Early VW ID.4, ID.5 and Skoda Enyaq EVs are finally getting manual battery preconditioning in a free over-the-air update for about 200,000 Enyaqs alone. Which cars qualify, how to use it, US availability and the ID.4 80% recall.
Photo: Volkswagen
For years, owners of early Volkswagen ID.4, ID.5 and Skoda Enyaq electric SUVs have had a winter problem. Pull into a fast charger on a cold day and the car charges far slower than advertised, because the battery is too cold. Rivals have let drivers warm the battery first for years. These cars couldn't.
That is finally changing. Skoda and Volkswagen are rolling out free software updates that add manual battery preconditioning: a button that heats the high-voltage battery before you reach a DC fast charger. Here's which cars get it, how it works, how much it can help and how to get the update.
The update targets the first wave of cars on Volkswagen Group's MEB electric platform, the ones built before the automakers added preconditioning at the factory.
| Detail | Skoda Enyaq | VW ID.4 / ID.5 |
|---|---|---|
| Cars covered | Built from launch to about the end of 2023 | Early cars on first-generation hardware (reported as 2020 to 2024 builds) |
| New software | Version 3.9 | Version 3.9.1 |
| Starting point | Version 3.8 (older 3.x cars update to 3.8 first) | Version 3.7 or later, according to German site mobiFlip |
| Delivery | Over the air; 2.x cars need a service center | Over the air, in waves |
| Rollout timing | Calendar weeks 47 and 49 (late November to early December) | Waves starting this winter; no exact dates published |
Newer cars, roughly those built from the turn of 2023 into 2024 and running software version 4 or later, already have preconditioning. They warm the battery automatically when you set a fast charger as your navigation destination. Note that the manual update does not add that automatic, navigation-based feature to older cars. Drivers have to press the button themselves.
Reports so far name the ID.4 and ID.5. German outlets say "older ID. models" are covered but not every model qualifies, and Volkswagen hasn't published a full model list. Cars with technical modifications, such as a retrofitted rear camera, can't take the update over the air and must go to a VW service partner.
So far, this is a European rollout. Every announcement we found, from Skoda, from VW owner channels and from German media, describes European cars. The ID.5 and the Enyaq aren't sold in the United States at all.
Volkswagen of America has not announced manual preconditioning for older US ID.4s. US cars have historically received major software updates differently from European ones. The big 2022 update for 2021 and 2022 ID.4s, for example, required a dealer visit rather than an over-the-air download. If you own a 2021 to 2023 ID.4 in the US, ask your dealer or watch the myVW app, but don't expect this exact update yet. We'll update this story if VW announces US plans.
Skoda has detailed how it works on the Enyaq, and VW's version is described as working the same way.
Lithium-ion batteries accept high charging power only within a certain temperature window. When the pack is cold, the car limits power to protect the cells. That's why a cold EV can sit at a 150 kW charger and pull a fraction of that.
Independent testing shows how big the gap can be on these cars. In a December 2020 winter test by German EV consultancy nextmove, two VW ID.3s, built on the same MEB platform, arrived at a fast charger with the battery at 13°C after a long, steady drive. They charged at just 55 to 65 kW. After a faster drive that warmed the battery to 28°C, the same cars charged at about 101 to 104 kW. The cars of that era had no way to heat the battery on purpose, so drivers depended on driving style and luck.
Skoda says the ideal battery temperature is about 25°C and admits that it is hard to reach through normal driving in cold weather. That's the gap the new button fills. Charging faster at the start of a session can mean a much shorter stop on a winter road trip.
"This places enormous demands on implementation and on comprehensive testing to ensure the update functions correctly."
Jiří Vlček, Skoda project manager for online updates, as quoted by InsideEVsVlček explained why it took so long: the feature required changes to three key control units, the vehicle, battery and infotainment systems, all working together.
To check your current version on an Enyaq, open the MyŠkoda app and go to Inspect, then Car details. On a VW, go to Setup, then System information, in the infotainment menu. If you don't see the update yet, Skoda says to wait for your wave.
US ID.4 owners have a bigger issue to watch this winter. In October, Volkswagen recalled 22,524 ID.4s from the 2023 to 2026 model years (NHTSA campaign 26V630) over a high-voltage battery that could overheat and, in rare cases, catch fire. VW filings tied the risk to certain charging profiles combined with a state of charge above 80%. Until a fix exists, owners are told to charge no higher than 80%, and some cars are capped automatically.
The preconditioning update and the recall are separate issues. Preconditioning changes how fast the battery charges, not how full you can fill it. For full details on the related Audi action, see our Audi Q4 e-tron recall coverage.
The bottom line: If you drive a pre-2024 Skoda Enyaq or VW ID.4 or ID.5 in Europe, a free over-the-air update will soon let you heat the battery before a fast-charging stop. Start it about 45 minutes ahead and winter charging stops should be noticeably shorter. US ID.4 owners haven't been promised the same feature yet, and for now the 80% charging limit from the battery recall is the more pressing issue.
Related: Audi Q4 e-tron battery recall: charge only to 80% · EV range in winter: how much you lose and how to fix it
A San Diego court has deemed Tesla liable for fraud in a Solar Roof lawsuit over a $110,000 roof that never powered the home. Here's what happened, what Tesla says, and what Solar Roof owners should know.
The 2027 Chevy Silverado EV adds a native NACS port for Tesla Superchargers and 750 hp on the Trail Boss Max Range. New prices by trim, 478-mile range, towing, dropped trims and how it compares with Lightning, Cybertruck and R1T.
The best EV lease deals for November 2026, led by Hyundai's $359/month IONIQ 5 and a $419 IONIQ 9 that may be the better value. Monthly, term, due at signing, mileage, expiration and the real effective monthly cost of each.