Tom's Guide Verdict
Small, easy to install and with access to extensive features for Volkswagen Group vehicles, the OBDEleven NextGen wireless OBD scanner can help keep your car on the road. But yopu'll need a to buy credits or a premium subscription to get the most out of it.
Pros
- +
Small unobtrusive device
- +
Specialty codes for Volkswagen vehicles
- +
Works with Huawei phones
- +
Two year warranty
Cons
- -
Many features require subscription or credits
- -
Limited live data available without upgrade
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Size: 1.6 x 1.5 x 0.9 inches
Weight: 0.7 ounces
Live data: Yes
Display: None
Number of keys: None
Bluetooth: Yes
Handheld: No
Warranty: 2 year
Good automotive things come in small packages, like OBDEleven’s NextGen Bluetooth OBD scanner. It’s not only able to show live data and fault codes for all recent cars, but can customize and ferret out hidden problems with Volkswagen Group vehicles. With prices starting at $65, the basic NextGen package is good, but it requires doubling that with a subscription or buying credits to use it to its fullest.
OBDEleven NextGen OBD Scanner Review: Price and Availability
Getting the OBDEleven NextGen costs $90 on Amazon or for as little as $65 on the company’s official store. That’s just the start, though. To get the full package, including the ability to customize the device as well as coverage of specialty codes for Volkswagen Group vehicles, you’ll need to get the $110 Pro Pack.
The Ultimate NextGen offering puts it altogether by adding the ability to create your own shortcuts in the app that the company calls One-Click Apps. It costs $217, bundled with a phone holder and bag for the device when it’s not being used. On their own, the Pro and Ultimate plans costs $54 and $152 a year.
There’s also the ability to buy credits for a variety of individual One-Click App operations or shortcuts. Many of the tasks require 10 credits, which costs $2.19, they can add up quickly. Fortunately, OBDEleven offers 100 credits for $19.59 and they don’t expire.
OBDEleven NextGen OBD Scanner Review: Design
Just when you thought that wireless Bluetooth scanners couldn’t get any smaller, OBDEleven shrinks the state of the art with its NextGen transmitter to 1.6 x 1.5 x 0.9 inch and 0.7 ounces. At about half the size and weight of the BlueDriver Pro Scan Tool, it just about disappears under the dashboard; the kit includes a keyring, so it's always accessible.
While it matches the competition with apps for iOS (iPhones and iPads) and Androids, OBDEleven also has a Huawei Gallery app. Its interface has a section with icons for the check engine light, ABS, air bag, battery and other common faults. The app can do the basics, like checking on fault codes and turning off the Check Engine light.
The beauty of the OBD Eleven system is that the OBD scanner does all the generic items you’d expect but comes into its own with Volkswagen Auto Group models, like VW, Audi, Seat, Skoda and others. There’re also specialty codes for some Toyota and BMW models. Getting a subscription or spending credits can unlock a world of automotive diagnostics, like turning off the oil change light or customizing the taillight LEDs. These tasks generally cost 10 credits each.
OBDEleven NextGen OBD Scanner Review: Setup
Easy to grasp for installing and removing from the car’s OBD port, the OBDEleven NextGen transmitter connects with a phone or tablet using the low-power BLE 4.2 Bluetooth spec. At first its LED ring lights up red, then changes to bluish white when it’s connected and working. Once you’re familiar with the NextGen device, these colors can be customized.
After making the Bluetooth connection and creating an OBDEleven account I was in. While in use, NextGen had a 25-foot Bluetooth range with my Samsung S20 phone, making it easy to work inside the car or under the hood. Its two-year warranty is balanced by the NextGen’s skimpy 16 page manual that lacked detail.
OBDEleven NextGen OBD Scanner Review: Performance
For most vehicles, the OBDEleven NextGen device can show a small group of parameters, such as engine load and speed, coolant temperature and the mass air flow sensor’s output. All are tabular without an option to graph items over time to look for trends.
This expands to include just about every parameter imaginable with Volkswagen group models and a subscription or credits to spend.
It took 20 seconds to run a scan and the NextGen scanner can check the vehicle before an inspection is due. After I disconnected the car’s under seat connection module on my Subaru Outback, the scanner recorded a fault code for the occupant position sensor. After I plugged it back in, everything was fine.
OBDEleven NextGen OBD Scanner Review: Verdict
Less a multi-tool that provides detailed data on a variety of vehicles, and more one aimed at Volkswagen Group vehicles, the OBDEleven NextGen Bluetooth scanner adds an app for Huawei phones. It sets the pace with VWs, Audis and others by filling in a lot of the blanks left by generic OBD scanners. In other words, it’s an acceptable OBD scanner for most cars, but it really shines for VWs.
