You don’t have to spend a fortune to get into car diagnostics & coding. There are a lot of good options to get you started for even as cheap as $50. Over the past years I have tested more than 30 cheap OBD-II scanners and here are the best picks.
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Quick Recommendations
Vgate Icar PRO 2s
Cheap ELM327 adapter but is hiding one of the fastest ELM chips with a stable connection. Use 100+ elm apps from the app store.(iOS/Android/Windows)
Ancel AD310 (310 BT)
The basic version is the best code reader in its price range, but you can also get the BT version with extended smartphone support.
Konwei KDiag
Konwei KDIAG is not the best bi-directional scanner but given it’s low price and free updates, it is even cheaper than most engine code readers or ELM327 adapters.
Delphi DS150
Best value for money scanner, since for $50 you will get 5x more functionality than with a traditional code reader. You can access multiple control modules to read codes, live data and perform bi-directional testing or even service procedures.
Veepeak (Android)
Veepeak is the cheapest adapter that works without any connection issues, supporting all main OBD protocols.
My insights after testing 100+ OBD2 tools
I’ve tested literally hundreds of OBD2 scanners, so let me tell you why I find these the best value for money.
Have laptop? Try Delhpi DS150
Delphi DS150 is a clone of a professional OBD-II Windows program that you can buy with the device on Aliexpress for about $50.
US users are reporting it is not working for US brands very well, but when I tested it on multiple cars (European/Asian) it always worked fine.
It is packed with features like accessing different modules to read/clear faults, read live data, perform service tasks, or even do bi-directional testing.
Konwei Kdiag
Konwei KDIAG is the cheapest Bi-Directional Bluetooth scanner I tested so far. It worked fine on multiple cars for a full scan, accessing live data in all modules + I even did some Bi-Directional testing.
App supports 4 service procedures, but one big limitation is vehicle coverage.
It covers only about 40 brands and even for covered brands, you don’t get as many bi-directional tests or service procedures as with other Bluetooth Bi-Directional scanners.
Vgate Icar PRO 2s is the best budget ELM327
I have tested over 20 different ELM327 adapters and Vgate Icar PRO 2s is one of the best in this price range.
It was one of the few adapters that didn’t give me any trouble connecting and was working straight out of the box.
With ELM327 you can use different OBD2 apps to expand functionality further than what you get with a basic engine code reader.
But then engine code reader is just so simple to use, so I will recommend one.
Ancel AD310
Ancel AD310 is a top-selling code reader on Amazon and I approve that after testing it out. It shows a decent amount of engine live data and even can display live data graphs for selected values.
It does everything that a code reader should support like reading/clearing engine codes, freezing frame data, showing emission monitors, and getting rid of the check engine light.
It might not have as many features as you get with smartphone + ELM327 but it is most simple to use and you can read codes in just a few seconds.
Veepeak is the cheapest option for Androids
Veepeak adapter cannot be left out when we are discussing OBD-II scanners on budget. This one is the cheapest adapter that is still working without issues but costs the least of all the options we talked about.
If you have an Android phone all you need is a blue Veepeak, download Car Scanner App and you can start diagnosing faults in your car or even unlocking some hidden settings if the app supports your car model.
Conclusion: Best Cheap OBD-II scanners
Vgate Icar PRO 2s
Cheap ELM327 adapter but is hiding one of the fastest ELM chips with a stable connection. Use 100+ elm apps from the app store.(iOS/Android/Windows)
Konwei KDiag
Konwei KDIAG is not the best bi-directional scanner but given it’s low price and free updates, it is even cheaper than most engine code readers or ELM327 adapters.
Delphi DS150
Best value for money scanner, since for $50 you will get 5x more functionality than with a traditional code reader. You can access multiple control modules to read codes, live data and perform bi-directional testing or even service procedures.
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✅ Which OBD2 scanner is best?
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✅ How to get a Bi-Directional tool for as cheap as $40
✅ Discount coupons for scanners
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Hi, I am Juraj “Yuri” Lukacko. I got frustrated by unhelpful and scammy mechanics, so I decided to learn everything about car diagnostics myself. I test dozens of new car diagnostic tools every month along with learning new strategies to fix and customize cars. About Juraj Lukacko (Yuri)