Carly produced codes which don't exist. Tried reporting problem but Carly support said if codes are given, then there is no fault. Scanned same vehicle with Autel and got specific code straight away a... See more
Company replied
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See what reviewers are saying
I would buy a general scanner which supports BMW without any ristriction including resetting the error code. I had to buy one when I sold my BMW Z4 to reset lot's of error codes which were turned o... See more
I've ordered from this company twice now - initially for my introduction to their product and app experience, which went splendidly, and again to renew my licensing and continue with a different... See more
Carly device arrived, didn't work. Followed all instructions, still didn't work. Carly sent replacement, doesn't work again!!! Since then I have read lots of very bad reviews about Carly & their poor... See more
Company replied
Company details
Written by the company
Carly — OBD2 car scanner Founded in 2014 in Munich, Germany, Carly is an automotive tech company that connects drivers with the information hidden inside their cars. Carly provides simple solutions throughout the lifecycle of car ownership, delivering peace of mind and empowering you to save time and money. Our mission is to be a reliable companion for drivers that delivers powerful data and valuable insights. Unleash your inner car hero with Carly! The Carly OBD2 Diagnostic Scanner was named 'Runner Up for Tech Product of the Year ' at the prestigious Parker's Product Awards. It got Highly Recommended for "makes the process more accessible for home users." In 2025, described by the Products Writer and tester for CAR and Parkers, Aaron Hussain, as "Score: 4/5. A pocket-sized catalyst for preventative maintenance, but a couple of small quirks in the app stop it from being perfect."
Our Origins
Written by the company
- An $8,000 repair estimate. An $80 fix.
- One of Carly’s founders was told his car needed repairs costing nearly $8,000—more than the car was worth. Like most drivers, he had no way of knowing whether the diagnosis was accurate. Instead of accepting the bill, he dug deeper. By accessing the car’s hidden data, he uncovered the real issue: a small component that cost just $80 to replace. The problem wasn't the car. It was the lack of transparency. Today, Carly gives drivers direct access to their vehicle's data, helping them understand issues, avoid unnecessary repairs, and make smarter decisions about their cars. That's how Carly was born.
Contact info
Carly Mechanics Chat
2.3
Poor
16K reviews
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As an inexperienced home mechanic I…
As an inexperienced home mechanic I found Carly very helpful diagnosing some issues with my car. Gave me confidence to buy service items I would never have found. Extremely helpful.
July 17, 2026
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Rubbish Company
It's never worked, paid a lot of money for it, and Carly stopped responding to my emails, I will never use them in the future.
March 2, 2026
Reply from Carly Solutions GmbH
We’re sorry that Carly has never worked as expected for you and that you feel left without support after contacting us by email.
We do respond to all customer emails, but we understand how frustrating it is if you did not receive a helpful answer or if the communication did not resolve the issue. Carly’s available functions can depend on the vehicle brand, model, year, installed control units, and vehicle software, so technical review may be needed when something does not work as expected.
Your feedback is important to us, especially when the product experience and support communication did not meet your expectations. We’ll use it to keep improving both our technical information and our support process.
Reply from Carly Solutions GmbH
We’re sorry that Carly did not scan any of your three Subarus. We understand how frustrating that is, especially when you expected the app to work across multiple vehicles.
At the same time, we would like to respectfully clarify that Carly has no fraudulent intent. The available Carly functions depend on the vehicle brand, model, year, installed control units, and vehicle software. This means that even within the same brand, scan availability can vary depending on the specific vehicle configuration.
We would like to review your case and check whether this is related to compatibility, connection setup, or a technical issue. Please open a new ticket here: https://support.mycarly.com/hc/requests/new?ticket_form_id=360000444960 and write “To Support Manager” in the ticket title or subject. Please do not share any personal data publicly on Trustpilot.
Your feedback helps us improve how we communicate vehicle compatibility and technical limitations before purchase.
Easy device
Easy device, and happy to have bought it. Although the delivery was postponed by a huge demand.
July 17, 2026
The easiest route for me
I needed to reprogram some comfort and safety features as well as register a battery. This worked pretty well for all the models I used it on. The diagnostics are a valuable tool as well.
April 10, 2026
Easy to install and connect
Easy to install and connect, some of the features take time to find on the app. My car is a 2012 model so some features are limited. Had my Carly unit for a few months now, the most useful feature is being able to reset service lights.
July 17, 2026
Money taken without permission
Took another years subscription out my bank without informing me....when I tried to retrieve it the next day as I had no intention of renewing it....they flatly refused saying I had excepted automatic renewal......which i didn't actually know I had.....plus if your car is over 10 years old there's not a lot you can do with the app
July 17, 2025
Reply from Carly Solutions GmbH
We’re sorry that the renewal came as an unpleasant surprise and that you felt the available functions for your vehicle were limited. We understand how frustrating this can be when you did not intend to continue using the app.
Carly is offered as an annual app license. This license renews automatically unless the automatic renewal is disabled before the end of the current license period. The renewal information is shown during the purchase process, but we understand that it can still be missed or feel unexpected later on.
The available Carly functions also depend on the vehicle brand, model, year, installed control units, and vehicle software. That means some vehicles, including older models or specific configurations, may have fewer available functions.
Your feedback helps us make our renewal and compatibility information clearer and easier to understand before purchase.
It works for what I needed it for
It works for what I needed it for. Happy with the company. The tools work well.
July 16, 2026
displeased with the features
displeased with the features; you have to pay for the interesting ones
July 17, 2026
Reply from Carly Solutions GmbH
We’re sorry that the available features did not meet your expectations. Carly’s pricing is not based on individual features, but on whether you choose a single brand or All Brands, plus any optional add-ons. We understand that this may not feel like the right fit for everyone, and we appreciate your feedback.
Not as good as Matt Armstrong makes out!
Inaccurate diagnosis of my car. Also would not cancel the fault codes that were irrelevant on my car. Apparently I have a problem with my glow plugs- my car is a 4 litre petrol V8, only 32 valves and 8 spark plugs. Also my rear aircon isn’t working- but it is! I had to buy a £30 Chinese device to sort out my problems
June 12, 2026
Reply from Carly Solutions GmbH
Different scanners can read different fault codes because they depend on your car’s brand, model, and build year. Vehicle manufacturers use various ECUs and software versions, so not all OBD devices detect the same information. While some codes may vary, all scanners show critical ones, essential for vehicle safety and performance. You can always expect to see the important warnings, even if some non-critical codes differ between devices.
If you have more questions, feel free to ask!
Worst possible product with worst…
Worst possible product with worst pricing, didn't even work. had to buy another app to detect
crashes and freezes like shit.
wasted my hard earned money for no use
May 13, 2026
Reply from Carly Solutions GmbH
We’re sorry that Carly did not work for you and that the app crashed or froze instead of helping you diagnose your car. We understand how frustrating it is to pay for a product and then feel you had to buy another app to get the result you needed.
Technical issues such as crashes, freezes, connection problems, or missing diagnostic results need to be checked based on the app version, phone, vehicle, and Carly Scanner setup. At this point, we cannot review your license or technical case details publicly, but our support team can check whether a technical, compatibility, or account issue affected your experience.
Your feedback is important because Carly should be reliable and clear in both product performance and pricing. Please contact our support team so your case can be reviewed individually.
Old is New Again !
I had an older version of Carly on my older iPhone. When I got a new phone the Carly App was not compatible, I could not connect to the OBD adapter. I was about to cancel my annual subscription when I was informed that a new Carly adapter would be sent to me at no charge.
I have been a Carly subscriber for my 2019 BMW since it was new and I stayed because of the product and the service.
June 2, 2026
Expensive paper weight
I just want to use the adapter I paid for to get the codes. I have no desire to use all the other features. Well I would have if it actually allowed me to change setting on the car. It that was a sales lie.
June 24, 2026
Reply from Carly Solutions GmbH
We’re sorry that Carly did not meet your expectations, especially if you mainly wanted to use the adapter for reading codes and expected certain settings on your car to be changeable.
Carly functions can vary depending on the vehicle brand, model, year, installed control units, software version, and technical configuration. This means that a vehicle may support diagnostics, while specific coding or setting changes may not be technically available for that exact vehicle.
We understand that this can feel misleading if you expected a specific function based on information you saw before purchasing. If a particular setting change was shown or confirmed for your vehicle, please send our support team your vehicle details and the source of that information so we can review it carefully: https://support.mycarly.com/hc/requests/new?ticket_form_id=360000444960
Please do not share personal data publicly on Trustpilot. Your feedback helps us improve how we explain diagnostics, coding availability, and vehicle-specific limitations before purchase.
It's not suitable for Volvo cars
It's not suitable for Volvo cars. When i plugin the Carly end make a diagnostic the car goes in block.
June 15, 2026
Reply from Carly Solutions GmbH
We’re sorry that your Volvo went into a blocked state when you connected Carly and ran a diagnostic. We understand that this is concerning and not the experience you expected.
Carly functions depend on the vehicle brand, model, year, installed control units, software version, and the vehicle’s technical configuration. However, if the vehicle enters a blocked state during diagnostics, this should be reviewed carefully and cannot be assessed properly in a public Trustpilot reply.
Please open a new ticket here: https://support.mycarly.com/hc/requests/new?ticket_form_id=360000444960
Write “To Support Manager” in the ticket title or subject so your case can be reviewed appropriately. Please include your Volvo model, year, the steps that led to the issue, and any warning messages in the ticket, but do not share personal data publicly on Trustpilot.
I thought i could delve deeper into any…
I thought i could delve deeper into any car as was said by a youtuber you sponsored but you cant so its not realy of any use as i already have a basic diagnostic tool
July 3, 2026
Reply from Carly Solutions GmbH
Thanks for sharing your thoughts. We’re sorry that your experience didn’t meet your expectations and that you feel the price didn’t provide the value you hoped for. We strive to offer as much information as possible on our website to help customers make informed decisions and set clear expectations.
At the same time, we understand some customers might prefer different offers or products that better suit their needs. We truly appreciate the chance you gave Carly and are sorry to see you go.
It doesn't do whatnot says and no…
It doesn't do whatnot says and no answer back from them when I requested a cancellation via email as there's no other option!! Rubish! Scam!
June 1, 2026
Reply from Carly Solutions GmbH
We’re sorry that Carly did not do what you expected and that you feel your cancellation request was not answered. We understand how frustrating this is when you are trying to resolve something and do not feel heard.
We want to clarify that our support team answers customer requests, including cancellation requests, once a ticket has been opened. If you have already opened a ticket, our support team will get back to you through that ticket.
Carly functions can vary depending on the vehicle brand, model, year, installed control units, software version, and technical configuration, so not every function is available for every vehicle. At the same time, we take your feedback seriously and also want to respectfully clarify that Carly is a regular app license product and does not operate with fraudulent intent.
After Carly did the 3 day battery test
After Carly did the 3 day battery test, it asked me to move to the next step, but ended up beginning all over. Never ending loop.
Other than that, Carly is a good tool to have as DIY.
July 8, 2026
Reply from Carly Solutions GmbH
Thank you for your feedback. We’re glad to hear that you see Carly as a good DIY tool overall. We appreciate you pointing this out so it can be looked at more closely.
App is quite slow and limited
App is quite slow to read the codes takes my car a good 5 minutes to read and clear fault codes and very limited on any non German vehicles and other app features are blocked behind a pay wall even though I’ve paid for all brands of vehicle you’d assume the “smart mechanic” would be included
July 17, 2026
Reply from Carly Solutions GmbH
Thank you for your feedback. We understand your point about scan speed and feature availability across different brands. Regarding Smart Mechanic, this is offered separately during the purchase flow, where customers can explicitly choose whether to add it or continue without it, so the selection should be clear before purchase. We’re sorry if this was not easy to understand in your case, and we appreciate you sharing how it felt from your perspective.
It’s just incredibly expensive……
It’s just incredibly expensive for what you get, as a home user to use it maybe once or twice a year is scandalous. There are better alternatives with a one off purchase model less than the cost of a year. The whole built in mechanic, everyone can use Google so don’t be fooled into thinking that’s worthwhile.
July 17, 2026
Reply from Carly Solutions GmbH
We’re sorry that Carly feels too expensive for your needs as a home user, especially if you only plan to use it once or twice a year. We understand that a yearly license may not feel worthwhile for every customer.
Carly is offered as an annual app license that provides access to the available Carly functions, diagnostics, and supporting repair and maintenance information during the license period. We know that some users prefer a one-time purchase model, and your feedback is important for how we communicate the value of Carly for different usage needs.
Thank you for sharing this clearly. It helps us improve how we explain the license model, included features, and who Carly may be the right fit for before purchase.
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