Volkswagen and Skoda are rolling out an over-the-air update that adds a manual battery-preheat button to the oldest ID.4, ID.5 and Skoda Enyaq cars, those built from 2020 to 2024. The ID.4 is Volkswagen’s electric SUV, the ID.5 its coupe-style sibling, and the Enyaq is Skoda’s cousin on the same platform. InsideEVs reported on Nov. 5 that the build for the ID.4 and ID.5 is software version 3.9.1, while the Enyaq receives version 3.9.
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From 2024 onward all three models came with automatic battery preconditioning, which makes 2024 a transition year in the build range. Because of that, the update closes a gap that owners of earlier cars have worked around with hobbyist hardware. The 200,000 figure is Skoda’s Enyaq schedule, and InsideEVs’ summary says over 200,000 cars across the affected models, so ID.4 and ID.5 numbers are not given separately. The rollout starts in the second half of November, with a second wave about two weeks later, and Skoda alone has about 200,000 Enyaq cars scheduled for the update.
Manual activation below 68 F and a 77 F target
According to InsideEVs, the function is not automatic. Drivers start it from a new virtual screen in the infotainment system, and it works only when the battery is colder than 68 F (20 C). The button does nothing on a mild day, since the function is limited to cold batteries. The screen shows the current battery temperature, and after activation the pack warms gradually to about 77 F (25 C), a process that takes roughly 30 to 40 minutes.
That timing matters for planning. A battery at its optimal temperature can accept higher DC fast-charging power and so shorten the stop, which means a driver heading for a fast charger should switch the function on well before arriving. A warm-up of 30 to 40 minutes is a long lead time, and a driver leaving for a charger 25 minutes away would arrive with the pack still warming. The timing suits the season, because a cold battery charges more slowly and the second half of November is when northern-hemisphere owners begin to notice.
Until now, owners who wanted the feature relied on a custom microcontroller or a diagnostics dongle running an OBD programming app, the route described in InsideEVs’ coverage of the do-it-yourself preconditioning mod. The official update replaces those workarounds with a supported button, though the function remains manual, so a car left unattended will not preheat itself before a planned departure. InsideEVs has also run a winter Supercharging test of a preconditioned battery against a cold one, which examines the same charging-speed question on a Tesla.
Software versions, prerequisites and what else ships
The Enyaq build, version 3.9, adds the preheating function along with a welcome screen that no longer needs confirmation, security updates and a fix for the Online Connectivity Unit, the module that handles the car’s data connection and therefore its over-the-air updates. The ID.4 and ID.5 build, 3.9.1, also improves electric door handle reliability and AC charging. Both are reliability items rather than new features.
Waves mean one car may be offered the update days or weeks after another, and with the second wave two weeks behind the first, most scheduled cars should be reached by mid-December if the plan holds. Prerequisites depend on the car. Enyaq cars already on version 3.8 are prompted to install 3.9 over the air, and cars on an older version must install 3.8 first. Cars still on a 2.x version need a visit to an authorized service center. An Enyaq stuck on an old release can therefore face two installs, first 3.8 and then 3.9.
Jiri Vlcek, Skoda’s project manager for online updates, said the update places enormous demands on implementation and on comprehensive testing to ensure it functions correctly. The feature touches three control units, covering the vehicle, the battery and the infotainment system, and Skoda engineers reportedly tested it in freezing conditions. Preconditioning thus means coordination between the battery management system, the vehicle controller and the screen, not a single toggle. The quote comes from Skoda; no Volkswagen executive is quoted in the InsideEVs report.
Open details on regions and dates
InsideEVs names no countries or regions for the rollout, and its text gives no year beyond the November timing. Skoda’s newsroom list, checked for this article, showed no release newer than Oct. 30, so the company’s own announcement was not available to confirm the schedule.
Preconditioning is handled differently across the industry. InsideEVs has covered preconditioning from CarPlay in the 2026 Ford Mustang Mach-E, while its ID.4 road test and Enyaq review describe the cars that are now getting the button. Whether VW’s 3.9.1 arrives on the same schedule as Skoda’s 3.9 is not stated.
This article was produced with the assistance of AI and reviewed by Morning Overview editors prior to publication.
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