The best OBD-II scanners in 2022
Stashing one of the best OBD-Two scanners in your glove box or trunk may be the magic bullet you need to save money on machine upkeep or repairs. Because the concluding thing you need is your car's check engine light to flicker on when you're out in the sticks, or a few days abroad from a routine inspection
On-lath diagnostics (OBD) scanners plug directly into the access port past the driver's seat, and tin can tap into your car's computer organisation. It can tell you lot whether that lite is acquired by something as unproblematic as an piece of cake-to-replace gas cap or a faulty catalytic converter that'due south going to cost you thousands of dollars to bandy out.
OBD-II scanners, sometimes written as OBD2 scanners, or EOBD scanners in Europe, likewise let you see what's going on with your car's engine, manual and other critical systems. That's information that usually only your mechanic has access to.
Whether y'all're taking your car in for a routine inspection, or for some sort og major repair, it always helps to take this vital information to paw. At the very least it's stop you getting tricked into paying for unnecessary repairs.
In fact, in one case you know everything that'southward going on with your wheels, you tin can end up doing a lot of the smaller stuff yourself. That makes the best OBD-II scanners — which range in cost from $25 to $200 — pay for themselves.
- All-time portable chargers and ability banks
- Longest lasting: The all-time phone battery life
We've tried out and tested more than a dozen OBD-II scanners, and we've rated them based on features, size, warranty, setup, ease of use and — above all — value. The all-time OBD-2 scanners tin diagnose thousands of automotive problems.
OBD-Ii/EOBD scanners work on almost all passenger vehicles sold in the United States since 1996, in Canada since 1998, in the European union since 2004, and in Australia, Mexico and New Zealand since 2006. (Here'due south how to find your car'due south OBD-II port on Due north American cars, and here'south how to discover your OBD-II/EOBD port worldwide.)
Not all the best OBD-2 scanners are created equal. There are 2 full general types of devices.
- Handheld OBD-Ii scanners come with their own screen and cable to plug into the automobile'due south OBD port.
- Wireless OBD2II scanners plug into the port, simply and then connect via Bluetooth to a smartphone or tablet to display their findings.
Whichever blazon you choose, there are several high-performance OBD-II scanners that cost less than $200. A couple are less than $30. One of the best OBD-II scanners is no longer an unaffordable luxury, merely something you demand to take in your car.
What are the best OBD-II scanners?
The best OBD-II scanner we used and tested is the Innova CarScan Inspector 5310. It has a color brandish, delivers a ton of useful data, shuts off the oil-change light and can run your car through a pre-inspection test. Dissimilar most scanners, it has both a handheld screen and the power to connect to an app on your phone via Bluetooth.
The Innova provides code definitions to help yous easily identify machine issues and the Repair Solutions2 app helps you become verified fixes and will requite you the verbal parts you lot need, remember info and more than.
The Topdon ArtiDiag500 is our second Editor's Pick. It has an unusual horizontal screen, has a full complement of functions and abilities, and is one of the few scanners that tin can connect to Wi-Fi.
The BlueDriver Pro Browse Tool is our summit choice amid Bluetooth-only scanners. It'due south a thick stubby plug that you can get out connected to your OBD-II port, but the app is elegant and well designed.
If you lot have a GM, Ford, Chrysler or Toyota automobile from the '80s or early '90s in your driveway, Bosch's OBD 1300 might exist a godsend. Information technology comes with specialized cables to connect to those pre-1996 "OBD-I" models.
Ancel's BD310 is some other great OBD-Ii scanner. Information technology does double duty by providing a small but efficient cabled handheld scanner for nosing around under the hood, and it tin besides wirelessly receive OBD data to serve as an auxiliary guess inside the cabin to display fundamental engine parameters. It'southward quite affordable.
See all of our picks for the best OBD-II scanners below.
The best OBD-II scanners you can buy today
The Innova 6100P is the kind of OBD-II scanner that tin make whatever apprentice mechanic feel like a professional. This crossover device can office as both a handheld unit, while also connecting to the Innova app, and offering up a great variety of diagnostic abilities.
The $140 Innova 6100P has all the features yous would want from an apprentice mechanic'south OBD-II scanner. Its 2.8-inch color screen displays everything from alive information to fault codes to a pre-inspection I/M readiness cheque.
Innova 6100P can connect via Bluetooth to the Innova RepairSolutions 2 app on an iPhone or Android phone. The app adds maintenance schedules, service bulletins and predictive-failure warnings. The best office, however, is its power to advise repairs and parts your car might demand.
Read our full Innova 6100P review .
The Topdon ArtiDiag500 straddles the line between apprentice and professional person users with a large colour touchscreen, Wi-Fi and an automotive health study.
It looks similar a rugged portable gaming console, feels similar a brick and has a 47-inch cable that won't quite achieve the engine bay (and won't fit into the carrying case when attached to the unit).
Despite that, the Topdon ArtiDiag500 is ane of the most capable consumer-grade OBD-Ii scanners we've seen. Information technology can monitor the brakes, airbags and bombardment, run an I/M pre-inspection examination and also display and graph alive car data. The Android-based unit has its own rechargeable battery and tin update its own software, two things y'all don't oftentimes run across on handheld scanners.
It may exist big and heavy, but the Topdon ArtiDiag500 might be the best $170 a automobile owner tin can spend on an OBD-II diagnostic scanner.
Read our total Topdon ArtiDiag500 review .
The BlueDriver Pro Scan Tool is one of the near thorough Bluetooth-based automotive scanners, combining access to both bones and manufacturer-specific faulty codes and providing communication on how to gear up problems.
The physical device is rather large, just that makes it like shooting fish in a barrel to plug it into or yank out of an OBD-II port. An LED on the device lets you know whether it'south in operation or in mistake mode.
The BlueDriver mobile app is user-friendly and well laid-out, displaying data in automotive-style gauges and letting you export data to a spreadsheet. There'due south an I/K readiness test called a Smog Cheque, diagnostic tests for anti-lock brakes and engine timing, and Mode vi in-depth diagnostic testing, although the corporeality of data collection may depend on your car'due south model and yr.
Read our full BlueDriver Pro Browse Tool review .
The Bosch OBD 1300 diagnostic scanner stands out by including cables to connect with pre-1996 Chrysler, Ford, GM and Toyota cars. It can get heavy once the 6-foot extension cablevision is attached, but the OBD 1300'southward small size hides its powerful range of abilities.
Different many handheld diagnostic scanners, the Bosch OBD 1300 doesn't get power from your automobile'due south OBD-II port. Instead, information technology uses AA batteries or your car'southward cigarette lighter to power its large color screen, which shows graphing information conspicuously.
The scanner's database holds details on 26 million repair suggestions. It can cheque the anti-lock brakes and air numberless on most cars released from 1996 to 2013, monitor the charging organisation and battery and run a pre-inspection emissions exam. You'll need to go the teaching manual from Bosch's website.
With a listing toll of virtually $200, the Bosch OBD 1300 may seem expensive until you see how many cars it tin work with. Information technology's the diagnostic scanner to get if you take an '80s or early-'90s car.
Read our total Bosch OBD 1300 review .
Foxwell's NT614 Elite diagnostic scanner squeezes a large color screen into a small, rugged horizontal instance. It's powerful and tin can probe many car problems, but nosotros wish information technology had a touchscreen and could run on battery power.
Similar the similar-looking simply bulkier Topdon ArtiDiag500, the Foxwell NT614 is aimed at professional mechanics likewise equally car owners. It can graph data, cancel the oil-alter light, and monitor the charging system, air bags, brakes and transmission.
Two unique features stand up out. Like a gaming keyboard, the Topdon ArtiDiag500 has programmable keys that can be fix to do different things with different makes of cars. It also has a microSD card slot for data storage. It may be the OBD-II scanner to take if yous do a lot of work on cars from dissimilar manufacturers.
Read our total Foxwell NT614 Elite review .
The ThinkCar ThinkDiag TKD01 is among the largest Bluetooth-based OBD-II automotive diagnostic scanners. It tin evidence y'all extended fault codes or plow off the oil-change lite, but be wary of the annual app-subscription programme.
At more than iii inches across, the ThinkDiag is so big information technology won't fit into some OBD-2 ports. Y'all may need an extension cable to connect to your car's systems. On the upside, the rugged oval-shaped unit is practically indestructible.
The ThinkDiag app offers profiles for more than 100 automakers, letting you dig deep into manufacturer-specific codes. Y'all go 1 profile for complimentary for the first year, but after that each profile is $xl per twelvemonth (and even more for Teslas). If you have multiple cars of different makes, you'll pay for each contour.
The app tin turn off the oil-modify low-cal, check tire pressure, airbags and brakes, and predict which systems will go s soon. Withal, it doesn't tell you which replacement parts or repairs might exist needed.
Read our total ThinkCar ThinkDiag TKD01 review .
The Innova's CarScan Pro 5210'south can tell you more about your car than many of its competitors, which is why it deserves to exist amid the all-time OBD-II scanners.
The Pro 5210 scanner's ii.8-inch color screen is bright and its narrow and long aspect ratio means information technology can clasp in lots of automotive details, from fault codes to alive data to a pre-inspection check. Its LED lights glow crimson for a permanent mistake, yellow for an intermittent fault and green for no bug.
The CarScan Pro 5210 goes beyond displaying the expected fault codes with a Bluetooth connectedness to a phone or tablet and Innova'due south Repair Solutions2 free app. The software explains the repairs and fifty-fifty the parts needed to fix the car.
With a ix-key interface, the Pro 5210 is ane of the easiest of the best OBD-Ii scanners to navigate. It plant the error I introduced to my 2014 Audi AllRoad and turned off the car's check engine light.
On the downside, the CarScan Pro 5210 has a 27-inch cable, which is short, and its overall dimensions feel bulky, particularly compared to the smaller and lighter EDIAG YA-201. While pricey, the Innova CarScan Pro 5210 Pro 5210 is a must-have for those who desire to know what's wrong with their cars.
Ancel'southward BD310 is just as good as a handheld scanner with a screen every bit it is when connected to a telephone or tablet via Bluetooth. It tin can also broaden the motorcar'due south cockpit with a supplemental brandish of key engine parameters. Think of it as freedom-of-scanning choice.
Modest and lightweight, the BD310 can live in your car's glove box. Its icon-based, 2.0-inch color brandish is a little skimpy but easy to figure out, regardless of whether yous want an I/M inspection-readiness test or performance details, like coolant temperature, engine timing and engine speed. They can exist shown as numbers or graphs.
It has a 56-inch cable that makes it merely as skilful for hanging over the hood looking for an engine trouble equally monitoring the engine while driving. On the other manus, the BD310's rudimentary four-key interface tin can make navigation bad-mannered. At that place's also a mode button on the side for selecting Bluetooth and cable operation.
Read our total Ancel BD310 review .
Unlike most OBD-II scanners, Autel'south AutoLink AL539 can bank check electrical connections with a congenital-in multimeter to uncover electric shorts or burned-out cables. The device's lithium-ion battery powers it for checking fuses, the alternator's voltage or the gas estimate. Just note that the multimeter doesn't work when the AL539 is connected equally an OBD scanner.
The AL539 not only shows live data, similar engine speed, coolant temperature and other items but also can run a comprehensive pre-inspection readiness examination. Information technology shows results as iii lights for faults: ruby-red (permanent mistake), yellowish (temporary error) or light-green (no faults).
Despite its soft rubber bumpers, the AL539 is fairly compact and light at 6.seven x 3.six x 1.4 inches and 10.6 ounces. Information technology has a unique pull-out leg so the device can stand on its ain, also equally a generous 58-inch cable. Its bright, two.8-inch color display has icons for major functions and an easy-to-follow, viii-central interface.
Read our full Autel AutoLink AL539 review .
Its big color screen, range of tasks, lifetime warranty and ease of use make the SeekOne SK860 a winner.
The price for this is a handheld scanner that can feel bulky and heavy. Its soft safety bumpers and rugged pattern hateful you don't accept to baby the SK860, and it comes with a 58-inch cord and bright, ii.8-inch color display.
Its eight-button navigation scheme and icon-based interface are easier to utilise than budget scanners. The SK850 has a one-button I/M pre-inspection readiness check forth with a dark-green (no-fault codes), yellowish (intermittent issues) and cherry-red (permanent-problem codes) LED scheme.
The SK860 does much more than than typical handheld scanners and comes with a padded case, but its lifetime warranty makes it stand out from the oversupply.
Read our full SeekOne SK860 review .
Small and cheap, the 5.6-ounce ThinkOBD 100 scanner is perfect for a quickie diagnosis, roadside repairs and running a pre-inspection test. However, it lacks the depth to explain deeper automotive problems.
The ThinkOBD 100 tin disappear in a glove box and includes a USB cable for updating its firmware. On the downside, the scanner's 1.8-inch screen is an inch smaller than many competitors and feels cramped.
Its iv-quadrant habitation screen is unproblematic with entries for Diagnose, Lookup, Setup and Assist, merely the 4 yellow circles above do nada. That leaves the rudimentary four-button keypad as the only way to collaborate with the scanner.
In addition to displaying current mistake codes, the ThinkOBD 100 shows live auto data, like spark advance and engine speed, but it spreads the data over 38 pages. After I introduced a fault in my 2014 Audi AllRoad, this OBD-II scanner diagnosed the problem and I was able to plow off the Check Engine calorie-free. Unfortunately, I had to manually type the code into the Lookup department to detect its meaning.
The device offered no explanation or repair options, making it second all-time to more advanced (and expensive) handheld scanners, like the Innova CarScan Pro 5210.
I of the easiest OBD-II scanners to install, utilise and remove, Jethax'southward OBD-II Scanner stands alone with a congenital-in LED flashlight to illuminate the auto'due south diagnostic port. Its ribbed sides make it a snap to pull out.
The 1.8 x 1.seven x 0.8-inch unit of measurement is slightly bigger than Autel's MaxiAP AP200 but at merely 0.7-ounces, it's significantly lighter. Information technology has a single LED simply it was ever crimson.
The Jethax scanner uses Bluetooth 4.0 to connect to an iPhone, iPad or Android phone simply lacks its ain app. The QR code on the unit'southward box points to several free diagnostic apps, including Torque Lite, which I used with my Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus phone.
After plugging the Jethax OBD2 Scanner into my Audi AllRoad's OBD port and connecting the scanner to my phone, the app started showing live information. In addition to a series of automotive gauges and mistake codes, the system can run dispatch tests.
The Jethax has a 28-pes Bluetooth range, which was on a par with other Bluetooth scanners. Information technology found my introduced fault and turned off the cheque engine lite.
Don't let its size or $35 price tag fool you lot. Jethax'south OBD-2 Scanner not only tells what's going on inside your auto just lights the fashion to plug it in.
With many of the abilities of a professional person OBD scanner, Topdon's ArtiLink 500 does a lot for its $59 toll tag.
Big and bulky, the ArtiLink 500 weighs 10.2 ounces and its 54-inch cable has a lighted connector at the end that helps with plugging the scanner in. The scanner tin be updated using its included USB cablevision.
The ArtiLink 500's bright 2.8-inch color screen shows mistake codes, a pre-inspection readiness written report and definitions of what its fault codes hateful. The eight-cardinal interface is efficient and lets you pick from the major categories. This OBD-Two scanner shows live car data, can graph it and lets you print it.
ArtiLink 500'south OBD database has many of the manufacturer specific codes that widens its scope compared to those that only apply only generic codes. After I introduced a problem with my 2014 Audi AllRoad, the scanner showed the fault and zeroed in on the problem. I was able to plough off the bank check engine light but the scanner stopped short of providing repair advice that the CarScan Pro 5210 does.
At $59, the Topdon ArtiLink 500 provides many of the abilities of a scanner costing much more only is on the big and heavy side.
Like shooting fish in a barrel to utilise, the ThinkDriver Bluetooth OBD-II Scanner ironically is a slow starter. It non only requires an account, an email verification and hardware activation but you'll need to update the app and firmware. The first time you lot use it, effigy on spending 20 minutes before you get any automotive data.
It'south worth the wait because the ThinkDriver app is more thorough than its competitors. Its dark interface shows all the data needed, including error codes, live car information, a pre-inspection I/G readiness examination and a comprehensive Wellness Study. It'due south one of the rare apps that can reset the maintenance lite on your machine for things like changing the oil or replacing the EGR valve.
The ThinkDriver Bluetooth OBD-Two Scanner's soft grips brand information technology easy to install and remove and it connected chop-chop with my iPad Pro and had a 30-foot range; at that place'due south also an Android app. It speedily institute my introduced fault and allowed me to turn off the Check Engine light.
Unlike those that supply free software, the ThinkDriver app expires after a year and costs $15 a year for one automobile later that. Still, at $lxx, the ThinkDriver Bluetooth OBD-2 Scanner is worth information technology for those who prefer to change their own oil.
The EDiag YA-101 is small and light, and its inexpensive price belies its wide array of diagnostic functions that include a bombardment-examination sequence and an I/One thousand inspection-readiness test. It has a lifetime warranty that includes endless firmware updates.
What you won't become are the manufacturer-specific codes and routines available on OBD-II scanners that costs many times more than the EDiag YA-101. This scanner has a color screen and a fairly intuitive interface, but it doesn't graph data and can't turn off the oil-change light. Nor tin can it advise repairs or replacement parts.
The EDiag YA-101's 32-inch cable isn't enough to reach the engine bay. If yous want to get under the hood while the scanner is plugged in, you'll need an extension cable. Yet, this is a great way to get started with using OBD-Two devices, and you lot'll go a lot of bang for the buck with this cheap just reliable scanner.
Read our full EDiag YA-101 review .
With a rugged design, easy-to-employ interface and lifetime software updates, Launch's CR529 comes shut to being a professional OBD scanner at a bargain cost. On the downside, at 10.5 ounces and half dozen.5 x 3.8 ten 1.ii-inches, it's bigger and heavier than Innova'due south CarScan Pro 5210 and can exist a lot to concord during repairs.
Solidly congenital, the CR529's ribbed case can protect it if dropped. Its 2.eight-inch color screen shows everything from engine misfires and oxygen sensor status to live automotive data and mistake codes. Anything can be printed via its USB port but the CR529'south explanations of the issues it finds pale compared to the in-depth repair details of Innova'south 5210.
The scanner'southward eight-fundamental format has a dedicated pre-inspection readiness test key, and the scanner'due south LEDs light up red for a permanent mistake, yellow for an intermittent fault and green for a clean sweep.
The Launch'due south CR529's 43-inch cable apace continued to my Audi AllRoad, picked upward my added fault and let me turn off the check engine light. Unfortunately, it took upwards of xv seconds for the scanner to respond at times.
The CR-529's 2-year warranty is combined with lifetime software updates. At less than $50, it's priced similar a DIY unit but has the abilities of a professional scanner.
The Nexpeak NX501 may be large and heavy, only information technology goes beyond the expected car checks with a long v-foot OBD cable and lifetime software updates.
With soft rubber bumpers, the NX501 is ruggedly built and comfy to utilize. Its 3 LEDs for the I/Thousand preinspection exam bear witness green for no faults, yellow for a temporary problem or blood-red to show a permanent error.
In addition to examinations of the battery and oxygen sensor, the NX501 interprets generic and many manufacturer-specific error codes. The device rapidly noticed the introduced fault on my car and turned off the car'south check engine calorie-free.
At 2.8 inches, the NX501'south display is bright with colorful icons for different features, and it can show everything from engine speed to coolant temperature along with colorful fever graphs. The tool's eight-central navigation makes it like shooting fish in a barrel to move betwixt scanning tasks. With its padded case, lifetime software upgrades and one of the longest OBD cables, the NX501 is one of the best OBD2 scanners for the money.
How to choose the best OBD-II scanner for you
If you lot're looking for insights into how your vehicle is working or what's wrong under the hood, in that location's no better mode than to plug in one of the best OBD-II scanners and read the results.
After all, it's how your automobile dealer or repair shop would effigy out what'south wrong with your car when you drive (or are towed) in. Why shouldn't you have the same information?
The all-time OBD-II scanners provide the correct mix of size, weight and the ability to read your car's fault codes and live data. The nigh important criteria are:
- Like shooting fish in a barrel setup. If it takes forever to set upward the scanner, you probably won't employ it to diagnose a trouble early on.
- Faults and explanations. The all-time OBD-Two scanners not only tell you the faults your car has simply also tin explicate the meaning and then you tin can either fix it yourself or tell a mechanic.
- I/M Readiness check. A good scanner will run the major engine and emissions tests to see if you'll pass your country's inspection.
- Accuracy. A scanner is worthless if its results aren't accurate, because the merely thing worse than no information is incorrect information.
- Size and weight. If the scanner is heavy and bulky, chances are information technology'll stay in your toolbox and not in the automobile to assist you on the road.
- Live information. By borer into the car's engine speed, timing and other parameters, the right scanner can help runway downwards an intermittent trouble.
- Graphs. Numbers are good, but a visual representation of it is much better, peculiarly if y'all're comparing before and subsequently.
- Warranty. You expect your car to last at to the lowest degree eight or x years, so why shouldn't your OBD-II scanner? That said, the best offering a lifetime warranty that should outlive your ride.
There's a gas tank full of criteria used to make up one's mind which OBD scanner is the best one for you. The nearly important is whether you want one that connects with your phone or tablet'southward screen over Bluetooth or a handheld unit with its ain brandish and cablevision.
Next, call up about longevity and become one that includes lifetime warranty or software updates so the scanner volition stay current with changing automotive tech.
So, how about screen size for a handheld scanner? Get the biggest, brightest and easiest display to read that is icon based for easy changes. If yous're clumsy, look at rugged scanners with rubber bumpers to absorb the shock of existence dropped.
Look for extras that are included on some models, like an electrical multimeter, the power to read a manufacturer's proprietary codes or export documents as Acrobat PDF files.
Finally, the price for these sophisticated devices is correct on par with professional-level scanners that are available for under $100. That's barely an hour's labor for a qualified mechanic, making information technology a win-win purchase.
How nosotros test OBD-2 scanners
To exam the best OBD2 scanners, I used my 2014 Audi A4 Allroad vehicle while it was in the garage or on the route over a menses of several weeks. Afterward connecting each scanner to my automobile's OBD-Ii port, I fabricated sure they could report the car's vehicle identification number (VIN).
For the wireless scanners, I connected to my Apple tree iPad Pro, Microsoft Surface or Samsung Milky way S9+ phone via a Bluetooth or Wi-Fi connectedness. The handheld scanners simply needed to be plugged into the OBD-II port, which provides power.
Side by side, I measured the cord'due south length on the handheld scanners and the wireless range on the others. With the motorcar running, I monitored the engine and other vital systems, and then disconnected the engine'due south oil temperature sensor.
Finally, I checked the details provided by the scanner, stock-still the trouble, turned off the check engine light and erased the mistake lawmaking.
Then I hit the road to come across if the scanner could display operating information such as engine speed, timing and coolant temperature. I paid attention to whether the device reported the data as numbers, graphs or auto-mode gauges.
Regardless of which OBD-II scanner yous use, you'll need to crack its lawmaking. All error codes have four numbers and a letter prefix:
- Powertrain (P)
- Torso (B)
- Chassis (C)
- Undefined (U)
Of the roughly 5,000 diagnostic fault codes available, some are generic and use to all cars, similar air temperature and throttle position. For these, the numeric section starts with a 0. Others are specific to private carmakers and represent either a special piece of hardware or a more than in-depth analysis of the problem. These commencement with a 1.
For example, if you become a P0098 code, chances are there'due south something incorrect with the engine'due south intake air temperature sensor. Past contrast, a Ford that displays a P1112 specialty fault code means that the intake air temperature sensor is reporting values intermittently and should be replaced.
Source: https://www.tomsguide.com/best-picks/best-obd2-scanners
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