Best car subscriptions: September 2024
Want to drive a new car with no long-term commitments and none of the hassle of arranging maintenance or insurance. A car subscription could be the answer.
A car subscription is an extremely convenient way of driving a new car with all the running costs, from maintenance to insurance, all wrapped up into one fixed monthly payment. Your only responsibility is to add fuel or recharge your car - that's it!
Just Add Fuel was the name for Peugeot's aptly named car subscription service, and is perhaps the best known. And while Peugeot no longer offers any sort of subscription deal, manufacturers such as Nissan and Renault now offer similar subscription deals to Just Add Fuel.
A car subscription is unlike owning or leasing a vehicle, in that everything - insurance, tax, servicing and more - is bundled into one fixed monthly price.
As maintenance is taken care of, subscriptions also tend to include home delivery and collection of your car, plus the use of a loan or courtesy car so you're always kept on the road.
A car subscription is also inherently flexible. Most car subscriptions allow you to pause or cancel your commitment after 90 days, or, if your circumstances change, allow you to upgrade or alter the car to which you're subscribing every six months or so.
As ever, it's worth ensuring that going down the car subscription route is the right choice for you. Additionally, while a car subscription is all-inclusive, it's worth double checking exactly what that means. For example, are you liable if your car gets a puncture? What's the maximum monthly or annual mileage allowance? Or how about any charges for excessive wear and tear?
Before committing to a car subscription, if you're looking for the best deal for a used car using finance, there are plenty of options available with BuyaCar. Once you've found the car you like, simply select it and then scroll to the budget calculator to see just how affordable it could be when compared with your choice of car subscription.
How Car Subscriptions work
Car subscription: the pros
✔ Convenient, predictable, and easy to budget for
✔ Fixed, single monthly cost taking care of maintenance, insurance and more
✔ New cars are often more affordable for young drivers
Car subscription: the cons
✘ Can't shop around for insurance, and no-claims bonus is not added to
✘ Requires black box to monitor driving and availability of subscription models
✘ Restricted to a few manufacturers, on new cars only
Jaguar Pivotal
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Jaguar's subscription service is called Pivotal, and allows you to subscribe to a Jaguar F-Pace SUV for £1,110 per month, plus a one-off joining fee of £550. The mileage limit is 1,500 miles per month and Jaguar guarantees that all cars are all in top spec and less than 12 months old. Cars can be changed after six months, but you can stay in your car for longer if it suits your needs.
There's an initial three-month commitment, after which you can give back the car or extend your subscription. The minimum age is 28 and you need to have held a driving license for at least two years and have no more than six penalty points. Insurance for two people, servicing and breakdown cover are all included, and cars must be given back clean with at least a quarter tank of fuel or charge.
Land Rover Pivotal
Land Rover offers a subscription service called Pivotal, and this allows you to subscribe to a number of Land Rover or Range Rover models grouped into tiers. The first tier is called Blue and includes the Discovery Sport and Range Rover Evoque and starts from £950 per month.
The second is called Indigo, and includes the Discovery, Range Rover Velar and Defender 90 from £1,250 per month. The third is called Violet, and includes the Range Rover Sport and Defender 110 from £1,550 per month. The top tier is called Ultraviolet and is reserved for the Range Rover and costs from £2,150 per month.
There is a one-off joining fee of £550 for all tiers and home delivery is included. The mileage limit is 1,500 miles per month and cars are all in top spec and less than 12 months old. Cars can be changed after six months, but you can stay in your car for longer if it suits your needs. You can also upgrade sooner for a £500 fee.
There's an initial three-month commitment, after which you can give back the car or extend your subscription. The minimum age is 28 and you need to have held a driving license for at least two years and have no more than six penalty points. Insurance for two people, servicing and breakdown cover are all included, and cars must be given back clean with at least a quarter tank of fuel or charge.
Renault Subscription
Renault offers a number of models on comprehensive and flexible subscriptions. Right now on 24-month Renault Subscription, the Renault Clio evolution manual starts at £399 per month as the only purely petrol-powered subscription option.
Renault has a whole host of hybrids to choose from, beginning with the Renault Clio E-Tech hybrid, which starts at £465 per month, the Renault Captur E-Tech hybrid from £539, the new Renault Symbioz E-Tech hybrid from £549, the Renault Arkana hybrid from £569 and the Renault Austral E-Tech hybrid from £629 per month.
If you're interested in EV subscription, the Renault Megane E-Tech starts from £599 per month and the new Renault Scenic E-Tech starts at £699 a month.
Renault Subscription is open to UK residents aged 25 and over who have held a full UK/EU Driving Licence for a minimum of two years. Subscriptions have a 750-mile monthly allowance as standard, but this can be increased to 1,800 miles at an additional cost.
Prices include maintenance, insurance, roadside assistance, and taxes. Delivery cost and fuel, diesel exhaust fluid, energy charges and charges, fines or penalties for tolls, speeding, parking or congestion charges are not included.
Nissan Subscription
Nissan currently offers four of its models on a subscription basis. Nissan Subscription is available on the Nissan Leaf EV, which starts from £479 per month, the Nissan Juke, starting from £489 per month, the Nissan Ariya EV, which starts at £635 per month, and the Nissan Qashqai, which starts from £639 per month.
Nissan Subscription is open to UK residents aged 25 and over who have held a full UK/EU Driving Licence for a minimum of two years. Subscriptions are available for three, six, 12 and 24 months, and prices change accordingly. 800 miles per month are included, but this can be increased to 1,000, 1,250, 1,500 or 2,000 per month at an extra cost.
Prices include maintenance, insurance, roadside assistance, and taxes. Home delivery costs an extra £199 and fuel, diesel exhaust fluid, energy charges and charges, fines or penalties for tolls, speeding, parking or congestion charges are not included.
Volvo Subscription
Volvo currently offers all of its new models with Volvo Subscription as an option. However, recent changes in the firm's overall marketing strategy mean that its subscription product will be phased out. There is currently no news on when this will be.
Until this occurs, Volvos are still available with a three-month minimum to a five-year maximum term as long as you're at least 18 years old. Subscription prices currently start at the following amounts per month for conventionally powered models: a Volvo XC40 from £729, a Volvo XC60 from £799, a Volvo XC90 from £1,119.
Volvo's electric range of cars is also available on subscription, with monthly prices starting as follows: a Volvo EX30 from £839, a Volvo EX40 from £919, a Volvo EC40 from £979, and the new EX90 from £2,309. Prices increase depending on the mileage allowance you select when you order the car.
Subscriptions include the car's three-year warranty, Google digital services subscription, the ability to switch cars with three months' notice, courtesy cars, roadside assistance, the Volvo Cars app, annual inspections and tyre checks, pick-up and delivery and Volvo's comprehensive Service Plan Plus.
However, it doesn't include insurance, although this can be added to your monthly commitment.
Does Just Add Fuel still exist?
Despite being something of a pioneer of the car subscription idea, Peugeot no longer offers its Just Add Fuel deal, and has opted not to offer any form of car subscription in favour of more conventional PCP or PCH deals.
Just Add Fuel was very similar to other car subscriptions offered by Renault, Volvo and JLR, and included a brand new car with three years' insurance, tax, servicing, roadside assistance and warranty included for one monthly payment, which was based around your predicted annual mileage.
Is car subscription cheaper than buying or financing a new car?
The major benefit of opting for a car subscription is that it takes the hassle out of car ownership. Everything except the fuel, parking costs and and driving indiscretions are wrapped up in one monthly invoice, and any maintenance or issue with the car becomes someone else's problem at the tap of an app or a quick phone call.
All of this convenience comes at a cost, but it's quite difficult to compare owning versus subscribing as there are so many variables - cost of servicing, cost of maintenance, depreciation and so on - to factor in.
As with a lease, subscriptions include road tax, plus you're insulated from the car's depreciation and the need to sell it when you're looking to upgrade. However, you're not committed for the longer term as you are with a lease.
In general, from a monthly payment point of view, a lease tends to be cheapest, with subscriptions closer or slightly more than PCP in cost, but coming with more convenience, albeit no option to own the car.
As ever, if you're considering a subscription, it's worth taking the time to calculate the approximate cost for the alternatives, too, so you get the best deal for your motoring needs.
What’s the difference between car subscription and PCP?
Unlike PCP, where you're responsible for taking care of your car and insuring it, car subscriptions offer just about the most fuss-free approach to motoring available. Each car subscription varies slightly, but generally most operating costs are covered, including the car's servicing and maintenance, the replacement of tyres when worn through normal use, and - generally - insurance, too.
Subscription requires less commitment, too, with most agreements requiring three months’ notice to change cars or cancel your contract.
Is insurance included in my car subscription?
Car insurance is generally included, and most subscription services only allow you to be insured using their policy, although this doesn't generally count towards your no-claims bonus. This policy does usually include driving for at least two named people, replacement key cover, and driving in the EU as long as you give plenty of notice. There are some exceptions. For example, Jaguar's Pivotal subscription requires you to insure yourself if you've had a car stolen in the past year.
Am I liable for parking fines?
Sadly yes, you are liable for any parking fines or penalty charge notices incurred while your subscription is active. These are usually paid automatically by the company issuing your car subscription on your behalf, then charged to you in your next monthly invoice.
There is usually an additional admin fee to pay for this, which will be stated in your car subscription contract. The documentation is also usually sent to you in case you wish to challenge the fine with the relevant issuing authority.