diff --git a/cmd/mountlib/mount.go b/cmd/mountlib/mount.go
index 087153c99..0d7d347e5 100644
--- a/cmd/mountlib/mount.go
+++ b/cmd/mountlib/mount.go
@@ -189,6 +189,25 @@ to use Type=notify. In this case the service will enter the started state
 after the mountpoint has been successfully set up.
 Units having the rclone ` + commandName + ` service specified as a requirement
 will see all files and folders immediately in this mode.
+
+### chunked reading ###
+
+--vfs-read-chunk-size will enable reading the source objects in parts.
+This can reduce the used download quota for some remotes by requesting only chunks
+from the remote that are actually read at the cost of an increased number of requests.
+
+When --vfs-read-chunk-size-limit is also specified and greater than --vfs-read-chunk-size,
+the chunk size for each open file will get doubled for each chunk read, until the
+specified value is reached. A value of -1 will disable the limit and the chunk size will
+grow indefinitely.
+
+With --vfs-read-chunk-size 100M and --vfs-read-chunk-size-limit 0 the following
+parts will be downloaded: 0-100M, 100M-200M, 200M-300M, 300M-400M and so on.
+When --vfs-read-chunk-size-limit 500M is specified, the result would be
+0-100M, 100M-300M, 300M-700M, 700M-1200M, 1200M-1700M and so on.
+
+Chunked reading will only work with --vfs-cache-mode < full, as the file will always
+be copied to the vfs cache before opening with --vfs-cache-mode full.
 ` + vfs.Help,
 		Run: func(command *cobra.Command, args []string) {
 			cmd.CheckArgs(2, 2, command, args)
diff --git a/vfs/read.go b/vfs/read.go
index b74f97ce6..5a3cecd6d 100644
--- a/vfs/read.go
+++ b/vfs/read.go
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ import (
 
 	"github.com/ncw/rclone/fs"
 	"github.com/ncw/rclone/fs/accounting"
+	"github.com/ncw/rclone/fs/chunkedreader"
 	"github.com/ncw/rclone/fs/hash"
 	"github.com/pkg/errors"
 )
@@ -64,7 +65,7 @@ func (fh *ReadFileHandle) openPending() (err error) {
 		return nil
 	}
 	o := fh.file.getObject()
-	r, err := o.Open()
+	r, err := chunkedreader.New(o, int64(fh.file.d.vfs.Opt.ChunkSize), int64(fh.file.d.vfs.Opt.ChunkSizeLimit)).Open()
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
@@ -106,13 +107,16 @@ func (fh *ReadFileHandle) seek(offset int64, reopen bool) (err error) {
 	fh.r.StopBuffering() // stop the background reading first
 	fh.hash = nil
 	oldReader := fh.r.GetReader()
-	r := oldReader
-	// Can we seek it directly?
-	if do, ok := oldReader.(io.Seeker); !reopen && ok {
-		fs.Debugf(fh.remote, "ReadFileHandle.seek from %d to %d (io.Seeker)", fh.offset, offset)
-		_, err = do.Seek(offset, io.SeekStart)
+	r, ok := oldReader.(*chunkedreader.ChunkedReader)
+	if !ok {
+		fs.Logf(fh.remote, "ReadFileHandle.Read expected reader to be a ChunkedReader, got %T", oldReader)
+		reopen = true
+	}
+	if !reopen {
+		fs.Debugf(fh.remote, "ReadFileHandle.seek from %d to %d (fs.RangeSeeker)", fh.offset, offset)
+		_, err = r.RangeSeek(offset, io.SeekStart, -1)
 		if err != nil {
-			fs.Debugf(fh.remote, "ReadFileHandle.Read io.Seeker failed: %v", err)
+			fs.Debugf(fh.remote, "ReadFileHandle.Read fs.RangeSeeker failed: %v", err)
 			return err
 		}
 	} else {
@@ -124,7 +128,13 @@ func (fh *ReadFileHandle) seek(offset int64, reopen bool) (err error) {
 		}
 		// re-open with a seek
 		o := fh.file.getObject()
-		r, err = o.Open(&fs.SeekOption{Offset: offset})
+		r = chunkedreader.New(o, int64(fh.file.d.vfs.Opt.ChunkSize), int64(fh.file.d.vfs.Opt.ChunkSizeLimit))
+		_, err := r.Seek(offset, 0)
+		if err != nil {
+			fs.Debugf(fh.remote, "ReadFileHandle.Read seek failed: %v", err)
+			return err
+		}
+		r, err = r.Open()
 		if err != nil {
 			fs.Debugf(fh.remote, "ReadFileHandle.Read seek failed: %v", err)
 			return err
diff --git a/vfs/vfs.go b/vfs/vfs.go
index 2ec5c0d73..053363483 100644
--- a/vfs/vfs.go
+++ b/vfs/vfs.go
@@ -189,6 +189,8 @@ type Options struct {
 	GID               uint32
 	DirPerms          os.FileMode
 	FilePerms         os.FileMode
+	ChunkSize         fs.SizeSuffix // if > 0 read files in chunks
+	ChunkSizeLimit    fs.SizeSuffix // if > ChunkSize double the chunk size after each chunk until reached
 	CacheMode         CacheMode
 	CacheMaxAge       time.Duration
 	CachePollInterval time.Duration
diff --git a/vfs/vfsflags/vfsflags.go b/vfs/vfsflags/vfsflags.go
index 85c17a120..6ae07c38b 100644
--- a/vfs/vfsflags/vfsflags.go
+++ b/vfs/vfsflags/vfsflags.go
@@ -23,5 +23,7 @@ func AddFlags(flagSet *pflag.FlagSet) {
 	flags.FVarP(flagSet, &Opt.CacheMode, "vfs-cache-mode", "", "Cache mode off|minimal|writes|full")
 	flags.DurationVarP(flagSet, &Opt.CachePollInterval, "vfs-cache-poll-interval", "", Opt.CachePollInterval, "Interval to poll the cache for stale objects.")
 	flags.DurationVarP(flagSet, &Opt.CacheMaxAge, "vfs-cache-max-age", "", Opt.CacheMaxAge, "Max age of objects in the cache.")
+	flags.FVarP(flagSet, &Opt.ChunkSize, "vfs-read-chunk-size", "", "Read the source objects in chunks.")
+	flags.FVarP(flagSet, &Opt.ChunkSizeLimit, "vfs-read-chunk-size-limit", "", "If greater than --vfs-read-chunk-size, double the chunk size after each chunk read, until the limit is reached. -1 is unlimited.")
 	platformFlags(flagSet)
 }