Technology reporter
Getty ImagesGerman car making giant Volkswagen (VW) has introduced a subscription for UK customers wanting to increase the power of some of its electric cars.
Those who buy an eligible car in its ID.3 range can choose to pay extra if they want to unlock the full power of the engine inside the vehicle.
VW says the “optional power upgrade” will cost £16.50 per month or £165 annually – or people can choose to pay £649 for a lifetime subscription.
The firm said it was “offering customers choice” with the feature.
Auto Express, who first reported the story, said a lifetime subscription would be for the car rather than the individual – meaning the upgrade would remain on the car if it was sold on.
A VW spokesperson told the BBC they believed giving people the option to purchase more power for their car is “nothing new”.
“Historically many petrol and diesel vehicles have been offered with engines of the same size, but with the possibility of choosing one with more potency,” they said.
They added that the power upgrades would allow customers to opt for a “sportier” driving experience at any time, “rather than committing from the outset with a higher initial purchase price”.
Such offers have proved controversial for some customers in the past, who are displeased they may have to pay to access features which – in some cases – are already present inside the car they own.
‘Nothing new’
Other vehicle manufacturers such as BMW have introduced similar subscription-based add-ons in the past, such as for heated seats and steering wheels.
And Mercedes introduced an online subscription service in the US in 2022 which allowed customers to pay to make its electric cars speed up quicker.
According to a survey from S&P Global, some customers may be put off by the cost of in-car subscriptions for features such as connectivity, or by basic functions being split into paid tiers.
It said the number of respondents who said they would pay for connected services had fallen from 86% in 2024 to 68% in 2025.
This is despite a wider embrace of subscriptions in general, with market research firm Juniper Research estimating in 2024 the global subscription economy would reach nearly $1tn (£740bn) in value by 2028.
