What is T-Mobile's Magenta Drive plan?

What is Magenta Drive for BMW on T-Mobile?

T-Mobile’s Magenta Drive for BMW was announced with the 5G-capable BMW iX and i4 vehicles for 2022 with the Personal eSIM feature. At $20 per month, this allows customers’ cars to connect to T-Mobile’s 5G network, allowing them to make and receive calls without touching their phones. Magenta Drive also comes with Wi-Fi so the driver and passengers alike can get online without using their own mobile connections.

Currently, T-Mobile Magenta Drive is available only on the two BMW models listed above, which are equipped with the Personal eSIM feature. Personal eSIM is an embedded SIM that can be accessed in the car's infotainment system. This allows you to set up your T-Mobile connection without needing to order or install a physical SIM.

Magenta Drive for BMW has unlimited data for hotspot usage in the U.S. plus 5GB of LTE data in Mexico and Canada. Data usage is unlimited, but customers using more than 50GB per month may notice slightly reduced data speeds while connected to a congested tower. For those living in a suburban or rural area, this won’t be as much of an issue. It's worth keeping in mind that 50GB of quite a lot of data that most people won’t exceed, even with streaming which is limited to SD resolutions.

T-Mobile’s 5G and LTE will be used for connectivity using the car’s antennas. T-Mobile claims that it covers 96% of the interstate highways in the U.S., making it the perfect partner for connected vehicles. Not only that, but the antennas in the car will be able to pick up a stronger and more consistent connection than a phone, so if you’ve already got unlimited data with one of the best cell phone plans, there are still some benefits. This is similar to how a 5G T-Mobile Home Internet connection may be stronger than the same network on a phone.

One thing to keep in mind is that this is not quite the same service as the $20 VW Wi-Fi Hotspot for Volkswagen cars. That service also comes with unlimited Wi-Fi but uses T-Mobile's LTE network and has a different setup process in the car.

Your BMW iX or i4 will get some benefits from Personal eSIM even without a plan such as over-the-air software updates, but if you want to get the most out of it, you can sign in to your T-Mobile plan in the BMW app to add Magenta Drive. If you already have a T-Mobile account, you can add it as a new line. If you’re not a T-Mobile customer, you can sign up for a voice line to add T-Mobile Magenta drive.