Škoda has announced an over‑the‑air software update that brings manual battery pre‑heating to earlier Enyaq electric SUVs — a feature aimed at restoring faster DC fast‑charging in cold conditions to older cars. Škoda published the notice on 5 November 2026 and says the change is delivered as software version 3.9 for Enyaq vehicles produced up to the end of 2023.
What Škoda is rolling out
The update adds a new infotainment screen called “Optimising rapid charging” with a manual “Start battery heating” control. The button is active only when the high‑voltage battery temperature is below about 20 °C; Škoda says pre‑heating will bring the pack toward an ideal of roughly 25 °C and typically takes around 30–40 minutes once started. The company tells owners the rollout will be staged in waves: a preparatory OTA in calendar week 47 (week beginning Monday 16 November 2026) and the function‑enabling update in calendar week 49 (week beginning Monday 30 November 2026). Škoda estimates the change affects approximately 200,000 Enyaq vehicles.
Volkswagen is extending the same capability to older ID family cars: ID. Software 3.9.1 will add manual pre‑conditioning to selected ID.4 and ID.5 models that remain on the 3.x software branch. Owners whose cars run very old software (2.x) will still need a dealer visit to receive the upgrade. Industry reporting corroborates Škoda’s timing and the staged OTA approach.
How the feature works and the limits
Pre‑heating does not change the charger or hardware limits; it raises cell temperature so the battery can accept higher DC power earlier in a charging session, shortening stop times in cold weather. Škoda’s project manager for online updates noted the change required coordinated modifications across three vehicle control units (vehicle control unit, battery control unit and infotainment), underscoring why the rollout is staged and tested. The new manual control is deliberately separate from the fully automatic navigation‑triggered pre‑heating available on cars already running software 4.x or later.
What this means for the market
For Central and Eastern Europe the update matters for two reasons. First, large numbers of early MEB‑platform Enyaq and VW ID cars are on the region’s roads; fixing slow winter DC‑charging behaviour removes a tangible ownership friction that has hit used‑EV sentiment. Second, delivering meaningful usability improvements to an installed base by OTA reduces near‑term pressure on charging‑hardware rollouts to solve every customer complaint — manufacturers can now improve real‑world charging performance on existing cars by software as well as by expanding chargers. Reported figures and rollout dates come from Škoda’s 5 November 2026 announcement and industry coverage on 5–8 November 2026.
The update is not a recall and does not alter open safety campaigns (for example the separate ID.4/Q4 battery safety campaign); owners should check their car’s software version in the MyŠkoda or VW app, follow the staged rollout and, if needed, book dealer support for pre‑3.x cars.
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Sources: Škoda Storyboard, InsideEVs
