If you thought paying a monthly subscription to the likes of Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and YouTube to avoid adverts was bad, Volkswagen is now charging a recurring fee to unlock the full power of customers’ electric cars.
The German automotive giant has added a monthly subscription to release the full performance from some of its Volkswagen ID.3 electric hatchback variants.
Customers who order the mid-spec Pro Essential (£35,740) up to the ID.3 Pro S Match (£39,940) will get their hands on a car with 201bhp.
But there is more potency locked away within the powertrain that’s been electronically restricted by VW.
Owners are only able to access this by paying a monthly subscription fee of £16.50. Doing so unleashes the full power capacity of 228bhp.
To put the subscription cost into perspective, it’s almost six times the ad-free upgrade for Amazon Prime Video and three times that to watch Netflix without adverts.
Volkswagen is calling this performance paywall an ‘optional power upgrade’. Though customers could argue that it’s an elaborate mis-selling tactic by not providing the full performance that’s already available in the car.
Power paywall: Volkswagen is now charging a monthly subscription to unlock the full performance of its ID.3 electric cars
The small print states: ‘Important information for new ID.3 orders: Engine power is 150kW as standard, 170kW if you activate the optional power upgrade for a fee.
‘Choice of one-month free trial or subscription (one month, one year or outright purchase for lifetime of car.
‘See your In-car Shop or the Volkswagen Connect Shop for up to date pricing.
‘Subscriptions auto-renew at the end of their term.
‘Paid subscription for one month term starts automatically (after the free trial) unless cancelled.’
Customers who order the mid-spec Pro Essential (£35,740) up to the ID.3 Pro S Match (£39,940) will get their hands on a car with 201bhp. But, as the small print below states, they are in fact electronically limited and a monthly subscription fee can unlock the full 228bhp
According to Auto Express, which uncovered this paywall on electric power, customers must stump-up a whopping £649 to permanently unlock the full performance Volkswagen has put under lock and key.
The restriction on power also limits the maximum torque, confining it to 265Nm when there’s 310Nm available to those who pay the extra monthly charge.
However, Volkswagen says the restricted performance does not affect the claimed range.
This is 240 to 352 miles, depending on trim level.
The Daily Mail has contacted Volkswagen UK for comment but it has yet to formalise an official statement on the subscription-based performance upgrade.
Volkswagen is calling this performance paywall an ‘optional power upgrade’. Though customers could argue that it’s an elaborate mis-selling tactic by restricting the full potential of the cars they’ve bought
Volkswagen is the first brand we’re aware of to charge extra for power that’s already available in its cars. However, other manufacturers have been paywalling features in their models for the last few years
Car makers cheekily charging extra for existing features
Volkswagen isn’t the first car firm to ask its customers to pay a monthly subscription to access features and performance also equipped in their cars.
BMW in 2022 took a lot of heat when it was revealed that it was charging owners of its motors a monthly fee of £15 to access the heated seats in their expensive motors.
It also wanted £10 a month to unlock the heated steering wheel, a tenner to activate high-beam assist, and £35 to turn on the adaptive cruise control system.
BMW sparked outrage in 2022 when it told its customers they would need to pay a monthly subscription to add features to their car, despite the vehicle already being equipped with the technology
This screengrab of BMW UK’s Connected Drive section of its website in 2022 shows the different purchase and subscription options available to have heated front seats
Want a heated steering wheel in your BMW for the winter only? The German brand was once charging £10 a month for the luxury
Porsche also had paywalls on some features in its Taycan EVs. This includes Active Lane Keeping that was available for £18-a-month in 2022. Customers could also pay extra to have a dynamic headlight feature switched on, costing £32-a-month
In the same year, we revealed that Porsche was also charging monthly subscription charges to unlock driver assistance systems in some of its high-performance models.
A year later, Audi Audi’s boss said the company would ramp up availability of ‘function on demand’ features that would need to be unlocked with a monthly payment.
Polestar owners too can pay extra for a performance pack that provides more power through software upgrades.
However, this is different to the Volkswagen subscription because it is not unlocking power that’s already there as standard.
