Methods, systems, and vehicles are provided for user-controlled availability of vehicle connectivity in various embodiments. In one exemplary embodiment, a plurality of sensors are configured to generate sensor data pertaining to a motor of a vehicle and pertaining to user inputs for a user of the vehicle; and a telematics system has a processor that is configured to at least facilitate: (i) determining, from the sensor data, whether the motor is turned off; (ii) determining, from the sensor data, whether a user has requested that the telematics unit operate in an energy conservation mode; and (iii) operating the telematics unit, using one or more adjusted values instead of one or more default values for communicating with a remote server, when it is determined that both the motor for the vehicle is turned off and the user has requested that the telematics unit operate in an energy conservation mode.