Automakers are rolling out subscription plans for features that used to be free. 😱🚗 They're coming out with new ways to take your cash faster than your favorite politician can deny being on the Epstein list! Yes, we are equal parts horrified and intrigued to hear about Stephen Hawking. 🥴
You might be asking if charging a monthly fee for things like heated seats is actually allowed. 🤔 Here, we dive into the details.
Here’s Five Fast Facts on subscription plans for car features:
- ♨️ Feel the Burn - Back in 2022, BMW started charging customers an $18 per month fee for access to heated seats and the remote-start feature. They got some pretty hefty pushback from customers, so they dropped the heated seats fee in September.
- 🔑 Start Me Up - In some Toyotas, you'll now pay $8 a month to use the remote-start feature after a free trial period. Audi, Cadillac, Porsche, Tesla, and Volvo are starting up a subscription model for formerly-free options like active driving assistance and voice recognition. Customers would pay a monthly or annual fee to use them.
- 🙅🏻♂️ Not Kosher - It seems pretty shady (or illegal) for a car manufacturer to charge a subscription to use something already built into a car. If someone buys a car with cash, they technically own the features. Many wonder what rights auto companies have to turn things on and off in a car that's already bought and paid for.
- 🚙 You Don't Need It - To get around the issue, automakers will likely make it seem like the features they charge for are adding value, not a necessity. For example, you can still operate a vehicle without the navigation system turned on. If something's positioned as an "extra", it's easier to justify the subscription fee.
- ⚖️ Now Wait Just a Minute - Lawmakers could put a stop to this trend and protect consumers with new legislation. In New Jersey there's a pending bill that "prohibits a motor vehicle manufacturer or dealer from requiring subscriptions for certain motor vehicle features and from charging certain fees." However, it wouldn't apply to third-party services, like satellite radio or in-vehicle Wi-Fi.
🔥Bottom line: These new subscription plans are just another little notch in greed-flation's belt. We're not huge fans of the big guys at the top kicking us while we're down. All we want is to warm our butts in free heated seats on our way to spend our whole paycheck at the grocery store. Have you heard about the rise of the forever renter? Check it out here.
Would you be OK paying extra for your car's features?
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