Carly OBD Scanner review

With one of the best apps available for a wireless OBD scanner, Carly shows you the basics, can turn off the check engine light, alongside helping with maintenance items for all recent vehicles. But it excels with some car brands by adding repair help and steering you away from buying the wrong used car. 

The live data, cool customization options and lifetime warranty are a good start but Carly stops short of having professional level performance tests. Read our Carly OBD scanner the review to see if it can be your trusted mechanic in a phone.

Carly OBD Scanner Review: Price and Availability

Priced at $90, Carly is only available on the mycarly.com site. The mid-priced wireless OBD scanner includes the company’s Basic Package of software but is more expensive than the $60 Topdon TopScan and $65 OBDEleven. 

Depending on your wheels, there are subscription add-ons to choose from. For example, the Premium Package includes the scanner along with extra maintenance issues for many models and has a list price of $160. Happily, the first year is often discounted to between $69 and $99, depending on the car’s manufacturer. There’s also the $36 Smart Mechanic feature. 

Each subsequent year requires a payment of $90 for the Basic package and between $69 and $99 for the Premium subscription. If you stop paying the annual fee, Carly reverts to the essential OBD features.

Carly OBD Scanner Review: Design

Carly’s third-generation Universal Scanner is unlike the others. At 2.9 x 1.5 x 0.7 inches and 0.7 ounce, the transmitter is thin at one end and thick at the other. About half the size and weight of the Topdon TopScan unit, it’s easy to toss into a toolbox or a car’s center console until needed.

Designed and manufactured in Germany, the black device’s grippy surface and ribs make it easy to insert and remove from the car’s OBD port. The wireless transmitter has two LEDs that show if the unit is powered up and connected to a phone via Bluetooth. 

Carly has apps for Android, iPhone and iPad. Its simple interface requires some scrolling to take it all in, with tiles up top for Diagnostics, Emissions Check and selecting the live data parameters to monitor. Below are areas for getting support and a Settings section for changing the units or sharing statistics. Along the bottom are convenient tabs for connecting the Bluetooth scanner and an extensive Q&A Help section. 

Able to turn off the check engine light as well as read and remove fault codes, Carly rates the severity of faults it finds. The worst show up as “Very Bad” in red. Carly’s Smart Mechanic takes this a step further to deliver a description of the needed repairs.  

Carly OBD Scanner Review: Setup

Easy to grasp, it took a second to plug the Carly transmitter into my Subaru Outback’s OBD port. The app fired up quickly on my Pixel 7 phone, connected with the Carly transmitter and I created an account to get it on the road.  

With a 30-foot range, Carly works in a car’s interior, engine bay and exterior. Unfortunately, the Carly system lacks a manual that explains its abilities, only a brief booklet. The official website is a good resource, though.  

The software only provides the basics for my Subaru. Other brands, including VW, BMW and Ford provide a deeper dive into the car’s details. Happily, Carly includes a lifetime warranty and updates.

Carly OBD Scanner Review: Performance

With the car running, Carly can show a variety of live data, from engine speed to coolant temperature to ignition timing. Displayed as up to six numbers at a time, the data can’t be graphed in the app.

Carly lacks TopScan’s performance tests but its Health section is excellent. The Emissions Check is not the equivalent of an I/M Readiness test. Later, when I disconnected the wiring harness under the passenger’s seat, the app recorded the change. Any screen or report can be saved as an Acrobat file to send to a mechanic.

Carly’s Customization section allows recoding of the car’s settings for a variety of makes, like VW, BMW and Audi but – alas – not my Suub. In addition to things like illumination and the remote key fob, there are options for sounds the car makes. The Used Car Check is unique in its ability to track factors like the car’s age, driving behavior and if the odometer has been tampered with. It’s a great pre-purchase check. 

Carly OBD Scanner Review: Verdict

Think of the Carly OBD scanner as the equivalent of having an experienced and knowledgeable mechanic at your side, ready to answer questions about problems and their severity. It does the basics well for all recent vehicles and Carly’s lifetime of warranty coverage and updates mean it’s a keeper. 

That said, Carly’s Premium package takes it to a new level when plugged into a car compatible with its added features, like Smart Mechanic and Used Car Check.