Connected car tech: Owners reveal subscription costs & experience

My Safari completed one year recently and I realized the iRA subscription has expired. The renewal costs about 3.6K a year.

BHPian Roadie09 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

In the era of digital world, where apps and data have become an integral part of our lives in every aspect, our cars of course cannot stay behind. Today, most new cars offer the connected car experience to their owners via an app and an e-sim and it does provide a lot of interesting features and insights into data related to our cars. However, like most things in this world, this come at a cost.

My Safari completed one year recently and I realized the iRA subscription has expired. The renewal costs about 3.6 K a year. Honestly, I have not used this app a lot in last one year but it does offer some value. I am wondering if the renewal makes sense or is it really something I can live without. I learnt that some manufacturers offer a lifetime free subscription, some perhaps 2-3 years and some are charging for every year. I looked for the info on forum but seems it is scattered all over the place. So, I have created this thread to gather information across car brands and models at one place. This may be useful to future buyers as part of their buying decision while comparing options.

Owners can post their info in below format that I am sharing my info in.

• Make: Tata Safari
• Year 2023
• Connected Car App - iRA
• Free Subscription Duration - 1 Year

Renewal Cost:

• Gold Pack - 6GB/Day/365 Days - Rs. 3528/-
• Platinum Pack - 12 GB/Day/730 Days - Rs. 6549/-

Here's what BHPian NPV had to say on the matter:

I have a Harrier XZA+ 2023 June model (Pre facelift) which came with first year free connected car subscription and I recently renewed it. I went with the Gold Package (6 GB) and it cost Rs.3528.

I was wondering if the subscription could be renewed a month in advance (lest I forget) and tried through my dealer, then via email and even tried the toll free number. All these routes failed, the phone and email support were clueless about what I was asking for! What finally worked was on the day of expiry, the iRA app showed up with the option for renewal (it does not show prior to expiry date!).
Long way before Tata Motors ties up all ends on the service/support side.

I haven’t used the iRA app extensively during the past year, but I like the “Run Diagnosis” feature that it provides. It may not be too accurate or foolproof but the fact that it can at least indicate some errors/fault codes helps (in my opinion). I also like the fact that it provides features like location tracking for the vehicle, fuel range, trip history, setting up emergency contacts, monthly health report.

In my Tata Harrier owners group, many haven’t renewed beyond the first year. I think it’s a small price to pay for peace of mind, even if it’s just notional

• Make: Tata Harrier
• Year 2023 (Pre facelift)
• Connected Car App - iRA
• Free Subscription Duration - 1 Year

Renewal Cost:

• Gold Pack - 6GB/Day/365 Days - Rs. 3528/- (This is what I went with for second year)
• Platinum Pack - 12 GB/Day/730 Days - Rs. 6549/-

Here's what BHPian satuamkohle had to say on the matter:

I have 1 year iRA subscription for my Safari Accomplished Plus and I think I will renew it.

It gives a good piece of mind and as long as the network is there, it has worked 90% of the times for me. I am a numbers geek and I like the stats it provides about the driving behaviour or the trips, even though they are not extensive.

Also whenever I am late in the night, I don't get calls from home asking where I am and how long it will take to come back since I have installed the app in my wife's as well as my Dad's phones.

And recently there was a marriage in the family and the car was used by a lot of people (even though I hated giving it to others), it helped keeping an eye on the movements of the car.

Here's what BHPian Divyanshudiv had to say on the matter:

I am happily using the complimentary 3 years Kia Connect subscription which is bound to get renewed mid next year. Every feature of this app is useful and gives me a peace of mind, and importantly it works 9 out of 10 times.

Read BHPian comments for more insights and information.