A New England woman who says she paid off her Volkswagen early is now speaking out after she says the automaker asked her to pay a subscription fee to keep using the remote start feature on her own car. The woman, who posts under the username @ellenonthewater and goes by Ellen, shared her reaction in a TikTok video that has been viewed nearly 50,000 times.
In the video, Ellen said she bought the car five years ago and paid it off ahead of schedule. She said she was surprised to later receive emails saying her access to remote start was about to expire unless she subscribed.
In the caption she wrote, “I will be doing my best to make sure that my senators know that it should be illegal. Not a good look @Volkswagen especially after the crazy fraud trial you LOST because of the diesel engines. Oh yes, I was a victim of that too. Maybe it’s time to say goodbye to Volkswagen forever.”
She says she plans to contact lawmakers over the subscription request
Ellen said in her TikTok video that she felt “speechless” after receiving the emails. A text overlay on the video reads, “I will not be subscribing to my own car but thanks for playing Volkswagen.” She described the situation as part of what she called a “late-stage capitalist nightmare.” She said she believes this kind of practice is something “some people could see coming.”
To make her point, Ellen gave a few sarcastic examples in the video. She joked that a stove company might one day ask customers to pay a subscription to use temperatures above 250 degrees, or that a furniture company might design chairs to break down after the maker decides the customer has owned it long enough.
Ellen said in the video that while she believes there are already a lot of rules and regulations that slow down innovation, she thinks this specific issue is different. She said this practice “should be illegal” and added, “there needs to be laws against this,” saying she plans to write to her senators about it.
It is not clear from the video which specific Volkswagen model Ellen owns or the exact subscription price she was quoted for continued remote start access. Volkswagen has not publicly responded to Ellen’s video, based on available information. This is neither the first issue not the last problem that has crop top for Volkswagen owners, such as when a Volkswagen Tiguan started making an ominous sound shortly after purchase.
Subscription-based features in vehicles are not unique to Volkswagen. Several automakers have introduced similar paid add-ons in recent years for features like heated seats, remote start, and advanced driver-assist systems. But these “innovations” haven’t guaranteed customer satisfaction as frustrations have been reported by other customers, like a Canadian woman still waiting months after paying for a used Tiguan.
According to Volkswagen’s own marketing materials, remote start falls under a broader set of connected-car tools the automaker calls “Enhanced vehicle control and convenience.” The company states that drivers can remotely start their engine (on vehicles equipped with remote start), lock or unlock doors, and honk or flash their lights, features Volkswagen says give owners “greater control and convenience” over their vehicle’s functions.
That functionality is bundled into what Volkswagen calls its “Remote Access” plan, part of a larger set of offerings the automaker brands as “myVW+ packages.” Volkswagen’s site says the Remote Access plan is included for most 2020 and newer connected vehicles, though availability can vary by model and model year, and owners can check remaining time on their plan through the shop tab in the myVW mobile app.
The duration of that included access depends on when the car was made:
- Gas-powered VW models: Remote Access is included for 4 years on most model years 2022–2025, and 3 years on model year 2026 or newer.
- Electric VW models: Remote Access is included for 4 years on model years 2021–2025, and 3 years on model year 2026 or newer.
Once that included period lapses, Volkswagen’s pricing for continuing the Remote Access subscription is listed at $9.99 per month or $99 per year.
The video drew a large number of comments, with many users expressing frustration over subscription models applied to products they already own. One commenter wrote, “It would be nice if had a government that protected us from corporate greed,” echoing Ellen’s call for lawmakers to step in.
Other users said the practice extends beyond cars. One commenter wrote, “Farmers have experienced this for years from John Deere and other machinery companies,” pointing to a separate industry where similar complaints have been raised. Another commenter brought up household appliances, writing, “You know those refrigerators that have like the computer screen on them they have commercials on them now too.”
Some reactions were shorter and more direct. One commenter wrote simply, “Capitalism sucks.” Another shared a personal experience with a different product, writing, “My printer stopped working because I hit my limit. What?!”
A few commenters speculated about what might happen next. One wrote, “Class action lawsuit incoming.” Another offered a sarcastic take on the broader trend of paid subscriptions, writing, “I want to subscribe to a subscription to never having any subscriptions.”
Published: Jul 21, 2026 06:10 am