My BMW i8's warranty, software extras and servicing are all on a monthly subscription - so I pay monthly, at a discount, and avoid (I hope) any surprise bills, while keeping the car maintained and its software up to date.
In some ways I'm surprised that the Servicing doesn't explicitly promote "keeping your vehicle's software up to date" as in the medium-long term it's the thing that'll keep cars in their best health.
Will
Thanks for the insight Will, I think you are demonstrating that a lot of us are way out of date with current (not intended) practices

Back in the '90s I did some work with Ford Credit to bring their 'half a car' finance scheme to the UK from the USA. & since then pay as you use it financing of new cars has become ever more common. I guess BMW are just taking it to the next logical level by letting an owner turn on & off features - which previous owners might not have ever used.
I think it's the right way to approach a new-ish car, which relies so much on software.
& where the real cost to the first owner is depreciation from new: subscriptions from the manufacturer are a fair way of showing proper maintenance of hard- & software, and maybe the best hedge against depreciation.
That said, I'd love Morgan to offer me a monthly payment option to turn on the heating in my Aero's steering wheel!