Car maintenance app: how to choose the right one in 2026
Updated · Autofy
Car maintenance app: how to choose the right one in 2026
A good car maintenance app should calculate due dates by both mileage and time, keep receipts attached to each service, handle several vehicles, and export the history as a PDF for resale. On iPhone, Autofy does all of this for free for one vehicle, plus a health score out of 100, engine sound recording and accident help. Other apps exist, such as Drivvo or AUTODOC CLUB, each with its own strengths.
What you really want from a maintenance app
A paper service book has two flaws: it never reminds you, and it gets lost. An app should fix both. Here are the criteria that make the difference day to day.
1. Due dates by mileage and by time
An oil change is due "every 15,000 km or every year", whichever comes first. An app that only counts kilometres forgets the car that barely moves; one that only counts dates forgets the car that drives a lot. You need both, part by part.
2. Receipts attached to each service
When you sell, or when a mechanic asks "when were the pads done?", the receipt is the proof. It should be attached to the service it belongs to, not lost in your photo roll.
3. Several vehicles
Main car, second car, a relative's car: a good tool keeps them cleanly apart.
4. A clean export for resale
A complete service history reassures buyers and supports your price. The app should export it as a readable PDF. Tips in selling your car with its service history.
5. Documents in one place
Registration, license, insurance, inspection certificate: having them at hand and protected saves a lot of trouble, especially after an accident.
6. Honest numbers
An app that shows "95/100" while knowing nothing about your car reassures you for nothing. Be wary of unexplained scores: they should say what they're based on.
7. The business model
Free with ads, free with a subscription for advanced features, or paid: check before you enter years of history.
What Autofy does
Autofy is an iPhone app built around these criteria:
- 12 tracked parts, each with its own gauge based on mileage and date, and a reminder on the due date for the parts you choose;
- a health score out of 100, shown with its precision, which ignores parts you never logged;
- receipt photos attached to every service;
- Vroom, which records 3 seconds of your engine sound;
- accident help that produces a PDF for your insurer;
- a community: car pages, owner reviews, questions via SOS Help.
All of this is free for one vehicle. The Autofy+ subscription adds up to 3 vehicles, the Face ID glove box, PDF expense reports and a car passport to attach to a listing. Autofy is available on iPhone; the Android version is coming soon.
Other apps on the market
Other apps take different approaches. According to their App Store listings:
- Drivvo focuses on cost tracking: fuel, maintenance, vehicle expenses.
- AUTODOC CLUB pairs a service log with a library of do-it-yourself maintenance tutorials.
The right choice depends on what you want: tracking spending, doing your own repairs, or a complete picture of your car's health with reminders, documents and a community.
Where to start
Whatever the app, the first step is the same: find the date and mileage of your last services. No service book? Our guide to a lost service book explains how to rebuild the history.