OBD2 Scanner Compatible with Which Car? All Makes

Before buying an OBD2 scanner, the first legitimate question is: is my car compatible? Good news, the answer is simple in the vast majority of cases.

The general rule by year

The OBD2 protocol has been mandatory on all petrol vehicles sold in the European Union since 2001, and on all diesel vehicles since 2004. In practice, if your car is registered after these dates, it's almost certainly compatible.

Special cases by make

All major makes sold in Europe (Renault, Peugeot, Citroën, Volkswagen, Ford, Vauxhall/Opel, Toyota, BMW, Mercedes...) follow the same OBD2 standard for basic engine fault code reading. Differences between makes mainly concern advanced features (proprietary ABS, airbag systems specific to certain manufacturers) which sometimes require a make-specific diagnostic tool rather than a generic OBD2 scanner.

How to check in 30 seconds

FAQ — OBD2 compatibility

My car is older than 2001, what should I do?

It probably uses OBD1, an earlier standard specific to each manufacturer — a standard OBD2 scanner won't work, a specific adapter is needed.

Do Japanese or Korean cars follow the same standard?

Yes, any vehicle sold new in Europe must comply with the European OBD2 standard, regardless of the manufacturer's country of origin.

What happens if I plug a scanner into an incompatible car?

Nothing dangerous — the scanner will simply receive no data and the app will show a connection error, with no risk to the vehicle.