It is not the first time that a manufacturer has caused a stir with bookable subscription options. Now there is a new monthly offer for the VW ID.3
More options to order and via software update is still a relatively new concept in the automotive industry and is often viewed critically by many buyers. Volkswagen now offers even more mileage behind a monthly payment (or a one-off payment), thus expanding the scope of previous options for subscriptions, which were limited to heated seats, adaptive cruise control, voice assistants or other comfort functions, for example.
27 hp more for €18.90 per month
The new option is an activation for the 2025 model year of the VW ID.3 Pro. This is delivered with 204 hp and a 59 kWh battery as standard. If you want more power, you previously had to go for the VW ID.3 Pro S variant with 231 hp of power, but also a larger 79 kWh battery. The price jump of more than €8,000 between the VW ID.3 Pro and Pro S was correspondingly large. For owners of the Pro version, there is now the option of getting the "full" 231 hp of power from their car. For a monthly payment of €18.90 or a one-time payment of €629, you can also enjoy 27 more hp as a VW ID.3 Pro driver. The torque also increases to 310 Nm instead of 265 Nm without an update.
Although add-on paid offers are not particularly popular in Germany, the new option makes perfect sense if you want the additional power without the larger battery. This offers more options for buyers, while manufacturer Volkswagen benefits from the reduced production complexity.
The performance update requires a VW user account with an active VW Connect contract, which is connected to the vehicle. Software version 3.2.1 is also necessary (standard equipment since 2025 and available as a free update for earlier versions), as the additional power cannot be selected in the configurator, instead the infotainment or the VW website must be used.