12 Best FREE Care Apps for Android

By John Linden

Car upkeep should be at the top of your to-do list. Most of us rely upon our cars for practically everything. We use our cars to drive to work, pick up/drop off our kids from school, go grocery shopping, etc.

With that being said, car maintenance tends to be the last thing on our minds. We simply expect our cars to work every time we turn the key. That's why many of us are taken by surprise when we suddenly blow a tire or when the engine decides it doesn't want to turn over.

If you're terrible with vehicle upkeep, there's a simple solution. Android offers a wide variety of car care apps that allow users to keep track of vehicle expenses, upkeep, gas consumption, mileage and more. Best of all they're free! Let's take a look at 12 of the best car care apps for android devices you can download for free.

1) Free Car Maintenance - MyCarFax

This app has full access to CarFax's service data and offers a medley of benefits. You can track the service history for up to 5 vehicles at a time which is useful if you live in a multi-car home. The MyCarFax app also sends alerts to your phone that will inform you of scheduled maintenance work such as oil changes, brake jobs and more.

If you're in need of a repair shop, the app will access its database to locate one of many shops listed in the CarFax network. It will even take parts and labor into account and give you a cost estimate.

2) Just Drive - Car Management

Just drive is a convenient car management app that focuses on displaying information regarding car maintenance providers in your local area. Just Drive's most useful feature is its interactive map that allows you to find local repair shops easily. It also gives you recommendations and offers a service history section where you can record important information about your car.

Just Drive even comes with a dictionary that helps you understand the various meanings of the lights on your dashboard and will send a reminder when it's time to renew your license. Another fantastic feature of Just Drive is its integrated U2G (user to group) feature that connects you to other users who drive the same vehicle.

3) Car Maintenance and Gas Log App

This app doesn't just cover cars and trucks. It also keeps trackof information regarding boats and planes. This app works by allowing the user to organize their vehicle records by inserting receipt information regarding vehicle maintenance. It also keeps track of fuel and economy.

You will be sent reminders for important events such as changing your oil, paying your insurance or renewing your license. This app also allows you to manage multiple vehicles at any given time.

4) Car Maintenance Service & Fuel

As the name implies, this app excels at helping you keep track of your vehicle expenses. This app keeps track of how much you spend on insurance, fuel, maintenance fees and more. The app will send you reminders on how much you should fill up based on the fuel efficiency of your vehicle and will keep you on track with your insurance payments. One of the more handy features of this app is a chart that displays fuel efficiency and service history.

5) DIY Car Maintenance

You know an app is good if it receives a 4.6-star rating or higher. The DIY Car Maintenance app lives up to its name by offering clear-cut instructions for a wide selection of vehicle maintenance jobs that include how to check engine fluids, how to change your oil, how to change a flat tire and how to change your cabin filter amongst other common issues. The addition of pictures easily makes the DIY Car Maintenance app a top choice for novices.

6) Fuelio: Gas Log and Costs

The name says it all. Fuelio is geared towards keeping track of your gas consumption and keeping you on top of your spending. This app will access your GPS to deliver information on the closest gas station and their gas prices. That will give you the option to shop around for the lowest price before even setting foot in your vehicle.

Fuelio also tracks car expenses, mileage covered and much more. This app will always keep you informed on how much you're spending on fuel by generating a log that will display relevant statistics. Fuelio will even back up your data to a cloud storage drive via Google Drive or Dropbox ensuring the safety of your information even if your device crashes.

7) Drivvo- Car Management

Drivvo is another top-rated app that offers immense value. Drivvo allows you to manage the costs of your vehicle, helping you to stay on top of your expenses and saving you money. This app comes with a fuel mileage calculator that can calculate for all types of fuel types that include Ethanol, premium gas, and electric. Drivvo does a fantastic job of summarizing the amount of fuel that's consumed on a daily and monthly basis.

Drivvo also offers statistics and charts to keep you on top of your vehicle maintenance spending, support for expenses regarding how much you spend on fuel, vehicle maintenance reminders, distance statistics that calculate days, months, and years and much more. You will receive most of these features for free. However, there is a pro version that allows the user to utilize the app to its full potential.

8) Speedview: GPS Speedometer

If you're interested in knowing how fast you drive at any given time, Speedview is the app for you. This app is a sophisticated speedometer that tracks information such as your current, average, and maximum driving speed. It also tracks the total distance, direction and the amount of time you've been driving. This is a great app to keep you informed on your driving habits.

9) ifixit: Repair Manual

iFixit is a multi-purpose app that offers helpful information for a wide variety of categories that include gadgets, game consoles, electronics and more. Amongst these categories is car repair. iFixit features fix it guides on many of the most popular automotive brands for cars, trucks, and motorcycles. These guides range from swapping out a flat tire to changing your oil. If you have the skills, you can even upload your own repair guide!

10) Car Maintenance Reminder Lite

If you're looking for a useful place to store all of your vehicle information in one place, this is the app for you. The app will send you service reminders, allow you to log information about your vehicle, and keeps track of your fuel economy. It also generates graphical charts and statistics so you can keep track of relevant information easily.

This app also allows you to create customized service reminders where you can add in part numbers, phone numbers for car dealerships and mechanic shops and add your own notes. You can also customize the app so that it shows what you want to see. You can change the date format, the currency symbol and more.

11) GasBuddy - Find Cheap Gas

GasBuddy isn't exactly a car care app, but it still saves you money by identifying the closest gas stations with the cheapest prices. That way no matter where you are you'll always be getting the best deal on gas. GasBuddy helps you plan ahead and will get you out of a tight situation if you happen to be running low on fuel.

12) Car Problems and Repairs

This app does an excellent job of saving you money on vehicle maintenance. However, you'll have to deal with a lot of ads in the process. If you can get past the numerous ads, this app can help you diagnose a variety of problems for a large of vehicle makes and models.

The app is set up in an easy to use format that includes categories and sub-categories of specific problems that are most common with your make and model of car. For example, some categories include air conditioning issues, clutch problems, and battery issues.

Download a car care app today

Today is the day you stop neglecting your car. If you have an android device, you have no excuse not to keep track of your car's service information so you can always stay on top of repairs and keep costs low. If you take care of your car, your car will take care of you. Download an app or two today and give them a try. You'll be happy you did.

Featured Image Credit: mohamed_hassan / Pixabay

In Post Image Credit: mohamed_hassan / Pixabay