Foxwell NT510 Elite vs. NT520 Pro, which one will serve you better? To some people, that’s a raging debate; a justifiable one. These two OBD scanners have a lot in common, and yet they have significant differences.
Table of Contents
Foxwell NT510 Elite Vs. NT520 Pro Comparison Chart
 FOXWELL NT510 |  Foxwell NT520 Pro |
|
| Customer Rating |  |  |
| Price |  | |
| Read & Clear All Codes | ✔ | ✔ |
| Reset MIL | ✔ | ✔ |
| OBDI/OBDII | OBDI, OBDII | OBDI, OBDII |
| ABS, SRS Diagnostics | ✔ | ✔ |
| Transmission Diagnostics | ✔ | ✔ |
| ABS Bleeding | ✔ | ✔ |
| Full system Diagnositcs | ✔ | ✔ |
| Battery reset | ✔ | ✔ |
| CBS Reset | ✔ | ✔ |
| SAS Calibration | ✔ | ✔ |
| DPF Regeneration | ✔ | ✔ |
| Oil Reset | ✔ | ✔ |
| Throttle Body Adjustment | ✔ | ✔ |
| IMMO System | ✔ | ✔ |
| Active Tests | ✔ | ✔ |
| TPMS Programming | ✔ | ✔ |
Bonus: Buy Foxwell NT510 Elite, Buy the Protective Carrying Case for it
Both are entry-level to intermediate tools that cost under $300 in almost all shops. However, the NT510 Elite typically costs slightly less than the NT520 Pro.
You may need a few more extra bucks (between 40 and 100, depending on the seller) for the latter.
The price variation is unsurprising, seeing as the NT520 Pro is an upgraded version of the NT510 Elite. According to Foxwell, the NT520 Pro comes with improved hardware.
But is that all or are there major functional differences to consider? What about their similarities?
All that and more is covered in this Foxwell NT520 vs. Foxwell NT510 Elite comparison and review.
Foxwell NT510 Elite Vs. NT520 Pro: The Detailed Comparison
First things first, both of these diagnostic scanners are made by Foxwell.
The company has a solid reputation for making some of the best OBD scan tools. Meaning both are safe bets, provided the one you pick works on your vehicle.
But ultimately, you need one that can meet your specific needs. And that’s why this review examines all the nitty-gritty details from what each box contains to their functionality.
Read more: BMW dashboard symbols: What are they telling you?
Vehicle Compatibility: FOXWELL NT510 Elite Vs. NT520 Pro
The NT520 Pro has better coverage than the NT510 Elite.
Why?
Simple. The latter is more limited than the former.
For instance, if you buy the GM version, you can only use it from 1996 to 2016 vehicles. It won’t work on OBD1 as well as 2017 and newer vehicles.
Perhaps the only downside of the NT520 Pro is that each item can only support a maximum of 5 vehicle brands. That calls for more care when selecting the vehicles you need to be covered.
See the tables below for Software Included in each Version of Foxwell NT510 Elite and NT520 Pro.
Important Notes: Each item (either NT510 Elite or NT520 Pro) is delivered with 1 free package of the software, which covers 5 car makes. You can add more software versions anytime you like (with an extra cost).
Foxwell NT520 Pro Compatibility:
The package of NT520 doesn’t include an OBD1 connector. You may want to budget for that in case you want to do OBD1 scans.
Long story short, Foxwell has NT520 Pro scanners that are dedicated to specific vehicle brands. While the universal scanner is meant to cover all vehicles, brand-specific NT520s only work on selected vehicle makes. For instance, there is a Foxwell NT520 Pro for BMW, Rolls Royce, and Mini vehicles only.
There’s also one that covers Audis only. If you drive a GM, there’s the NT520 Pro, and another one for Mazda and yet another one for Jeep.
When doing your shopping, make sure you choose the one that is compatible with your vehicle.
What if you choose one that doesn’t cover a vehicle you want to scan? Don’t worry, you can expand the coverage of an NT520 Pro up to 5 different car brands.
Foxwell NT510 Elite’s Compatibility:
When you order a Foxwell NT510 Elite scanner, it will come loaded with software for a particular vehicle. The good news is that you can expand its coverage almost limitlessly by downloading diagnostic software from Foxwell’s website.
Whether your NT510 Elite will cover both OBD1 and OBD2 vehicles depends on the original brand of vehicles it supports.
For example, the Foxwell NT510 Elite designed for BMW, Rolls Royce, and Mini is compatible with OBD1 as well as OBD2 vehicles.
So is the NT510 Elite made for Benz? On the other hand, the one made for GM cars only covers vehicles made from 1996 to 2016.
So you must specify the vehicle you want your Foxwell NT510 Elite to cover. And know that you can expand the coverage by adding more vehicle brands.
Functionality: FOXWELL NT520 Pro vs NT510 Elite
Both scanners offer the same functionality. The difference comes down to compatibility. While the NT520 Pro provides all those functions for any vehicle brand whose software you have added, the NT510 Elite might not do the same.
To be on the safe side, only take an NT510 Elite scanner made for your particular vehicle. Don’t buy one for other vehicle brands and rely on adding software to support your vehicle. It might not support all advanced and service functions.
This is what matters most. The functionality of a scanner determines all the tasks you can perform. It basically dictates what you can and can’t do with the device.
If you pick one with limited functions, it will obviously fall short at one point. Your ideal scan tool should offer all the basic functions you need. That way, you will only visit the shop for advanced and complex diagnostics.
Foxwell NT520 Pro Functionality:
Foxwell NT520 Pro is an all-system scanner. With this, you will be able to access all available electronic systems and protocols. They include the body system, chassis, and powertrain.
As far as basic diagnostics, the scanner reads and clears trouble codes and resets MIL or the Check Engine Light. Codes come with their definitions to help you understand exactly what is faulty in your vehicle.
The NT520 Pro provides a ton of handy data. For starters, it can retrieve the ECU information of a vehicle.
Additionally, it can display and record/save live sensor data as well as freeze frame data. In addition to text, you can view graphical data and merge or compare up to two graphs at a go.
When it comes to advanced diagnostics, this scanner works just as impressively. You can use it for virtually any system, including the engine, SRS, ABS, transmission, EPB, TPMS, battery registration, oil service, and DPF regeneration.
It supports resets, adaptations, and coding of control modules. If you are a professional or DIY enthusiast, you will love that it can perform key coding for all the common brands of vehicles.
And it also performs bi-directional tests. Those are functions that are usually found in high-end professional diagnostic tools.
Foxwell NT520 Pro
Foxwell NT510 Elite’s Functionality:
Whether it’s basic diagnostics, advanced diagnostics, or service functions, you will get virtually the same functionality.
So why choose the NT520 Pro when the NT510 Elite does all the same things but with a lower price tag? It boils down to compatibility.
With the NT520, simply adding the software of a vehicle’s brand unlocks all the advanced and service functions.
On the contrary, you can add a vehicle’s software to the NT510 Elite, and it may fail to perform some advanced and service functions on that vehicle.
For example, if you buy an NT510 Elite made for BMWs, adding the GM software doesn’t necessarily mean that you will be able to perform bi-directional tests on GM vehicles. Sure, the software will be there, but it will have limited functionality.
Foxwell NT501 Elite
Design And Interface: FOXWELL NT520 Pro Vs. NT510 Elite
Again, there’s no significant difference here. Both scanners are palm-sized, well-constructed, and have self-explanatory buttons for navigating their intuitive interfaces.
They both feature three hotkeys for creating shortcuts to critical functions.
So if your biggest concern is getting a scanner that is compact enough and easy to use, then both of these earn a spot on your shopping list.
FOXWELL NT520 Pro
Foxwell NT510 Elite
The Package: FOXWELL NT520 Pro Vs. NT510 Elite
Not much of a difference here. If you only want to do OBD2 diagnostics, then both packages offer a complete kit. In case you want to add OBD1 diagnostics, then you will have to buy the connector.
The NT510 Elite comes with CD software. Is that a plus? Absolutely not! People don’t use CD-ROMs anymore, you can always download the latest software updates directly from Foxwell’s website.
Recommendation
While both are solid and reliable scanners, the Foxwell NT520 has the edge over the NT510 Elite. Once you download a vehicle’s software, you’re almost guaranteed it will work on that vehicle.
The same cannot be said about the NT510 Elite. To ensure that the latter is fully compatible, you have to purchase a brand-specific version. Otherwise, there’s no guarantee that it will perform advanced functions.
In terms of functionality, there’s no difference between these two OBD scanners. You can do virtually the same things with each of them.
Bonus:
