A Round-up of Electric Car and Van Subscription Services
- Wednesday, August 30, 2023
- Posted By The Growth Company
For many businesses an individual’s car subscription services can provide a gateway to electric car ownership, giving drivers the chance to live with the vehicle for a short time before making a big financial commitment. It’s a very popular way for businesses and individual drivers to become comfortable with the new green technology without having to worry about the cost of buying an electric vehicle themselves. So far, EV customers have been one of the biggest adopters of car subscriptions, with the vast majority continuing to drive an EV long after their initial subscription period ends.
Subscription schemes can also be called flexible leases, flexible rentals, long-term rentals or long-term hires. The general idea is that you can have the car for as long as you like with no or very little cost to sign up and you can both end the contract or swap the car whenever you feel like it, of course, this is subject to the conditions of the contract.
Subscription schemes tend to include road tax and breakdown cover and many include servicing, MOTs and wear-and-tear costs. There are specialist subscriptions for vans and many independent subscription providers over multiple brands giving consumers more choice.
It’s a fast-growing market with new car subscription providers entering the market every day and offerings constantly evolving. However, car subscription providers can typically be divided into those from car manufacturers, independent providers and rental companies.
Bee Net Zero has rounded up some of the top UK-based car subscription services available to Greater Manchester businesses right now to help make the switch to EVs affordable.
Mycardirect is an online car subscription service that offers electric cars and vans from a number of different brands. The company has four locations in England and offers free delivery to anywhere in mainland Great Britain.
It is particularly handy for small businesses that may not need a van all year round or may need an additional vehicle for a short-term contract.
The contract includes servicing and milage of 1,000 miles a month with an up-front fee of £250. Insurance isn’t included in the advertised prices however, Mycardirect can help you with that if you prefer.
As one of the UK’s first car subscription providers, Wagonex now offers both electric cars and vans with subscription packages from a range of subscription providers (so it’s a bit like Auto Trader offering used cars from many different sellers). The terms and conditions for each vehicle will vary which can be a bit more confusing as up-front deposits, mileage allowances and other terms may differ.
As with other subscription providers, with Wagonex road tax and maintenance are covered, although insurance is not included in the monthly fee. They offer a minimum term of 1 month and a maximum term of 2 years.
Cocoon Vehicles operates short-term leases from one to three months or subscriptions. It offers a range of vehicles including electric cars, vans and performance cars. It has an upfront fee of £150 but servicing is not included in the monthly payments and neither is insurance. The mileage allowance with Cocoon is 883 miles per month and delivery or collection is free to England and Wales.
Drive Fuze is a start-up car subscription provider that offers rolling-month subscriptions so you won’t be locked into a longer contract. It offers electric cars, including a 1,000-mile per-month driving allowance, comprehensive car insurance, road tax and any scheduled servicing. Upfront prices are priced upon application as are delivery and collection costs.
Formerly known as Electric Zoo, EZoo is another EV-only pay-as-you-go subscription scheme with cars from 13 different manufacturers ranging from Renault to Tesla. It's a fully flexible solution that can work around you with terms starting from a minimum of one month and up to 2 years. Delivery isn’t included in the price and will be quoted at £1.80 per mile from either Coventry or Glasgow, depending on which of EZoo’s depots the vehicle is in. The monthly mileage allowance is 800 miles per month and both insurance and servicing are included.
Flexed offers electric vehicle subscription terms from as little as four weeks up to a year with the choice of 16 different manufacturers. Flexed has one of the best choices of electric vehicles on offer. There is no upfront fee but delivery costs depend on the distance from the Flexed HQ in York. Insurance, servicing and a monthly mileage allowance of 1,250 miles per month are included.
Genesis is a new premium car brand from Hyundai with its own subscription service called Flexibility. The brand’s entire range of upmarket models are available including the new all-electric GV60 hatchback. All offers are based on an annual mileage of 10,000 miles with scheduled servicing included, but insurance and maintenance costs are not included. Genesis Flexibility also offers six-month contracts but for a higher fee.
Hyundai’s subscription platform Mocean offers a wide selection of the brand’s models available on subscription. To take advantage you must sign up for Hyundai’s insurance, which can add significant costs and for shorter-term contracts prices will increase. Prices online are based on 800 miles per month but this can be increased if you’re willing to pay more.
Both owned by Tata Motors, Jaguar and Land Rover’s joint subscription Pivotal, offers a minimum 90-day term and monthly vehicle swaps possible. There are multiple membership tiers and members can put their subscriptions on hold from month to month. Packages include insurance but the choice of vehicles remains quite limited.
Volvo’s Care by Volvo subscription gives customers the choice of any model from the current Volvo line-up. Customers can also assemble their monthly package on an app and try the car on a 30-day trial with no sign-up fee and then a three-month rolling contract. Insurance isn’t included with Volvo’s Care by Volvo subscriptions.
Volkswagen Group has started a small subscription offering, with deals now available for the all-electric Cupra Born hatchback, in partnership with subscription provider Wagonex.
A great way to trial an all-electric car, Cupra currently only offers a Born subscription on a three-month contract, with prices starting at £699/month. Breakdown cover, road tax and maintenance costs are included, but insurance isn’t.
Renault has also started offering subscription deals but, as of July 2023 for the Mégane E-Tech electric hatchback or the Clio hybrid supermini. Contracts can range from 3 months to 2 years, but shorter contracts have a higher cost. The packages include insurance, road, tax, maintenance and breakdown cover in the monthly payment.
Nissan’s subscription offer gives a limited choice. In this case, it’s the Nissan Qashqai e-Power, the Nissan Leaf EV and the Nissan Ariya EV. Nissan Subscription plans are inclusive of insurance, road, tax, maintenance and breakdown cover as part of your monthly payment.
If you know of any other electric vehicle subscription services available to businesses of any size across Greater Manchester, please contact our team and we’ll make sure it’s included in this roundup.
To find out everything you need to know about making the switch to EVs in your organisation, visit our electric vehicle campaign page.
Or to find a more personalised solution, contact us via our partner Green Economy.