With TomTom or Garmin (can't speak for others as I don't know) you get a free complete map update as soon as you buy the unit to account for changes made while on the shelf. After that's you're on your own. The pricing model, IMHO, isn't that far off from razor/razor blades; the hardware is cheap but the maps to keep it accurate aren't. I guess to properly answer your question, if there is new stuff that's been built that you absolutely have to have on your GPS, then you may want to update. Only problem is, there's no guarantee that the thing you want will make it on the update you buy. When I had the TomTom in Europe, the factory that I was going to wasn't on the GPS. I was able to get really close to it, then figure out the rest from there. Once I'm there, just mark the location and it's easy-peasy from then on.