Torque Pro (OBD 2 & Car)

Review by eFreeware

Torque Pro is for people who want to know what their car is doing rather than guess. It costs $4.95, carries no ads and has no in-app purchases, and it has been on Google Play since March 2010, with an update in February 2025. More than a million installs and an average of 4.0 from over 81,000 ratings suggest a settled, well-known tool rather than a novelty.

The idea is straightforward. A small Bluetooth adapter plugs into the diagnostics socket under the dashboard, and the app talks to the engine management system through it. From there you get live sensor readings, fault codes, performance figures and trip logs, all on the phone you already carry.

What appeals to me is the range of jobs one purchase covers. A driver chasing a check-engine light, someone curious about horsepower and acceleration, and a tinkerer who wants graphs of sensor behavior are all served by the same app. The catch is that the adapter is a separate purchase, so the real cost of entry sits above the sticker price.

Reading and clearing the codes behind a warning light

The most common reason to buy something like this is a warning light on the dash. Torque Pro reads diagnostic trouble codes from the engine management system and can reset them, which is the core job of a handheld scan tool. Instead of paying a shop to plug in a reader, you can pull the code yourself and decide what to do next.

The app includes a large fault code database covering multiple manufacturers, so a code that means nothing on its own can be looked up and given context. That matters because the same number can point in different directions depending on the make and model. Knowing what the code refers to before you call a mechanic is a reasonable way to keep repair costs down.

It is worth being clear about the limits here. The app can only report what the car's computer exposes, and the developer notes that engine control units vary in how many sensors and parameters they support. Some vehicles will hand over transmission temperature and turbo boost data; others will offer a narrower set. The fault-code side is the dependable part, and the depth of live data depends on what you drive.

Performance figures, timing runs and dyno-style estimates

For drivers more interested in how the car performs than in what is wrong with it, Torque Pro offers horsepower and torque estimates in a dyno style, along with 0-60 timing. The developer pitches the acceleration timing as more accurate than a plain GPS stopwatch, since the app can draw on engine data rather than position alone. If you have ever wondered whether a modification actually changed anything, having a repeatable measurement is more useful than a stopwatch and a feeling.

There is also an MPG readout and a CO2 emissions figure, which turn the same sensor stream into everyday fuel and environmental numbers. Turbo boost is supported on vehicles with the right manifold and mass airflow sensors, with Volkswagen, Audi and Seat models named as examples. As with everything else here, the car decides how much of this you actually see.

The dashboard itself is customizable, with gauges and widgets you arrange yourself, plus profiles and theme support for changing the look. That flexibility is the difference between a tool that shows you numbers and one you are willing to keep on screen. I would expect most buyers to spend a little time setting up a layout that suits their car and then leave it alone.

Logging trips, recording video and exporting the results

Torque Pro combines GPS tracking with engine logging, so a journey can be reviewed with both what the car was doing and where it was at any given moment. Logs can be sent to a web service or by email as CSV or KML files, which open in spreadsheet and mapping software for closer analysis. For anyone who likes to compare runs, look for patterns in sensor behavior or keep a record of a long trip, that export path is the part that turns readings into something you can study later.

The Track Recorder plugin records video of a journey with OBD data overlaid on the picture, which the developer describes as a black box for your car or truck. There is also a heads-up display mode intended for night driving, a GPS-based compass that avoids magnetic interference, and a speedometer with real-time upload. Sharing screenshots to social networks and email is built in as well.

Alarms and warnings round out the set. You can set thresholds, such as a coolant temperature above 120C while driving, and the app can announce them with a voice overlay so you are not staring at the screen. Car dock support and tablet compatibility are listed too, which suggests the app is meant to live in a mount rather than in a pocket.

What you need before the first reading

Nothing works without a Bluetooth OBD2 adapter. The adapter plugs into the diagnostics socket and gives the phone access to the car's computer, and the app works with adapters such as the Scantool.net adapter, OBDKey, PLX Devices and OBDLink. Cheap ELM327 adapters sold online are supported, but the advice is to buy from a seller with a good returns policy, which tells you something about the variability in that end of the market. Garmin EcoRoute HD adapters are not supported.

On the vehicle side, the app works with anything using the OBD2 standard. Most cars built after 2000 qualify, and some go back as far as 1996. If you are unsure, the developer suggests checking with the manufacturer or looking for an OBD2 label in the engine bay. The make list is long, covering Ford, VW, GM, Chrysler, Mercedes, Audi, Jaguar, Citroen, Peugeot, Skoda, Kia, Mazda, Lexus, Subaru, Renault, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Honda, Hyundai, BMW, Toyota, Seat, Dodge, Jeep and Pontiac, among others.

Some older HTC devices and the Galaxy Tab can hang or reboot after quitting the app, an issue linked to Bluetooth use by other apps that the manufacturers need to fix. New features arrive with releases, and there are forums where users can ask for additions. Recent updates addressed displays that were not functioning correctly.

The driver this tool rewards

This suits someone who already owns an OBD2 adapter or is ready to buy one, and who wants more from it than a single fault-code reading. The combination of live data, code lookup, performance timing and exportable logs covers a lot of ground for one purchase, and the absence of ads and in-app purchases keeps the experience uncluttered.

It also fits the home mechanic who wants to understand a problem before handing the car over, and the enthusiast who wants repeatable numbers for acceleration or fuel use. Tablet and car dock support suggest it can serve as a semi-permanent dashboard in a vehicle that stays with the same driver.

How much data appears depends on the vehicle's computer, so a driver of an older or unusual car may find fewer supported sensors than expected. That variability is inherent to reading a car's own systems, not a flaw in the app, but it shapes what you get.

A worthwhile buy for adapter owners

Torque Pro earns its $4.95 by doing several jobs well: reading and clearing fault codes, showing live sensor data on a dashboard you design, timing acceleration runs, and logging trips for later analysis. The developer has kept it updated, and the install base and rating point to a tool that has held its ground for a long time.

The condition is the adapter. Budget for one alongside the app, choose it carefully, and check that your car supports the parameters you care about. Do that, and this is an easy recommendation for anyone who wants their phone to tell them what the car is doing.

If you drive an OBD2 vehicle and like having real numbers instead of guesses, this is the kind of app that pays for itself the first time a warning light comes on.

What's new in version 1.12.108

Google play updates Fix issues with some displays not functioning correctly