Volkswagen is testing the limits of customer ownership in the UK by placing the full performance of its ID.3 electric vehicle behind a monthly paywall. The move has drawn immediate comparisons to BMW’s failed attempt to monetize existing hardware through subscriptions.
New orders for the Volkswagen ID.3 Pro and Pro S models in the UK are now being listed with a reduced standard power output. The vehicles will come with 201 horsepower as the default. To access the car’s full, intended capability of 228 horsepower, owners must pay an additional fee.
Volkswagen is offering three payment options for the performance unlock. Customers can subscribe for approximately $22 per month, pay for a full year upfront, or opt for a one-time lifetime fee of around $880. According to the company’s wording, this one-time payment is tied to the vehicle’s lifetime, not the owner’s, meaning the upgrade would transfer to any subsequent owner if the car is sold.
The automaker is providing a one-month free trial of the full power, allowing new owners to experience the difference before deciding to pay.
This strategy echoes a controversial move by BMW in 2022. The German automaker had attempted to sell subscriptions for features like heated seats and automatic high beams, despite the necessary hardware already being installed in the vehicles. The backlash from customers was swift and severe. The negative reception led BMW to completely scrap its hardware subscription plans a year later, conceding that customers would not be charged extra for functions their car was already physically equipped to perform.
Volkswagen’s decision to lock horsepower, a core performance metric, behind a recurring payment is seen as an even more aggressive step into this contentious business model. It fundamentally challenges the traditional concept of vehicle ownership, where purchasing a car grants access to its complete engineered potential. The move has sparked a fresh debate about how automakers, particularly those in the electric vehicle sector, may seek to generate continuous revenue streams long after the initial sale is complete.
The critical question remains whether consumers will accept this new reality or, as with BMW’s heated seats, reject it outright. The success or failure of Volkswagen’s experiment in the UK market will likely determine if other manufacturers follow suit or abandon the idea of paywalling a vehicle’s inherent capabilities.