diary - Leonardo Cardillo 