BMW AK90+ Review: The $30 Tool That Beat My $3000 Autel on a Key Job
Published: April 19, 2026 · Last updated: June 2, 2026
The AK90+ is a cheap, single-purpose tool for programming keys on older BMWs with the EWS immobiliser. I bought it after my $3000 Autel IM608 read the EWS3 EEPROM data fine but couldn’t write the new key, the AK90+ finished the job the pro tool couldn’t. That’s the whole story with this thing: it does one job, it does it simply, and on EWS BMWs it can beat tools a hundred times its price. Read on for what it’s for and who actually needs it.
I earn from qualifying purchases and sometimes get tools for free (full disclosure). It never affects my scoring.
AK90+ overview
BMW AK90+
The BMW AK90+ is simple to use tool for key programming of bmw ews system.
- Easy installation
- Easy to use
Service functions (1+)
Scores
Specs
| Tool type | Standalone device |
| User level | Professional |
| Vehicle focus | bmw, mini |
| System focus | key |
| Free updates | Not included |
| Subscription | Not required |
Photos
Support & resources
| Supported languages |   |
Videos
Real-world procedures tested with this tool
What it’s actually good at
This is the tool that saved my E46 key job, and that’s not a small claim. I’d tried my Autel IM608 first. It read the EWS3 module’s EEPROM data without trouble, but it couldn’t write the new key into it. Dead end on a $3000 tool.
Then I dropped to the AK90+, a $30 specialist, and it just did it. Read the EWS, wrote the key, done.
That’s the lesson worth more than the tool itself: a cheap single-purpose device often beats a do-everything tool on the exact niche it was built for. The AK90+ doesn’t try to be a scanner. It reads and writes EWS immobiliser data for key programming, and that focus is exactly why it works where the generalist stalled.
Setup and use are genuinely simple. It connects to the EWS module, reads out the key info, and walks you through the key write without the menu maze you fight on a big diagnostic tablet.
Where it falls short
It does one job, so judge it on that one job, not as a scanner. No fault codes, no live data, no bidirectional, no coding. If you want diagnostics, this is the wrong tool entirely.
It’s also narrow even within BMW: it’s for the older EWS immobiliser cars. Newer BMWs with CAS or FEM/BDC systems are out of scope, you’d need a different tool for those.
And the build is what you’d expect for the money, functional rather than premium. That’s fine for something that lives in a drawer until you need a key, but don’t expect a polished bit of kit.
Who should buy this
Yes, buy it if:
- You have an older EWS-equipped BMW and need to add a key or do all-keys-lost without paying a locksmith
- You already own a diagnostic scanner and just want a cheap, dedicated tool that nails EWS key work
- You like the idea of a focused tool that beats expensive generalists on its one specialty
No, look elsewhere if:
- You want a tool that also does diagnostics, this is key programming only
- Your BMW uses CAS or FEM/BDC rather than EWS, this won’t cover it
- You only need a key once and a local locksmith is cheaper than buying any tool
What I’d consider instead
→ Autel IM608, the all-in-one IMMO and diagnostics tablet if you do key work across many brands as a service. Far more capable and far more expensive, but as my E46 job showed, it still couldn’t write the EWS key the AK90+ handled. The comparison shows where each one wins.
Final word
The AK90+ is a $30 single-purpose tool that programs keys on older EWS BMWs, and it does it simply and reliably. Its best moment was finishing the exact E46 key job my $3000 Autel couldn’t, which is the whole case for owning a focused specialist alongside your main scanner. If you’ve got an EWS BMW and a key to add, this is an easy, cheap yes. Just don’t expect it to be anything more than what it is.
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