Best Car Maintenance Apps: 14 Compared

Some car maintenance apps only tell you when the next oil change is due. Others track fuel costs, run a small fleet, read engine codes, or keep a full record of a project car. This guide compares 14 apps so you can pick the one that fits how you look after your car.

We make GarageHub, one of the 14. We name it the best pick for one use, DIY maintenance records and project cars, and we list its weaknesses the same way we list everyone else's.

Comparison table

Apps are grouped by kind: maintenance and expense logs, fuel trackers, a fleet app, then scanner apps. Within each group they are ordered by number of App Store ratings.

CARFAX Car Care: reminders for a shop-serviced car

A free app from CARFAX, Inc.

• Who it's for: owners whose car goes to a shop for most work and who want a nudge when something is due.
• Platforms: iPhone and Android.
• Price (US): free. Neither store lists any in-app purchases.
• Last updated: iOS 2026-10-08; Android 2026-10-08.
• Standout: service alerts, safety recall alerts, repair cost estimates and ratings of local shops, all in one free app.
• Weakness: the listing mentions no parts inventory, photos of the work or project tools. It is a reminder and history app, not a workshop log.

My Car: a multi-car logbook with a web app

A vehicle logbook and expense tracker from KineApps.

• Who it's for: households with two or three cars, and drivers who track income as well as costs.
• Platforms: iPhone, Android and a web app for desktop.
• Price (US): free for up to 3 vehicles. Premium is $1.49 a month or $10.99 a year on the App Store.
• Last updated: iOS 2026-09-22; Android 2026-09-24.
• Standout: a full web app for desktop, so you can enter a logbook on a laptop and carry on from your phone.
• Weakness: real-time sync between devices is a Premium feature.

Drivvo: cost per mile and income

A fuel, expense and service log, also sold as a fleet system.

• Who it's for: drivers who want to know what their car really costs, and rideshare, taxi and delivery drivers who track earnings.
• Platforms: iPhone, Android and a computer, with data in sync.
• Price (US): free for up to 2 vehicles. Paid plans add more vehicles, remove ads, and add receipt attachments and spreadsheet export. The App Store lists in-app purchases from $0.99 to $119.99, including fleet plans.
• Last updated: iOS 2026-10-09; Android 2026-10-16.
• Standout: cost per mile and monthly spending per vehicle, plus income tracking. It can also restore data from aCar, Fuelio and Fuelly.
• Weakness: the free tier shows ads on Android. The App Store lists ten plan prices with similar names, so check the in-app screen for the price you would pay.

Simply Auto: mileage logs for tax

A long-running fuel, expense and trip tracker.

• Who it's for: people who log business mileage for tax deductions or reimbursement.
• Platforms: iPhone and Android. Web access comes with the paid tiers.
• Price (US): free. Gold is a $9.99 one-time purchase that adds cloud backup, sync, web access, GPS trips and removes ads. Platinum adds unlimited vehicles and drivers; the App Store lists Platinum options from $1.49 (monthly) to $29.99 (one-time).
• Last updated: iOS 2022-03-24; Android 2024-10-10.
• Standout: a GPS trip log for tax-deductible and reimbursable mileage.
• Weakness: the iPhone app has not been updated since March 2022, the oldest iOS update of any app here. The Android app was last updated in October 2024.

GarageHub: DIY records and project cars

A garage app for people who do the work themselves, with Rev, an AI mechanic that reads your car's records. We make it.

• Who it's for: owners who do their own maintenance, keep parts on a shelf or run a project car.
• Platforms: iPhone, iPad, Mac, Android and the web app.
• Price (US): free plan with 1 vehicle, 50 service logs, unlimited parts, 25 photos, 10 build items and 15 messages a month with Rev. Premium is $9.99 a month or $79.99 a year and removes those limits.
• Last updated: iOS 2026-10-17; Android 2026-10-16.
• Standout: Rev reads the car's service records, parts shelf and mileage before it answers. Tell it what you did, snap a receipt or forward an invoice by email, and it writes the entry. A build plan moves each item from wishlist to planned, ordered and installed, and a parts inventory tracks what is on the shelf. More on the car maintenance tracker and the build tracker.
• Weakness: the iPhone app needs iOS 26 or later. It does not connect to an OBD2 scanner and has no community fuel-economy data. CSV import is on the web app only, and voice input is not on Android yet. It is also the newest app here, with 2 App Store ratings and 1K+ Google Play downloads.

Side by side: CARFAX Car Care, Drivvo, Simply Auto, Fuelly, AUTOsist and MECH AI compared with GarageHub.

Fuelly: comparing MPG with other owners

A fuel-economy tracker tied to Fuelly.com.

• Who it's for: drivers who want to see how their real-world MPG compares with other owners of the same car.
• Platforms: iPhone and Fuelly.com. On Android, Fuelly's listing is a launcher for its mobile website; Fuelly, LLC also publishes aCar (below), which syncs with Fuelly.com.
• Price (US): free with ads. Premium is $0.99 a month or $7.99 a year and removes ads.
• Last updated: iOS 2024-06-03. The Android web launcher was last updated 2014-10-04.
• Standout: Fuelly.com lets owners track and compare vehicles, so your numbers sit next to real-world data for the same model.
• Weakness: the iPhone app has not been updated since June 2024, and there is no full Fuelly app for Android.

Road Trip MPG: a one-time purchase on iPhone

A fuel, maintenance and trip log for iPhone.

• Who it's for: iPhone owners who would rather pay once than subscribe.
• Platforms: iPhone only. We found no Android version.
• Price (US): $6.99, one time, with no ads or subscriptions. Road Trip MPG Lite is free and does not cap your data, but multiple vehicles, maintenance tracking and CSV import and export need the full version.
• Last updated: iOS 2026-09-17.
• Standout: you pay once, with no ads, and it tracks trips and their costs as well as fuel and maintenance.
• Weakness: iPhone only, and it needs iOS 18.5 or later.

Fuelio: a free, private fuel log

A fuel and cost tracker from Sygic, with gas prices near you.

• Who it's for: drivers who want a free fuel log with no account and their data kept on the phone.
• Platforms: iPhone and Android.
• Price (US): free with no ads. Fuelio Pro is $4.99 a month or $17.99 a year on the App Store.
• Last updated: iOS 2026-10-14; Android 2026-10-19.
• Standout: no account needed, CSV import and export, and nearby gas prices, including from CarPlay.
• Weakness: maintenance reminders and expense tracking beyond fuel are Premium features.

aCar: a detailed log on Android

A fuel, service and expense log for Android, now published by Fuelly, LLC.

• Who it's for: Android users who want a detailed log, down to the specifications of the parts on the car.
• Platforms: Android only. We found no iPhone version.
• Price (US): free with ads. Google Play lists in-app purchases from $0.99 to $14.99.
• Last updated: Android 2025-01-23.
• Standout: logs part specifications alongside fill-ups, services and trips, with backup and sync through Fuelly.com.
• Weakness: no update since January 2025, ads in the free version, and no iPhone app.

AUTOsist: small business fleets

A fleet maintenance system with mobile apps and a web portal.

• Who it's for: a business running vehicles, trucks, trailers or equipment. The listing says it can also be used personally.
• Platforms: iPhone, Android and a desktop web portal.
• Price (US): a 14-day free trial, then paid plans. The App Store lists plans from $9.99 to $249.99.
• Last updated: iOS 2026-08-12; Android 2026-09-29.
• Standout: inspections, work orders, parts inventory and fuel-card data for a team.
• Weakness: it is built and priced for fleet managers, so it is more than one car owner needs.

Car Scanner ELM OBD2: live engine data with an ELM327 adapter

A diagnostics app that works with ELM327-compatible OBD2 adapters.

• Who it's for: owners with an ELM327-compatible OBD2 adapter who want live data and fault codes.
• Platforms: iPhone and Android.
• Price (US): free to start. Car Scanner Pro is $7.99 as a one-time purchase on the App Store, and a subscription is also offered.
• Last updated: iOS 2026-10-18; Android 2026-09-26.
• Standout: custom dashboards, fault codes it can show and reset, and emissions readiness checks.
• Weakness: it needs a Wi-Fi or Bluetooth LE ELM327 adapter, and it is a diagnostics tool, not a maintenance log. The Android version shows ads.

FIXD: plain-language check-engine alerts

A check-engine translator with maintenance reminders.

• Who it's for: drivers who are not mechanics and want to know how serious a warning light is.
• Platforms: iPhone and Android.
• Price (US): free to start. FIXD Premium is $12.99 a month or $99.99 a year.
• Last updated: iOS 2026-10-19; Android 2026-10-19.
• Standout: explains a check-engine light in plain language, with how urgent it is and what to do next.
• Weakness: the free app explains the light; issue forecasts, emissions pre-checks and the mechanic hotline need Premium at $12.99 a month or $99.99 a year.

Carly: deep diagnostics for one car brand

A diagnostics app that works with Carly's own OBD2 scanner.

• Who it's for: owners of a supported brand who want to read and clear codes from every control unit, not only the engine.
• Platforms: iPhone and Android.
• Price (US): the basic package is free. Premium is a yearly subscription for one brand or all brands; the App Store lists brand packs from $21.99 to $82.99.
• Last updated: iOS 2026-10-16; Android 2026-10-16.
• Standout: with Premium it reads fault codes from every control unit, including ABS and airbag, and offers repair guides.
• Weakness: it needs the Carly Universal Scanner, bought separately, and the advanced features are a yearly cost on top.

MECH AI: AI help with a fault

A diagnostics app with an AI mechanic chat, OBD2 code reading and repair guides.

• Who it's for: someone with a fault in front of them who wants likely causes and next steps.
• Platforms: iPhone and Android.
• Price (US): free with ads, limited to 3 AI messages and 3 photo analyses a day and 1 vehicle. The paid DIY, Mechanic and Autoshop plans raise the limits and add repair guides, service history, bulletins and diagrams.
• Last updated: iOS 2026-09-26; Android 2026-09-26.
• Standout: you can describe a symptom without a scanner, or pair an ELM327 adapter to read codes in plain English.
• Weakness: the free tier allows 3 AI messages a day, and the code reader is read-only, so it cannot clear a code.

Which app fits how you use your car

• You do your own maintenance or run a project car: GarageHub.
• Your car goes to a shop for everything: CARFAX Car Care.
• You want running costs, or you drive for work: Drivvo, or My Car if you prefer a web app.
• You log business mileage for tax: Simply Auto, keeping in mind how old its iPhone app is.
• Fuel economy is the hobby: Fuelly, Fuelio, or Road Trip MPG if you want to pay once.
• You run a small fleet: AUTOsist.
• The check-engine light is on: Car Scanner ELM OBD2 with an adapter, FIXD, MECH AI, or Carly for one brand. Our guide to reading OBD2 codes explains what the codes mean.

Whatever you choose, the record matters more than the app. A simple log you update after every job beats a feature-rich one you open twice a year. For what to record, see how to keep a car maintenance log and what to write in a car service record.

Change log

• 2026-10-20: rebuilt the guide. 14 apps instead of 6, each with platforms, US price and last update dates read from the store listings on that day, plus a weakness for every app. Added the "How we compared them" box: store listings only, no hands-on testing. Dropped GarageHub as the overall pick; it is now the pick for DIY records and project cars only.
• 2026-09-30: previous version, comparing 6 apps.