The long-running saga of the BMW Heated Seat Subscription has finally come to an end — at least for now. In a recent interview with Autocar, BMW’s board member for sales and marketing, Pieter Nota, confirmed that the automaker will no longer charge customers a monthly fee to use their car’s heated seats.
“What we won’t do anymore … is offer seat heating by this way [a monthly subscription],” Nota said.
Why BMW Canceled the Heated Seat Subscription
According to Nota, the decision came directly from customer feedback. Many BMW owners voiced frustration over having to pay a recurring fee for features that were physically built into the vehicle. Nota admitted that the subscription model didn’t sit well with buyers who felt they were being asked to “pay twice” for the same feature.
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The heated seat subscription was reportedly priced at $18 per month, allowing users to activate the function after purchasing the car. While BMW initially viewed this as an optional service for added flexibility, the public saw it differently.
“We thought we would provide an extra service to the customer by offering the chance to activate that [heated seats] later,” Nota explained. “But if customers feel slighted, perception is reality.”
What BMW Plans to Do Instead
While BMW is discontinuing the heated seat subscription, the brand isn’t giving up on its broader subscription-based features. Instead, it’s shifting focus toward software-driven upgrades and digital services.
“We are now focusing on ‘functions on demand’ related to software and services, like driving assistance and parking assistance,” Nota said. “These can be added later after purchasing the car or for certain functions that require data transmission.”
These software-based features—such as advanced driver assistance or parking assist—have reportedly received a much warmer reception from customers. Nota compared these add-ons to downloading extra features in a mobile app or streaming platform.
The Future of BMW’s Subscription Strategy
BMW’s move away from physical feature subscriptions marks a major shift in its digital strategy. The company appears to have learned from the backlash over the BMW Heated Seat Subscription, choosing instead to emphasize convenience, flexibility, and customer satisfaction.
As the automotive industry continues its digital transformation, BMW’s refined approach could set the tone for how future “features on demand” are introduced—focusing on value-added software upgrades rather than basic comfort functions.
