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The headlines (and Tweets, and Facebook posts) are popping up about BMW’s subscription services for some features, like extra BMW subscripon heated seats. In the U.K., for example, heated seats are an $18-per-month option in some cases. Similar features like high-beam assist, speed/safety camera detections, and others are also pay-to-use features. But after some fierce backlash, BMW wants to clarify how the ConnectedDrive Upgrades will work, especially in the U.S.

Your heated seats will always work in the U.S.

2023 BMW X6 Hybrid interior with heated seats.
BMW X6 Hybrid Interior | BMW

BMW is now making it clear: “Heated seats are ordered on over 90% of the BMWs sold in the USA. If a vehicle is initially ordered with heated seats, that option will remain fully operational for the life of the vehicle,” BMW said in a statement. So, no BMW subscription seats in the U.S. BMW did add, however, that its ConnectedDrive Upgrades are designed to offer premium features through a software upload that uses the vehicles already built-in sensors in different ways. So, in effect, BMW looks at it like a mobile download for the vehicle that adds functionality. So, crank up the three-level heat in your 3-Series.

News organizations like CNN, too, have been reporting on the service and the backlash. But BMW isn’t the only company charging extra. Toyota locked remote start behind a paywall on its app. Rivian, too, has subscription plans.

In this case, the BMW subscription seats backlash has been quick and fierce

It looks like BMW is seeing the Tweets, too. What the company also wants to make sure people know: you can buy the new software that uses the sensors differently on a short-term basis and then buy it outright. ConnectedDrive, the company said, is a “digital aftersales solution,” like a new app for your phone that costs extra. The company said it is introducing the service in many markets around the world, and on a small-scale basis in the U.S. You can check the BMW ConnectedDrive store to see what’s available for your car.  

Audi and BMW offered monthly “subscription” services, too, for entire vehicles as an alternative to a longer-term lease. Those services died in January.

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BMW Heated Seats Get a Monthly Fee; it’s Not as Bad as It Sounds

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Writer - Sedans & Coupes

Dan Mayfield

Dan joined MotorBiscuit in 2022 with over 20 years of experience in journalism and a lifelong passion for anything related to the automotive industry. He grew up wrenching a 1949 Ford pickup truck and an MGB with his dad, learning how not to wire a fuel pump (he inadvertently set the MGB on fire).

After earning a bachelor’s degree in photojournalism from the University of New Mexico, Dan has contributed his expertise to a range of local outlets, including the City of Albuquerque, US Eagle, and the Alliance for Local Economic Prosperity.

On weekends, Dan spends Saturdays enjoying “cars and coffee” chats and, on Sundays, he’s watching the Route 66 Cruise roll through town. He also races motorcycles, and it’s not unusual to find him elbows-deep in his latest cafe racer build.

Taking advantage of the local desert terrain, Dan also enjoys exploring and driving off-road in his trusty Ram Rebel pickup truck, which provides personal insights into his contributions to our Trucks, SUVs, & Crossovers coverage. Dan strives to give our readers unique information about the dynamic automotive market, reading anything that has to do with cars, trucks, bikes, 4X4s, and, in his words, “everything with a motor.”

Dan has earned a number of accolades from the Public Relations Society of America, and is a University of Southern California, Annenberg School of Communication and Journalism Fellow.