Connect Car Service: Costs, Trials and Setup by Brand

The short answer

To turn on your car's connected service, download your carmaker's app, add your car with its VIN, and accept the prompt on the car's screen if one appears. Most brands include a free trial, and many paid plans after that cost roughly $10 to $25 a month, though a few brands now give the basics away.

The service works through a phone connection built into the car at the factory. Each carmaker runs its own app and account, such as the Ford app (formerly FordPass), the Toyota app, OnStar through myChevrolet, myGMC, myBuick or myCadillac, Hyundai Bluelink, MyMazda, My BMW and myVW. Depending on the carmaker and plan, the carmaker's own app may let you lock and unlock the doors, start the engine remotely, find where the car is parked, check fuel or range, read health reports, and get help after a crash.

Ford and Hyundai have dropped the charge for the basics. Ford now includes its remote features at no cost, with the Wi-Fi hotspot as the exception. Hyundai's Bluelink+ core features are free on 2024 and newer models.

This guide focuses on costs, trials and used cars. For a fuller explanation of what these services do, see our guide What are connected car services, and for detailed setup help, see How to activate connected services. The usual steps look like this:

• 1. Get the app. Download your carmaker's app from the App Store or Google Play.
• 2. Create an account. Sign up with your email and confirm it.
• 3. Add the car. Enter the VIN. You can find it on your registration, your insurance card, a sticker inside the driver's door frame, or the driver's side of the dashboard where it meets the windshield.
• 4. Activate the modem. Follow the prompts. Some brands ask you to confirm on the car's screen or press a button inside the car, so do this while you are sitting in the car.
• 5. Pick a plan. Choose a plan or start the included trial, then confirm by email or in the app. Write down the date the trial ends.

Does your car have it?

The service only works if the car has a built-in cellular modem. Some older cars used the 3G cell network for their connected features. AT&T shut down its 3G network on February 22, 2022, and that turned off features like remote lock, navigation and automatic crash notification on many older cars. Some carmakers fixed this with a software update or a hardware swap. Others did not, and those cars lost their connected services.

To check whether your car has a working modem, try any of these:

• SOS button: look for an SOS or OnStar button on the overhead console or near the rearview mirror. If you have one, your car has a built-in connection.
• Owner's manual: look for a section on connected services, remote features or the telematics modem.
• Carmaker's website: most brands list which models and years support their app.
• The brand's app: download it and enter your VIN. If the car is not supported, the app will usually tell you.

Example: turning it on in a Ford

Here is how it works on a Ford. Before you start, make sure the car is already added to the Ford app, your phone has a strong cell signal, the car is parked in an open area, and Customer Connectivity Settings are turned on in the car. That setting is on the car's screen. If you cannot find it, check your owner's manual or ask your Ford dealer.

Once the modem is on, Ford's own app offers remote start and stop (automatic transmission required), cabin climate presets, health and maintenance reminders, and access to 24/7 Roadside Assistance. It also turns on a Wi-Fi hotspot for up to 10 devices, with a trial that ends after 3 months or 3GB, whichever comes first.

• 1. Start the car while it is parked in an open, ventilated area.
• 2. In the Ford app, tap Connect to Vehicle, then tap I've Started my Vehicle.
• 3. Accept the prompt that appears on the car's screen.
• 4. Tap Check Connection Status. This can take up to two minutes.
• If Connect to Vehicle never shows up: Ford says to contact Ford app support through Account › Help in the Ford app.

What connected car service costs by brand

Toyota splits its service into pieces with different trial lengths. On many recent Toyotas (for example the 2024 RAV4 that SlashGear tested in April 2025), Remote Connect comes with a 1-year trial. It covers vehicle status, remote start, remote lock, horn, last parked location, tire pressure and fuel level. On that car, Safety Connect (SOS button, stolen vehicle locator, automatic collision notification and roadside assistance) and Service Connect (monthly health reports and maintenance alerts) each came with a 10-year trial. Trial lengths vary by model and year, so check the Toyota app for yours.

After the trial, Remote Connect cannot be bought by itself. SlashGear reported in April 2025 that it comes with every paid Toyota plan: Music Lover at $15 a month, Go Anywhere at $15 a month, or Premium at $25 a month.

Prices for other brands below are as of January 2026, as reported by Cars.com, unless noted. Check your brand's app for current rates. If your brand is not listed, such as Kia, BMW, VW, Mercedes or Lexus, its app or website shows the current plans.

• Ford: remote features included at no cost. The Wi-Fi hotspot trial ends after 3 months or 3GB.
• Hyundai: Bluelink+ core safety, remote and maintenance features are free on 2024 and newer models (and the 2023 IONIQ 6). On older models, each Blue Link package costs $9.90 a month or $99 a year after a 3-year trial.
• Genesis: free for 3 years on 2023 and newer models, then $9.99 a month or $99 a year.
• Mazda: $10 a month, with a 1-year trial on 2025 and newer models.
• Nissan Premium: $16.99 a month after a 3-year trial.
• Subaru: $199 a year after the trial.
• Stellantis Uconnect (Jeep, Ram, Dodge, Chrysler, Fiat): free for 10 years, then $119 a year.
• Tesla: Standard Connectivity free for 8 years from first delivery as new (used cars may have less time left). Premium Connectivity is $9.99 a month or $99 a year.
• GM OnStar (May 2025 US pricing, per GM Authority): Connect $9.99, Connect Plus $19.99, Safety & Security $22.99, and OnStar One $34.99 a month. Plans with Super Cruise cost more.
• Honda and Acura: paid tiers from $10 a month or $110 a year.

What to do before the trial ends

When a trial runs out, the features in that plan stop working unless you pay for them. A few weeks before the end date, look at which features you actually use and decide what to keep.

• Check how it renews: look in the subscription settings of your carmaker's app to see whether the plan will start charging a saved card on its own.
• Know where to cancel: use the subscription settings in the carmaker's app, or call the carmaker's support line to cancel or change a plan.
• Compare monthly and yearly prices: where a brand lists both, the yearly price comes in below twelve monthly payments. Genesis and Tesla Premium Connectivity, for example, are $9.99 a month or $99 a year.
• Keep only what you need: some brands sell safety coverage separately. GM has a Safety & Security plan at $22.99 a month, and Toyota's Safety Connect had a longer trial than Remote Connect on the RAV4 SlashGear tested, so safety help may keep working after remote features stop.
• Know what you lose: if you do not pay, the remote features in that plan stop in the carmaker's app. Apps that link to your carmaker account through Smartcar also need it to stay active.

Buying a used car still linked to someone else

A used car's connected service is often still tied to the previous owner's account. Until it is unlinked, you usually cannot add the car to your own account.

Wiping the previous owner's profile from the car's screen may not be enough, because deleting a profile from the screen does not always unlink the car from the old account. The previous owner may have to remove the car through the carmaker's app or customer website.

The easiest fix is to ask the seller to remove the car from their app before or right after the sale. If you cannot reach them, contact the carmaker's support line or a dealer and bring proof of ownership, such as your title or registration, along with the VIN. Once the service is set up, confirm the account is active and in your name before relying on it.

Using CarConnect with your carmaker account

Some apps connect to your car through a service called Smartcar, which links to your carmaker's connected-services account. CarConnect is one of these apps. It is an independent app from Loop Mobile FZCO, not affiliated with any carmaker, and it works with dozens of car brands.

Every feature depends on your car's make, model and year and on an active connected-services account with your carmaker, which CarConnect links to and does not replace. Once that account is active, CarConnect shows lock and unlock, live location, and fuel or charge status on your phone, with no dongle or extra hardware.

You sign in through Smartcar's secure login, which for some brands is the carmaker's own page. Your carmaker's account and its official app keep working as before. For an everyday example, see our guide on checking whether you locked your car.

The free in-app compatibility check, run with your make, model and year, tells you what your car supports before you pay. It needs no account and no card.

Common questions

Is a connected car service free? Often only for a while. Many brands give a free trial and then charge, though Ford and Hyundai (on 2024 and newer models) include their basic features at no cost, and Tesla includes Standard Connectivity for 8 years from first delivery as new.

Is this the same as Apple CarPlay, Android Auto or Bluetooth? No. Those connect your phone to the car's screen while you sit in the car. A connected car service uses a cell connection built into the car, so it works when you are away from the car.

My car is from around 2012. Will my carmaker's connected service still work? It might not. Some cars from that era used 3G, which AT&T shut down in February 2022. Some carmakers updated those cars and some did not, so check your brand's app or ask a dealer.

What if activation gets stuck? Park in an open area with good cell signal and make sure the car's connectivity settings are turned on. If it still fails, the selling dealer or the carmaker's support line can usually help.