diff --git a/automotive/vehicle/aidl/aidl_api/android.hardware.automotive.vehicle/current/android/hardware/automotive/vehicle/SubscribeOptions.aidl b/automotive/vehicle/aidl/aidl_api/android.hardware.automotive.vehicle/current/android/hardware/automotive/vehicle/SubscribeOptions.aidl
index 23fc8a92b4..1b1696b240 100644
--- a/automotive/vehicle/aidl/aidl_api/android.hardware.automotive.vehicle/current/android/hardware/automotive/vehicle/SubscribeOptions.aidl
+++ b/automotive/vehicle/aidl/aidl_api/android.hardware.automotive.vehicle/current/android/hardware/automotive/vehicle/SubscribeOptions.aidl
@@ -38,4 +38,5 @@ parcelable SubscribeOptions {
   int[] areaIds;
   float sampleRate;
   float resolution = 0.0f;
+  boolean enableVariableUpdateRate;
 }
diff --git a/automotive/vehicle/aidl/aidl_api/android.hardware.automotive.vehicle/current/android/hardware/automotive/vehicle/VehicleAreaConfig.aidl b/automotive/vehicle/aidl/aidl_api/android.hardware.automotive.vehicle/current/android/hardware/automotive/vehicle/VehicleAreaConfig.aidl
index 3322769071..08d4ee46e8 100644
--- a/automotive/vehicle/aidl/aidl_api/android.hardware.automotive.vehicle/current/android/hardware/automotive/vehicle/VehicleAreaConfig.aidl
+++ b/automotive/vehicle/aidl/aidl_api/android.hardware.automotive.vehicle/current/android/hardware/automotive/vehicle/VehicleAreaConfig.aidl
@@ -43,4 +43,5 @@ parcelable VehicleAreaConfig {
   float maxFloatValue;
   @nullable long[] supportedEnumValues;
   android.hardware.automotive.vehicle.VehiclePropertyAccess access = android.hardware.automotive.vehicle.VehiclePropertyAccess.NONE;
+  boolean supportVariableUpdateRate;
 }
diff --git a/automotive/vehicle/aidl/android/hardware/automotive/vehicle/SubscribeOptions.aidl b/automotive/vehicle/aidl/android/hardware/automotive/vehicle/SubscribeOptions.aidl
index 1f2fb2754e..69f6190363 100644
--- a/automotive/vehicle/aidl/android/hardware/automotive/vehicle/SubscribeOptions.aidl
+++ b/automotive/vehicle/aidl/android/hardware/automotive/vehicle/SubscribeOptions.aidl
@@ -49,4 +49,19 @@ parcelable SubscribeOptions {
      * 10, VHAL should return a StatusCode::INVALID_ARG.
      */
     float resolution = 0.0f;
+
+    /**
+     * Whether to enable variable update rate.
+     *
+     * This only applies for continuous property. If variable update rate is
+     * enabled, for each given areaId, if VHAL supports variable update rate for
+     * the [propId, areaId], VHAL must ignore duplicate property value events
+     * and only sends changed value events (a.k.a treat continuous as an
+     * on-change property).
+     *
+     * If VHAL does not support variable update rate for the [propId, areaId],
+     * indicated by 'supportVariableUpdateRate' in 'VehicleAreaConfig', or if
+     * this property is not a continuous property, this option must be ignored.
+     */
+    boolean enableVariableUpdateRate;
 }
diff --git a/automotive/vehicle/aidl/android/hardware/automotive/vehicle/VehicleAreaConfig.aidl b/automotive/vehicle/aidl/android/hardware/automotive/vehicle/VehicleAreaConfig.aidl
index 9fd9bda3f8..08863b2576 100644
--- a/automotive/vehicle/aidl/android/hardware/automotive/vehicle/VehicleAreaConfig.aidl
+++ b/automotive/vehicle/aidl/android/hardware/automotive/vehicle/VehicleAreaConfig.aidl
@@ -70,4 +70,31 @@ parcelable VehicleAreaConfig {
      * well.
      */
     VehiclePropertyAccess access = VehiclePropertyAccess.NONE;
+
+    /**
+     * Whether variable update rate is supported.
+     *
+     * This applies for continuous property only.
+     *
+     * It is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED to support variable update rate for all non-heartbeat continuous
+     * properties for better performance.
+     *
+     * If variable update rate is supported and 'enableVariableUpdateRate' is true in subscribe
+     * options, VHAL must only sends property update event when the property's value changes
+     * (a.k.a treat continuous as an on-change property).
+     *
+     * E.g. if the client is subscribing at 5hz at time 0. If the property's value is 0 initially
+     * and becomes 1 after 1 second.
+
+     * If variable update rate is not enabled, VHAL clients will receive 5 property change events
+     * with value 0 and 5 events with value 1 after 2 seconds.
+     *
+     * If variable update rate is enabled, VHAL clients will receive 1 property change event
+     * with value 1 at time 1s. VHAL may/may not send a property event for the initial value (e.g.
+     * a property change event with value 0 at time 0s). VHAL client must not rely on the first
+     * property event, and must use getValues to fetch the initial value. In fact, car service is
+     * using getValues to fetch the initial value, convert it to a property event and deliver to
+     * car service clients.
+     */
+    boolean supportVariableUpdateRate;
 }
diff --git a/automotive/vehicle/aidl/impl/proto/android/hardware/automotive/vehicle/VehicleAreaConfig.proto b/automotive/vehicle/aidl/impl/proto/android/hardware/automotive/vehicle/VehicleAreaConfig.proto
index 04b7dd4d82..8093658477 100644
--- a/automotive/vehicle/aidl/impl/proto/android/hardware/automotive/vehicle/VehicleAreaConfig.proto
+++ b/automotive/vehicle/aidl/impl/proto/android/hardware/automotive/vehicle/VehicleAreaConfig.proto
@@ -44,4 +44,5 @@ message VehicleAreaConfig {
      */
     repeated int64 supported_enum_values = 8;
     int32 access = 9;
+    bool support_variable_update_rate = 10;
 };