Most people probably understand short-term car rentals like you see at airport kiosks. Likewise, long-term, multi-year vehicle leases, refurbished or otherwise.
But there is a middle ground option: vehicle registration.
Like Spotify, Netflix or Kayo, there are services that let you pay a flexible subscription (usually monthly) for a new or even used car, with few strings attached and simple payments. .
A Google search shows many companies in this field such as Carly and Carbar. Traditional car rental companies such as Europcar and Sixt are now entering the market, and so are the car manufacturers themselves: specifically the European sub-brand Geely Lynk & Co.
What is yard? Is it just a product for people who are afraid of commitment and are willing to pay a premium for flexibility? Oh no.
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Lynk & Co
There are situations where someone may want or need a car for just a few months and must do so in a reasonable manner.
This period is long enough that renting a home would actually be expensive, but short enough that formal renting or buying doesn’t make any sense at all – especially for those short on time.
Maybe you’re in the middle of work and waiting for the next company bus. Maybe your old car broke down and you have to wait a bit for the next one.
Maybe you’ve been on interstate secondment for a few months and need wheels. Or maybe you just want one Actually Long trial period before buying something.
This latter point is especially relevant for those contemplating electric vehicles for their household or business fleet. Why not drive one for a few months and work out the weaknesses before buying a depreciating asset?
I fit the classic stereotype of a car subscriber, having left my role as a motoring journalist and joined the corporate sector.
I no longer get press-reviewed cars (for me it’s the little violin), my pair of ‘classics’ are no longer friendly to daily driving, and the car that the company My rental will not be available across the country until the end of May.
Another good example of an ideal candidate is my friend who moved back to Melbourne from London but didn’t quite decide to stay. They were staying at their parents’ house in the suburbs and needed temporary wheels while they planned their next trip.
I used Carly, mainly because I had heard about it. In the space of four months I have owned a Hyundai Ioniq 5 and now an MG 4, paying a single fee for the use of the car and all other associated ‘ownership’ costs. In my case, the money I spent was the most viable option.
It would have cost me a lot more to rent a car the traditional way for four months, and buying a cheap car to get by would be a pain since it would need to be resold at the beginning the other side instead of just giving. returned the keys and walked away, as I would when my rental car arrived.
The Ioniq 5 was a great vehicle to use for two months, which was long enough for me to start noticing annoyances like the below-average infotainment, thin flat door handles and loud turning dials, but short enough that its spaceship design language proves mesmerizing to the end.
Meanwhile, the MG 4 I’m using now, the base white 51kWh model I bought with exactly 12 miles, is very good for a $40,000 car, despite the cheap cabin design. Its expensive and quite boring.
The driving feel and handling are excellent, efficiency also reaches 15-16kWh per 100 km.
Don’t get me wrong, car subscriptions aren’t particularly cheap and are best suited to a small group of private or fleet buyers: such as time-poor professionals, travelers, or companies considering an electric car wants an extended trial.
Carly says 5-6 months is ideal for most users, and it’s easy to see the truth in that.
But in my experience, it’s a stress-free, no-strings-attached semi-ownership model that closes the gap in a matter of months in a way that more well-known vehicle shopping methods cannot.
There’s no one-size-fits-all solution, but for me and an emerging group of consumers, subscriptions are an attractive middle ground.
Faced with a similar situation, would I do it again? Sure.
I will say Carly has made a few complaints; specifically the issue of me pairing the cars to our household’s charging account and the company’s partnership with Chargefox for subsidized charging (in my experience, hardware often breaks and unreliable).
But none of this takes away from the idea. If for whatever reason the idea of owning a car with lots of versatility appeals for a few months, crunch the numbers and see for yourself.
Any questions? Put them in the comments, I’ll keep an eye out and answer honestly, drawing on my experience.
