Why has BMW disabled features on my used car unless I pay?
I'm writing about a problem I've run into with a used car that I suspect is catching out a lot of owners without them realising, and which I think your readers would want to know about.
In September 2025 I bought a BMW 520d xDrive M Sport (2020 model) from a second-hand dealer. The car was around two years and nine months old and came with connected services through the My BMW app. They were active and working normally when I bought it. Then in January 2026, access to several features was withdrawn unless I paid an annual subscription of £120.
I complained to BMW UK. In its final response, BMW confirmed the services were only provided for a limited period and had expired, that they wouldn't be reinstated without payment, and that it considers these features "optional". It also said, in writing: "I'm sorry this wasn't shared with you at the point of sale" — which confirms the expiry and the future cost were never disclosed when I bought the car.
What bothers me is that these aren't paid-for extras being taken away – they rely on hardware already fitted to the car. For example, I could previously set it so the heated seats and heated steering wheel came on automatically in cold weather. The equipment is still installed and perfectly capable of doing it; only the software access has been switched off behind a paywall.
The part I think matters most for your readers is the second-hand angle. I had no way of knowing these services were time-limited, or that the countdown to expiry had already begun under the previous owner. If the subscription clock starts when a car is first registered rather than when each owner buys it, every later buyer inherits a car with quietly reduced functionality and no warning that the bill is coming. Most cars are bought used, so this could affect a great many people who have no idea it applies to them.
I'm not really expecting to get my features back. My reason for writing is that I think people deserve to know this can happen before they buy, so they can check the position and aren't caught out the way I was. It would be helpful if Honest John could flag it – both as a warning to used-car buyers to ask about connected-service subscriptions before purchase, and as something the motoring trade ought to be disclosing far more clearly.
I'm happy to share BMW's written responses if that's useful. For what it's worth, the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 now prohibits withholding material information from buyers at the point of purchase, and BMW's own admission seems relevant to that.
In September 2025 I bought a BMW 520d xDrive M Sport (2020 model) from a second-hand dealer. The car was around two years and nine months old and came with connected services through the My BMW app. They were active and working normally when I bought it. Then in January 2026, access to several features was withdrawn unless I paid an annual subscription of £120.
I complained to BMW UK. In its final response, BMW confirmed the services were only provided for a limited period and had expired, that they wouldn't be reinstated without payment, and that it considers these features "optional". It also said, in writing: "I'm sorry this wasn't shared with you at the point of sale" — which confirms the expiry and the future cost were never disclosed when I bought the car.
What bothers me is that these aren't paid-for extras being taken away – they rely on hardware already fitted to the car. For example, I could previously set it so the heated seats and heated steering wheel came on automatically in cold weather. The equipment is still installed and perfectly capable of doing it; only the software access has been switched off behind a paywall.
The part I think matters most for your readers is the second-hand angle. I had no way of knowing these services were time-limited, or that the countdown to expiry had already begun under the previous owner. If the subscription clock starts when a car is first registered rather than when each owner buys it, every later buyer inherits a car with quietly reduced functionality and no warning that the bill is coming. Most cars are bought used, so this could affect a great many people who have no idea it applies to them.
I'm not really expecting to get my features back. My reason for writing is that I think people deserve to know this can happen before they buy, so they can check the position and aren't caught out the way I was. It would be helpful if Honest John could flag it – both as a warning to used-car buyers to ask about connected-service subscriptions before purchase, and as something the motoring trade ought to be disclosing far more clearly.
I'm happy to share BMW's written responses if that's useful. For what it's worth, the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 now prohibits withholding material information from buyers at the point of purchase, and BMW's own admission seems relevant to that.
Asked on 25 June 2026 by Ansar Ghafoor
Answered by
David Ross
BMW is not alone in providing vehicle features that are subscription based, and this is something that BMW itself has been doing for a number of years with its Connected Services packages. However the difference now is that rather than for infotainment features this is also includes more physical attributes such as heated seats, and as you state the hardware is already in place but the owner has to pay to unlock them.
The motor trade has a responsibility to be transparent with the provision of features that are subscription-based, just as it is obligated to be transparent about a vehicle's history and condition, but there is inevitably a degree of lag at play, although this is no excuse, and the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act may provide a degree of protection. As for buyers of used cars, as has always been the case it is wise not to assume that the dealer will know or share every aspect of a vehicle's specification and that potential buyers should conduct their own checks and research in this respect, and that the features and subscriptions offered on new cars today will apply to the used cars of tomorrow. We will continue to offer vehicle reviews that offer as much detail as possible, and where applicable highlight features that are subscription-based so that potential buyers are aware.
The motor trade has a responsibility to be transparent with the provision of features that are subscription-based, just as it is obligated to be transparent about a vehicle's history and condition, but there is inevitably a degree of lag at play, although this is no excuse, and the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act may provide a degree of protection. As for buyers of used cars, as has always been the case it is wise not to assume that the dealer will know or share every aspect of a vehicle's specification and that potential buyers should conduct their own checks and research in this respect, and that the features and subscriptions offered on new cars today will apply to the used cars of tomorrow. We will continue to offer vehicle reviews that offer as much detail as possible, and where applicable highlight features that are subscription-based so that potential buyers are aware.
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