If you’re still plugging your phone into your car with a ratty USB cable and squinting at a tiny screen to change Spotify songs — stop. Just stop. This guide is for you.
Apple CarPlay has fundamentally changed what it means to sit inside a car. And with over 800 vehicle models now supporting it in the US alone, there’s basically no excuse anymore to be driving around without it. Unless you’re in a Tesla. Or a Rivian. But we’ll get to that.
Quick Facts
| Feature | Details |
| Launched | 2014 by Apple |
| Compatible models globally | 800+ (per Apple’s own list) |
| US new car support | ~98% of new cars sold in the US |
| Major holdout | Toyota — caved in 2018/2019 model year |
| BMW controversy | Charged an $80/year subscription fee until late 2019 |
| Wireless CarPlay brands | BMW, Hyundai, Kia, Ford, Honda, VW, Mercedes-Benz, and many more |
| CarPlay Ultra (next-gen) | Launched May 15, 2025 — first car: Aston Martin |
| Manufacturers with NO CarPlay | Tesla, Rivian, Wuling |
| Requires | iPhone 5 or later; CarPlay Ultra requires iPhone 12+ with iOS 18.5+ |
How We Got Here — And Why It Took So Long
CarPlay launched in 2014. That’s not ancient history. But the early days were messy, adoption was slow, and some automakers acted like Apple had asked them to hand over their firstborn child.
The idea was simple. Your car’s screen becomes your iPhone interface while you drive. Maps. Music. Messages. Calls. All of it controlled by Siri or by tapping that infotainment screen you paid a premium for. No looking down at your phone. No juggling apps at 70mph.
By the time 2016 rolled around, Apple released a full list of supported models. The number was still modest. But momentum was building.
Toyota: The Car Company That Thought It Knew Better
Let’s talk about the elephant in the room. Toyota — the bestselling car brand in the world for several years running — decided in 2015 that it would stick to its own proprietary platform instead of adopting CarPlay or Android Auto.
They weren’t exactly subtle about it either. This was an active, deliberate choice to prioritize control over what customers actually wanted. Toyota even partnered with Ford’s SmartDeviceLink tech as an alternative. They also cozied up to Amazon Alexa. Anything to avoid letting Apple anywhere near their infotainment systems.
The reason, if you read between the lines? Data. Toyota was uncomfortable with how much access CarPlay’s deep integration might give Apple to vehicle and driver information. That’s not an irrational concern, actually. But it’s also not what Toyota’s customers were asking them to worry about.
Eventually, customer demand won. At the 2018 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Toyota revealed the 2019 Avalon would come standard with CarPlay — all four trims. Not a moment too soon. The company had become almost a punchline in tech circles for being the last major holdout. They didn’t add Android Auto, though, which was a pointed choice at the time.
The Big List: Who Supports CarPlay Now
The short answer: almost everyone.
Abarth, Acura, Alfa Romeo, Aston Martin, Audi, Bentley, BMW, Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Citroën, Dodge, Ferrari — yes, Ferrari — Fiat, Ford, GMC, Honda (including the Gold Wing motorcycle, somehow), Hyundai, Jaguar, Jeep, Kia, Land Rover, Lincoln, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Opel, Porsche, Peugeot, Ram, Seat, Škoda, Subaru, Suzuki, Volvo, Volkswagen, and Toyota are all on the list.
Ferrari was an early adopter, which is almost funny when you think about it. You’re paying six figures minimum for a car and the selling point is that it connects to your iPhone.
Aston Martin, meanwhile, didn’t just join the list — they’re now the first brand in the world to deploy CarPlay Ultra. More on that in a minute.
The notable absences? Tesla, Rivian, and Chinese brand Wuling. Tesla’s position here is the most interesting. They’ve built their own infotainment system and they have no interest whatsoever in letting a competitor’s software run on their screens. That’s a philosophical stance, not a technical limitation. Whether you agree with it probably depends on how committed you are to your Apple ecosystem.
Wired vs. Wireless: This Matters More Than People Admit
Here’s something that doesn’t get enough attention in the buying process. Not all CarPlay is the same.
Wired CarPlay has been around since the beginning. You plug your Lightning or USB-C cable into the car’s USB port and your phone mirrors to the infotainment screen. It works. It charges your phone simultaneously. Audio quality is better for people who care about lossless playback. The connection is rock solid.
Wireless CarPlay is the newer thing — and on paper, it sounds like an obvious upgrade. No cable. Your car recognizes your iPhone when you get in and connects automatically over Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. You can still charge wirelessly if the car has a pad, or just leave your phone in your bag.
The catch? Wireless CarPlay can be fussier. Infotainment systems in general can be unreliable, and adding a wireless layer gives the universe more opportunities for things to go wrong mid-navigation. Some cars have finicky Bluetooth pairing. Some have occasional lag.
BMW was actually an early wireless CarPlay pioneer — which makes what they did next all the more bewildering.
BMW’s Subscription Fee: A Lesson in Corporate Greed Backfiring
This is genuinely one of the more embarrassing chapters in modern automotive tech history. Buckle up.
BMW supported CarPlay from 2016 onward. Initially they charged $300 as a one-time option. Annoying but not outrageous. Then for 2019 models, BMW decided to convert that into a subscription — $80 per year, or $300 for a 20-year plan. And they gave owners the first year free, then remotely disabled CarPlay if you didn’t pay up.
Read that again. They could remotely disable a software feature on a car you owned.
The reaction from automotive media was, predictably, not kind. The car and Driver called it out. Gear Patrol called it one of BMW’s stupidest decisions in years. The sheer audacity of charging for software that runs primarily on the customer’s own iPhone — not BMW’s hardware — was the part that drove people crazy. Apple doesn’t charge automakers a subscription fee to use CarPlay, by the way. BMW was just… charging because they thought they could.
By December 2019, BMW folded. Completely. All 2019 and 2020 BMW models had CarPlay re-enabled for free immediately. Owners who had been paying the annual fee were told they’d get lifetime access at no additional cost. Anyone on a lapsed trial had their access restored.
“BMW is always looking to satisfy our customers’ needs and this policy change is intended to provide them with a better ownership experience,” BMW said. A masterclass in corporate understatement.
CarPlay Ultra: The Upgrade That Was Three Years Late
In June 2022 at WWDC, Apple showed off what people have called “CarPlay 2.0” — now officially branded CarPlay Ultra. The vision was ambitious. Instead of just mirroring your phone on one screen, CarPlay Ultra would take over the entire dashboard. Instrument cluster included. Climate controls. FM radio. Real vehicle data. Fully customizable widgets. A deeply integrated experience that could look different depending on the brand you’re driving.
It was genuinely impressive. Apple confirmed Porsche and Aston Martin were involved early on. A list of committed automakers was announced.
Then nothing happened.
The original launch window was “late 2023.” Then 2024. Then Apple quietly removed the 2024 reference from its website in early 2025 without replacing it with any new date. The whole situation was mildly embarrassing — a tech company that had been promising a major product for three years with nothing to show for it.
What was holding it up? The obvious answer: automakers are not willing to hand over their entire interior to Apple’s software. When The Verge asked Mercedes-Benz CEO Ola Källenius whether Mercedes would let Apple take over their infotainment, he said the short answer was no. Some manufacturers were slow to commit. Others backed away. General Motors and Rivian have publicly snubbed CarPlay entirely for their EV lineups, preferring full control over the in-car experience.
Getting a car brand to surrender their instrument cluster to Apple’s UI is apparently a harder sell than it sounds.
Then, on May 15, 2025, Aston Martin launched it. Just like that — three-plus years after the announcement, the first real CarPlay Ultra arrived in the DBX, Vantage, DB12, and Vanquish. Available in the US and Canada first, with global rollout promised within 12 months. You need an iPhone 12 or newer running iOS 18.5. And Apple confirmed thirteen manufacturers in total have committed, with more to come.
The wait was excruciating. But the product is apparently real.
The Cars to Actually Consider Right Now
If you’re in the market and CarPlay is a priority — here’s how to think about it.
Almost every mainstream brand covers you. Honda, Toyota, Ford, Chevy, Hyundai, Kia, Subaru, Mazda, Nissan, VW — all of them. Most mid-tier and upper trims include wireless CarPlay as standard. Some lower trims still default to wired, which is fine but worth checking before you sign.
Luxury tier: Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, Lexus, Cadillac — all covered. BMW’s wireless implementation is strong now that they’ve sorted themselves out. Audi’s integration is clean. Mercedes remains committed to CarPlay even while clearly preferring their own MBUX system.
Exotic/ultra-luxury: Ferrari, Bentley, Aston Martin, Porsche, Alfa Romeo — all on the list. Aston Martin is now in a class by itself with CarPlay Ultra already live.
The EVs to watch: This space is getting complicated. The Chevrolet Blazer EV is reportedly the start of GM phasing out CarPlay across their electric lineup — which is a controversial move that customers have pushed back on loudly. If you’re EV shopping, specifically ask about CarPlay before assuming it’s there.
The one aftermarket hack worth knowing: if you have a car with wired CarPlay and want wireless, you can buy a USB dongle adapter for around $60 that converts it. They work reasonably well. Not perfect, but functional.
Final Words
Look, at 98% penetration in new US cars, arguing whether CarPlay is worth having is kind of like arguing whether you need Bluetooth in 2026. The question isn’t “should my next car have CarPlay.” The question is “does it have wireless CarPlay, and which trims does it come standard on.”
CarPlay Ultra is the genuinely exciting frontier. The idea of having your entire dashboard — gauges, climate, navigation, media — all running through a seamlessly integrated Apple experience, customized to fit your specific car brand’s design language, is compelling in a way that the current CarPlay honestly isn’t. Current CarPlay is useful. Ultra has the potential to be transformative.
Whether more automakers get there without being terrified of handing Apple the keys (figuratively) remains the big question. Aston Martin went first. More will follow. Eventually even the holdouts who claim they want “full control” will realize their customers want CarPlay more than they want another proprietary infotainment system nobody asked for.
Toyota learned that lesson the hard way. BMW learned it too, the slightly more humiliating way. The rest will figure it out.
FAQs
1. How many cars are compatible with Apple CarPlay?
Apple says over 800 vehicle models in the US support CarPlay. That covers the vast majority of cars sold in the country — roughly 98% of new vehicles as of 2025.
2. Which car brands don’t support Apple CarPlay?
Tesla, Rivian, and Wuling are the notable exceptions. Tesla and Rivian prefer total control over their infotainment systems. GM is also moving toward removing CarPlay from its EV lineup, starting with the Chevrolet Blazer EV.
3. What’s the difference between wired and wireless CarPlay?
Wired CarPlay requires a USB cable connection, charges your phone, and offers a more stable connection with better audio quality for lossless music. Wireless CarPlay connects automatically via Bluetooth and Wi-Fi — no cable, but slightly more prone to connectivity hiccups. Both offer identical features.
4. Which car brands offer wireless CarPlay?
BMW, Hyundai, Kia, Ford, Honda, Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen, Nissan, Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Dodge, GMC, and Jeep are among the brands offering wireless versions.
5. When did Toyota add Apple CarPlay?
Toyota announced it at the North American International Auto Show in January 2018. The first Toyota with CarPlay was the 2019 Avalon, where it came standard on all trims.
6. What is CarPlay Ultra?
It’s the next generation of CarPlay, announced by Apple in 2022. It takes over not just the center infotainment screen but also the instrument cluster, integrates climate controls, radio, and vehicle stats, and is customizable per car brand’s design philosophy. Aston Martin became the first manufacturer to launch it on May 15, 2025.
7. Do you need to pay for CarPlay?
No. CarPlay itself is free. BMW briefly charged a subscription fee ($80/year) for 2019 models before reversing the decision in December 2019 under heavy public backlash. No other major manufacturer has followed that approach.
8. What iPhone do you need for CarPlay Ultra?
iPhone 12 or later, running iOS 18.5 or higher. Standard CarPlay works with iPhone 5 and later.
9. Can I add CarPlay to a car that didn’t come with it?
Sometimes. Aftermarket head units from Alpine, Pioneer, and others support CarPlay and can be installed in older vehicles. Some dealers also offer infotainment upgrades. A wireless CarPlay dongle (~$60) can convert a wired CarPlay system to wireless.
10. Is the Qi wireless charging pad in my car connected to wireless CarPlay?
No. Wireless charging pads handle power only — not data. Wireless CarPlay connects over Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, completely separate from the charging pad.
11. Which cars have CarPlay Ultra right now?
As of May 2025, only Aston Martin — the DBX, Vantage, DB12, and Vanquish. Apple and Aston Martin have confirmed 13 manufacturers total are committed, with more rollouts coming.
12. Did BMW really charge a subscription for CarPlay?
Yes. For 2019 model year vehicles, BMW charged $80 per year (or $300 for 20 years) after a free first year. They could remotely disable the feature if you didn’t pay. They reversed the decision in December 2019 after significant customer backlash and negative press.
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