The cost of maintaining a car is increasingly high. You pay a huge amount of money getting your car repaired at a repair shop and you feel you are being cheated. Want to self diagnose your car? Get an OBD scanner.
Here in this article, you will discover the best OBD2 scanner under 500 dollars you can buy.
Best OBD2 Scanner Under 500 Dollars: Top 5
1. LAUNCH X431 CRP909X PRO
Many systems make up a car: the engine system, airbag system, transmission system, braking system, suspension system, you name it. Launch X431 CRP909X can diagnose all these systems and tell you what is wrong with it. In addition to that, it has fifteen (15) reset functions. This means after diagnosing and repairing your vehicle, you can reset its computer system back to its default state without error codes.
Some of the reset functions it has are, oil lamp reset, steering angle sensor reset, sunroof reset, suspension reset, and so on. Launch X431 CRP909X Pro is an excellent option if you’re looking for the best OBD2 scanner under 500 dollars.
FEATURES
- Has a touchscreen for flexible navigation
- It comes with a 6000mAh battery for efficient and long lasting use
- Multilingual feature for use in different regions around the world
- And much more…
PROS
- Reads and clears error codes
- Supports over 57 vehicle makes and 10,000 cars around the world
- 5 years warranty
- It also displays your car battery’s voltage in real time
- And many more…
CONS
- You get one year update free but you will be required to pay a yearly subscription fee subsequently to use this scan tool
2. NEXPEAK K1 PRO
Nexpeak K1 Pro is a multipurpose vehicle diagnostic tool for detecting and correcting error codes on your vehicle. It works as both a diagnostic tool and a key programmer. Also, it can perform full systems diagnoses which means you can use this scan tool to detect fault in your car’s engine system, transmission system airbag system, brake system and every other systems that make up your car.
Moreover, this scan tool, unlike other similar tools, offers lifetime free software update. This means you get functions that will be newly added in the future. Therefore, if you are looking for the best scanner under 500 bucks, you can’t go wrong with this one.
FEATURES
- Durable battery for long lasting use
- Key programming function
- Covers up to 85 vehicle makes across America, Asia, Europe, China, and Australia
- I/M readiness feature to get your car ready for emissions test
- O2 sensor test for checking the status of your oxygen sensor
- And more…
PROS
- Reads and clears Diagnostic Trouble Codes
- Lifetime free update and lifetime technical support
- Supports up to 85 vehicle makes
- Multilingual support of up to 10 languages
- And much more…
CONS
- Supports only 9 reset functions: oil reset, TPMS reset, ABS bleeding, and more…
3. LAUNCH X CRP909C
Launch X CRP909C is an impressive car diagnostic tool for diagnosing faults in all the systems that make up your car. It can diagnose faults in your engine system, ABS system steering system, fuel system, and so on.
This diagnostic tool also comes with an array of other functions like I/M readiness status to help you pass your emissions test, freeze frame data that shows you the exact state of your car when a dashboard light pops on and live data feature which gives you real time information about your car. You cannot go wrong with this also if you are looking for the best OBD2 scanner under 500 dollars.
FEATURES
- 7 inches touchscreen and navigation buttons for seamless use
- Displays live data in text and graph formats
- Has fifteen (15) maintenance reset functions
- Key programming feature
- It has a Diagnostic Trouble Code (DTC) database where you can look up definitions of trouble codes
- 6000 mAh battery for longer period of use
- And more…
PROS
- Reads and clears fault codes for all available systems
- Has a multilingual function
- It also comes with a 16GB memory
- And much more…
4. Autel MaxiDiag MD808 Pro
Autel MaxiDiag MD808 Pro combines portability with quality and affordability. It is a portable 4 inch scanner that performs the exact functions of other quality tools that are twice its size. This tool is an excellent vehicle diagnostic tool for diagnosing your vehicle of faults.
It works on all the systems that combine to make up a car: the steering system, brake system, ABS system, engine system, fuel system, transmission system, airbag system and many more.
Besides, this impressive diagnostic tool has multiple reset functions: engine oil reset, Steering Angle Sensor reset, battery reset and other reset functions. This tool might also be the best OBD2 scanner under 500 dollars you can buy.
FEATURES
- I/M readiness function to make sure your vehicle is ready for emissions test
- Grease and water resistant
- Has a freeze frame data feature that plots a graph, and record the state of your vehicle when an error code was triggered.
- And much more…
PROS
- Reads and clears diagnostic trouble codes
- Gives you real time live data of your vehicle
- Global OBD2 coverage for US, Asian and European cars
- It quickly and automatically pulls vehicle information
- And more…
CONS
- You should check compatibility with your car before you buy. There are reports that it doesn’t work on certain cars.
5. THINKCAR Think Diag PK X431
Thinkcar Thinkdiag PK X431 is an exclusive and portable vehicle diagnostic adapter that you plug into your car’s OBD2 port and connect to your mobile phone or tablet. It works on both iOS and Android devices and it performs excellently just like other OBD2 scanners that are twice or even 5x bigger.
You can perform a full system diagnosis on your car with this unique scanner. Additionally, this diagnostic tool also has fifteen (15) special maintenance functions apart from the fact that it also covers a wide range of up to 115 major vehicle brands of America, Asia and Europe. This is a great tool if you’re looking for the best OBD2 scanner under 500 dollars.
FEATURES
- Free software update for 2 years
- I/M readiness feature to get your vehicle ready for smog test
- Live data feature to give you real time report of the status of your vehicle
- And more…
PROS
- Supports full OBD2 functions like clearing and resetting of emissions related diagnostic information, and so on
- This tool is used wirelessly, giving you a convenient diagnostic experience
- And much more…