The German carmaker is offering a subscription to heat your BMW’s front seats for $18 a month. So if you sign up for 12 months, it’s only $180. But if you’re willing to go all in and pay for “unlimited” access, you’ll have to shell out $415.
According to BMW, the subscription offers “unlimited access.” It allows drivers to turn on their heated seats from their smartphone, tablet, or computer. The company has slowly been putting features behind subscriptions since 2020. Heated seat subscriptions are now available in BMW’s digital stores in countries including the UK, Germany, New Zealand, and South Africa — but not yet in the US.
BMW is just one of many car brands moving toward a subscription model. For example, Mercedes-Benz launched its subscription service late last year, offering drivers access to over 30 features — including heated seats and WiFi — for $2,000 per month. The subscription also comes with unlimited mileage. However, if you want to go over 9,999 miles in a month, it’s an additional $10 per 1,000 miles traveled.
Volvo, meanwhile, launched its subscription service in June. The Swedish brand offered customers the chance to pay $1,600 per month for unlimited mileage and access to features including a heated steering wheel and WiFi hotspot.
Lexus also has its own subscription service, which costs $1,100 per month for access to a dozen features, including WiFi and heated seats. In addition, Ford recently announced that it would launch its subscription service in 2020 with plans to offer customers access to some of the company’s most popular vehicles — like the Mustang and F-150 truck — as part of their monthly payments.