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6+ Best Car Maintenance Apps For 2024 [Ranked]

Streamline your car's upkeep with the best car maintenance apps, designed to remind you of essential repairs and routine checks, ensuring your vehicle stays in top shape.

Top Car Maintenance Apps Overview

Whether you own an iOS or an Android smartphone, there’s an app for you out there. This list rounds up the top car maintenance apps for 2024. Scroll through the features to find what you’re looking for:

1
Drivvo

Drivvo

  • Free with a premium subscription available (Cloud backup support, cross-device sync, and no ads)
  • Customer service available
  • Fuel efficiency calculator
  • Download for iOS | Android
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Drivvo is probably the best car maintenance application for data-driven users. It’s a one-stop shop for vehicles, documenting all your car’s expenses and maintenance data in one place.

It doesn’t only track your car’s maintenance and document every single expense, but it also gives you estimates for repair costs and calculates fuel efficiency, so you can save money on gas.

All you have to do is input your car’s details, including the make, model, fuel type, and all necessary information. Then, you start logging in data on fuel refills, repairs, and any service you pay for. The app then categorizes your data into graphs to give you a clear view of your expenses.

The best part about inputting data into Drivvo is that it already has a list of preloaded service types, so you don’t have to do much guesswork when using it.

When you open the app, you’ll see an overview of all the services your car has gotten with clear dates. That way, if you don’t remember when you last changed the tires, you can check with a click of a button.

2
CARFAX Car Care

CARFAX Car Care

  • Free
  • Can track up to eight cars on the same account
  • Automatic service updates
  • Estimated costs feature
  • Download for iOS | Android
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Though CARFAX is originally an app that helps people purchase new cars, there’s a car care application that most people don’t know about, and it’s every bit as convenient as the original app.

The way CARFAX works, you input your car’s make, model, and VIN number, and then you leave the rest for the app.

It’ll pull all available information about your car, including previous maintenance dates, oil changes, license renewal dates, etc. From then on, it’ll keep reminding you of necessary repairs, like tire rotation and similar minor maintenance tasks.

And the best part? You don’t actually need to input most data. The app will automatically update any service you pay for using data from repair shops and service centers.

One of CARFAX’s strongest selling points is that it doesn’t only track one car, but you can input up to eight vehicles on the same account. So, if you’re managing a car maintenance service or have an extended family, the app can make things a lot easier for you.

On top of that, the application has an estimated cost feature that helps you predict how much some repairs will cost you. That way, you know not to get scammed by service centers asking for higher costs.

3
Simply Auto

Simply Auto

Best For: Maximizing tax deductions

Price: Free to download; upgraded plans available for 99 cents per month or $3.99-$9.99 per year

Download Simply Auto on iPhone or Android.

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Formerly known as Fuel Buddy, Simply Auto is part car maintenance app and part mileage tracking app.

As such, it's perfect for helping you get a running log of what Lyft and Uber driver tax deductions you're eligible for each year.

Just with the free version of the Simply Auto app, you can track an unlimited amount of fill-ups (including partial fill-ups), trips, services, and repair expenses — even capturing receipts straight from the app.

Your log can even be exported to Google Drive for easy cloud storage.

This means your maintenance history is always backed up and ready when you need to file your taxes.

With upgrades, you can get an unlimited amount of trips automatically tracked via GPS and add multiple drivers to your account.

4
Fuelly/aCar

Fuelly/aCar

  • Excel-compatible email report
  • Custom services reminders
  • Cross-device synchronization
  • Fuel cost tracker
  • Download for iOS | Android

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Fuelly is a popular car maintenance app for iOS devices that also works on Android phones under a different name: aCar. Both apps are free with a premium plan available that removes ads and adds some features.

When it first launched, Fuelly was a tracker for fuel efficiency, then it advanced into a fully-fledged car maintenance application. Like AUTOsist, it lets you input all maintenance-related data of your car, along with personal notes, reminders, shop names, etc. 

The app also allows you to document any repeated services, like oil changes, so that it can send you reminders later on. You can add any custom services you want the app to remind you of. On top of that, it sends random reminders for washes, waxing appointments, and similar tasks.

One of the best things about Fuelly is that it allows for cross-device sync, even in the free basic plan. Once you create an account and input your data, you can access it from any device.

The Fuelly app is easy to navigate and user-friendly, and its design is bright and colorful. Aside from its aesthetic, it’s also as functional as they come. You can use it to input any accidents, new parts, etc., for when you intend to sell your car.

5
Openbay

Openbay

Best For: Saving on auto repair shop visits

Price: Free

Download Openbay on iPhone or Android.

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An online auto repair marketplace, Openbay created an easy-to-navigate app that helps you save money on every maintenance need that requires a visit to a mechanic.

The moment you get a service reminder from the Openbay app, you can compare quotes from vetted shops in the Openbay network and even securely book the service straight from your phone.

The quotes you receive from the Openbay app are all based on your specific car model, manufacturing year, and required service.

If any changes need to be made, the Openbay guarantee ensures that you'll be consulted before any action is taken.

This car maintenance app even allows you to earn rewards cash on all services booked through Openbay, helping you save even more.

6
AUTOsist

AUTOsist

  • A free plan that tracks only one car
  • Mobile scanning feature for service receipts
  • User-friendly interface
  • Download for iOS | Android
Read More

Available for both iOS and Android smartphones, AUTOsist is a free car maintenance app with a user-friendly interface and a receipt scanner.

The free version only allows you to track one car, but if you manage a car service center and want to add more cars, you can always sign up for the paid plan and get your own virtual garage.

One of the best features of AUTOsist is its ease of use. The application is equipped with a scanning feature that allows you to scan any maintenance receipts you have and store the pulled data. After that, you can revisit the data or print the receipts any time you want.

The stored data will still be available if you’re offline, and if you decide to sell the car, the app will create a service record for it and allow you to send it to the buyer.

For the app to start tracking your car’s repairs, you’ll have to input the VIN number, plate number, make, model, and odometer reading. You can also upload photos of the vehicle if you want.

Once you open the app and select your car’s name, you’ll get access to fuel records, maintenance history, reminders for periodic repairs, and every piece of data you need for your car.

When inputting the data, you can be as specific as you want, going as far as adding the miles driven per year and any personal notes you’d like to add.

Tips on Choosing the Right App

Though these apps above are some of the best available, you may want to browse more options. In all cases, you may find it hard to choose the right app with so many different features and price points. Here are some tips to keep in mind when choosing:

  • If your priority is ease of use and quick access, look for an app with a user-friendly interface, like AUTOsist. Some apps are a bit complex to navigate, so they won’t make your life any easier.
  • If you tend to use plenty of devices daily, like a smartphone, an iPad, and a laptop, prioritize choosing an application with cross-device sync available, like Drivvo (the paid plan). That way, you can access your data from multiple devices.
  • If you don’t like keeping paper receipts, choose an application with a mobile scanning feature, like AUTOsist. It’ll eliminate the need for keeping any papers around.
  • Not all apps offer reliable customer support, so if you intend to use that feature, prioritize choosing an app with a solid support system.

Getting the Most Out of Your Car Maintenance App

Downloading a car maintenance app isn’t enough. If you want to make the most out of it, especially if you paid for it, you’ll want to keep it updated.

Make sure to update your app with any car-related service or expense you pay. Every detail is important, no matter how small it is. If you intend to sell your car in the long run, documenting every detail will make it easier for you to get everything in one place for the buyer.

Those details include oil changes, tire rotations, dent repairs, AC maintenance, and pretty much anything you do for your car, even waxing appointments.

Aside from updating the app regularly with new services, you’ll want to make sure you always have the latest version available on the app store. If you don’t have ‘automatic updates’ turned on, keep an eye out for any available updates for your application to make sure you’re not missing any features.

Lastly, the best way to benefit from car care apps is to adhere to your maintenance schedules. If not for the sake of your car, do it so that the app can stay accurate when reminding you of periodic maintenance tasks.

The Role of Car Maintenance Apps

The main role of car maintenance apps is to keep track of your car’s periodic maintenance and notify you about necessary repairs. Most of these applications work by receiving your car’s VIN number and pulling all available information about previous repairs.

Then, the apps start reminding you of maintenance dates, when it’s time to change the oil, when tire rotation is in order, etc. They also document all your service-related data, so you can pull the car’s history any time you need it.

Some apps go the extra mile and provide features that estimate the cost of certain repairs. That way, you know what to expect when your car is up for maintenance. Others have fuel efficiency trackers to help you save money on gas.

If you want your car to last a while longer than expected, periodic maintenance is the key. And because it gets challenging to keep track of dates amid the hustle of our everyday lives, you’ll want to sign up for a reliable car maintenance app to keep the load off you.

The good news is that most of these apps offer free plans, so you can try them before paying for a premium subscription.

Wrapping Up

If you use them right, car maintenance applications won’t only make your life easier, but they’ll also increase the life expectancy of your car.

It’s pretty easy to forget about maintaining your car, especially if you have a family or a busy job. If you download one of these apps, you’ll no longer have to worry about missed maintenance dates or overdue oil changes.

Before choosing the right app, remember to sort your priorities and decide what you need the app to do for you.

If you want to save money on gas, choose an application with a fuel efficiency tracker, like Drivvo and Fuelly. Meanwhile, if you want nothing to do with paper receipts, download an app with a mobile scanning feature, like AUTOsist.

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