What Is a Car Subscription?

Car subscriptions allow you to drive a wide selection of vehicles without the hassle of car ownership, but they’re limited based on location and annual fees.
Written by Max Werner
Reviewed by Kathleen Flear
For a simple monthly payment, car subscriptions let you drive one (or multiple) vehicles without the usual hassles of car ownership. Just select a subscription plan and hit the road.
Car subscriptions are the Blockbuster card of the automotive industry. They allow drivers to take out a wide selection of vehicles—from SUVs to sports cars—without worrying about depreciation, down payments, warranties, and sleazy dealerships.
While the majority of car subscriptions use luxury brands like
Cadillac
,
Porsche
, and
Mercedes-Benz
, each offers a range of services. Depending on the perks, your car subscription might double as a concierge service or (even handier) a roadside assistance specialist!
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Jerry
, the
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Car subscription vs. leasing

The difference between car subscriptions and leasing is pretty straightforward. Leasing allows you to drive a new car without technically owning the vehicle via monthly payments. With leasing, you’re locked into a single vehicle until you end the lease or pay off the remaining value.
With a car subscription service, you’re not stuck with a single vehicle, car company, or plan like leasing. It’s almost like a rental car service! You pay a single monthly fee to borrow a car, which is owned and maintained by the company. You’re never locked into one automaker or vehicle type. You can go from driving a
Tesla Model S
to pulling up to PTA meetings in a
Nissan Altima
with a simple phone call.
Canceling a car subscription is just as easy as activating one because you haven’t made any lasting financial agreements—unlike an official lease.

Pros and cons of car subscriptions

So, what’s the catch? Car subscriptions are a beneficial model for drivers with great insurance coverage and a decent monthly budget. Let’s look at the good first:
  • Access to new luxury cars
  • Easy to switch cars or activate multi-vehicle
  • Monthly subscription is easy to cancel
And, the not-so-great:
  • Steep subscription fees
  • Strict mileage limits
  • Additional drivers are tricky to enroll
  • Limited availability (based on location)
Obviously, there’s a lot to consider. Variety is the best strength of any car subscription service. For a monthly price, you can drive luxury sedans, full-size sedans, electric vehicles, and a range of brands without fearing depreciation.
However, the average enrollment price can be fairly expensive. Furthermore, you don’t own any of the new vehicles you’re driving, so there’s no way to recoup what you spend on a car subscription service.
Most subscription models divide payments into an annual membership fee, or “start fee,” and an ongoing monthly fee. This prevents drivers from purchasing the service just to try out a new vehicle or specific brand, raising the price of admission.
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Who offers car subscription services?

Plenty of companies and automakers offer car subscription services. They include Porsche Passport, Audi select, Care by Volvo, Access by BMW, and Drive Flow—to name a few. To get you off on the foot, we’ve broken down the top subscription picks.

Enterprise

Cost: $1,499 a month
Inclusions: 3,000-mile allowance, four monthly vehicle swaps, roadside assistance
Selling points: Great selection of vehicles, solid mile allowance
Weak Spot: Limited availability
Possibly the most well-known of the bunch, Enterprise is a veteran in the car subscription game. This car rental service is available in select locations, offering drivers a 3000-mile allowance with roadside assistance and maintenance included.
Flexibility is what makes Subscribe with Enterprise so great. You can drive a huge selection of Toyotas, Volkswagens, and more. You only need decent credit and a driver’s license to get started.

Hertz

Cost: $999 or $1,399 a month (plus $250 joining fee)
Inclusions: 2 flips a month, maintenance, roadside assistance
Selling points: Large vehicle selection, great price
Weak Spot: Limit availability, strict minimum term length
Hertz My Car is a small but mighty subscription service that includes 2 vehicle flips a month ($75 for extra flips), a two-month minimum plan, and maintenance plus roadside assistance included. 
This service is a bit cheaper than the other options but still contains a wide selection of vehicles—from small sedans to large SUVs. Hertz My Car is currently limited to
Austin
, Texas;
Atlanta
, Georgia; and select South
Florida
locations. To sign up, you must have a credit card and be 25 or older.

Canvas by Ford and Lincoln

Cost: $379 to $1,125 a month
Inclusions: Flexible payments, insurance, warranty, and maintenance
Selling points: The longer you stay in a car, the cheaper it gets
Weak Spot: No new vehicles
Canvas by Ford and Lincoln is a branded car subscription service accessed directly through your smartphone. It offers a top selection of pre-owned Ford, Cadillac, GMC, and Lincoln vehicles—from the
Ford F-150
to the
GMC Yukon
Best of all, Canvas is one of the few car subscription services available nationally. So, from
California
to
Texas
to
New York
, you’ll never be lost without a solid ride.
MORE: How to avoid being unfairly charged for rental car damage

How to find cheap car insurance for your vehicle subscription

While you’re looking at the pros and cons of vehicle subscriptions, why not evaluate your current car insurance provider? Whether you’ve been driving the same SUV for years or switching cars three times a month using a subscription plan, one thing’s for sure: You’re probably overpaying for
car insurance
.
That’s where
Jerry
, the car insurance super app, comes in. As a
trusted comparison tool
, Jerry helps you compare rates from over 55 top providers to find personalized insurance at the perfect price. You can get a superb deal in under 45 seconds, and if you get stuck, Jerry’s expert customer service team is there to help.
No spam calls. No endless forms. Just savings. The best part? The average Jerry user saves more than $800 a year on car insurance.
“My policy covers two people and four cars: a truck, SUV, convertible, and muscle car.
Jerry
helped me go from paying $308 a month to $125 a month with the same coverage. I’m loving the savings.” —Jocelyn A.
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FAQs

Yes—depending on your budget, vehicle subscriptions provide unmatched flexibility when driving a car. You can switch vehicles instantly, cancel anytime, and drive what you like without worrying about the usual hassles of car ownership. 
 
Just keep in mind that you don’t own any of the vehicles you’re driving.
Canceling a car subscription is as easy as giving the subscription company a call. Many car subscriptions require drivers to sign up for a monthly minimum limit—the average is two months. While you can cancel anytime, you won’t be reimbursed for the annual membership fee. 
 
With Canvas by Ford and Lincoln, it’s possible to cancel the service in the app.
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