Volkswagen wants you to pay a monthly fee to unlock more power for electric cars

Subscribe, subscribe, and…subscribe. These days, it seems like there's no avoiding subscriptions. A recent survey found that the average EU resident has at least three subscriptions a month, ranging from streaming movies to food delivery. Now, if you buy a Volkswagen, that number could easily be four—at least if you want to get the most out of your new car.

In the UK, customers can unlock more power for the ID.3 electric car for around £16.50 a month or £165 a year , according to Volkswagen. There's also a 'lifetime' option for £649 , but this is tied to the car, not the individual. That means if you sell the car and buy another ID.3, you'll have to pay the fee again. Unlocking the power of the ID.3 Pro and Pro S versions will increase from the standard 201 horsepower to 228 horsepower , which is what the hardware is actually capable of.

Speaking to the BBC, Volkswagen defended the decision, saying that buying more power was 'nothing new'. The carmaker cited the example of this: 'In the past, many petrol and diesel cars had the same engine capacity, but customers could choose a more powerful version.' According to Volkswagen, this approach allows users to enjoy a 'sportier' driving experience at any time without having to pay more up front.

Still, the idea of paying a monthly fee just to enable a feature that's already built into the software is certainly irritating to many. Customers clearly think that since they've paid for the entire hardware, they should be able to enjoy its full capabilities. With more and more features being 'locked in software', it's not out of the question that someone will soon find a way to ' jailbreak ' their phone to unlock its capabilities without paying extra.

Meanwhile, just a few days ago, Hyundai also came under fire for asking Ioniq 5 owners in the UK to pay for a critical security patch. This patch was to fix a serious vulnerability that made the Ioniq 5, Kia EV6 and Genesis GV60 the most stolen cars in the UK.

David Pac

Update 17 August 2025