Car theft! Toyota is CHARGING drivers $8-a-month to use its key fobs to start their vehicles

Car theft! Toyota is CHARGING drivers $8-a-month to use its key fobs to start their vehicles

  • The subscription is for Toyota vehicles made in 2018 or newer
  • Drivers can  pay $8 a month for the subscription or $80 year the entire year 
  • Toyota does offer a free trial period that can be either three or 10 years long 


Drivers who own a Toyota that was made in 2018 or newer will have to pay a fee to use the key fob to remotely start their vehicles, according to The Drive.

The Japanese carmaker is offering the convivence in a subscription service, called Remote Connect, that costs $8 a month or $80 for the year.

The fee will be charged to all vehicles built after November 12, 2018 and owners must be enrolled in a subscription to use the key fob.

Toyota does offer a trial period, which is free, but the monthly fee kicks in shortly after.

 

Drivers who own a Toyota that was made in 2018 or newer will have to pay a fee to use the key fob to remotely start their vehicles

DailyMail.com has reached out to Toyota for comment and has yet to receive a response.

The key fob allows drivers to start their vehicle just by pressing a button and although it is an option for nearly all new vehicles Toyota is looking to turn a profit on it.

Toyota now offers its Connected Services, which includes different bundles of features for a monthly price.

The bundles include Safety Connect, Service Connect Wifi-Connect, Destination assistance and Remote Connect. 

The Japanese carmaker is offering the convivence in a subscription service, called Remote Connect, that costs $8 a month or $80 for the year. The fee will be charged to all vehicles built before November 12, 2018 and owners must be enrolled in a subscription to use the key fob

The Japanese carmaker is offering the convivence in a subscription service, called Remote Connect, that costs $8 a month or $80 for the year. The fee will be charged to all vehicles built before November 12, 2018 and owners must be enrolled in a subscription to use the key fob

Remote Connect also lets you start the engine from your phone, as well as lock or unlock the doors, find your vehicle in a parking lot, or get notifications if you’ve lent the vehicle to someone and they’re speeding in it.

The trial period for the remote start can be three or 10 years, depending on what other features drivers include in their bundle. 

Toyota has not made it clear what happens when a driver trades or sells their vehicle and purchases a new one before the trial is over. 

For example, a car with Audio Plus gives drivers the luxury of free remote start using a key fob for three years, while a car purchased with Premium Audio offers free remote start for 10 years.

The Drive notes that thee subscription service seems ‘egregious,’ as the key fob communicates directly with the vehicle and does not need Toyota to set in to complete the process.

Such subscriptions are typically required by luxury brands, so Toyota’s move is first among its kind in the industry.

BMW rolled out a subscription service in 2018 for drivers who wanted to use Apple Car Play, which charged $300 for the year.

And Cadillac charges users $25 a month for its hands-free driving mode, Super Cruise.

Tesla also requires users to $10,000 for its Full Self-Driving software, which unleashes a range of features like Navigate on Autopilot, Smart Summon, Auto Lane Change and Autopark.

The Elon-Musk-led firm, however, has been said to be testing a monthly subscription for the software.

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk