Volkswagen has unveiled a new feature for its Car-Net connected vehicle service that lets you get 4G data from two major US telecoms. Called “Carrier of Choice,” it offers the option of Verizon or T-Mobile, making it relatively easy to add your vehicle to an existing mobile plan.
Starting in September, VW owners in the US will be able to access the subscription plan options on VW’s dedicated website or via its mobile app. From there, you can add an account to your existing mobile wireless provider (assuming it’s Verizon or T-Mobile) and pair it with your existing Volkswagen Car-Net subscription. It will then appear as a new line-item on your existing bill. If you’re not already with those carriers, you can get unlimited 4G data for $20 per month.
Car-Net offers connected car features like remote start, locking and unlocking the vehicle, maintenance, status, teen driver alerts (curfew, boundary, speed) and more. Those features can be accessed remotely from both iPhone and Android smartphones using VW’s updated mobile app. It also offers a WiFi hotspot with “unlimited” 4G connectivity for up to four devices.
On top of those features, VW lets you access iHeart Radio and TIDAL media streaming apps with a paid subscription. It also offers the “Plus Nav” subscription with real-time traffice and route updates for $49 per year, a radio subscription with 30,000 global stations for $8 per year and a natural language speech option for $9 per year. Of course, VW models from 2019 and up come with CarPlay and Android Auto support, giving you many of those options for free. Car-Net comes standard on most 2020 model year and newer Volkswagen vehicles. .
All products recommended by Engadget are selected by our editorial team, independent of our parent company. Some of our stories include affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, we may earn an affiliate commission.