Pivotal is a subscription service by Jaguar and Land Rover offering a hassle-free and enjoyable alternative to premium car ownership. You may be familiar with subscription services like Gousto for meals, Rent the Runway for fashion, and Peloton for cycling. In the car industry though, subscription is still a new concept. Much like these other brands, car subscription can save you money in the long term.

For a customer considering a car subscription, there is one single monthly figure that includes everything except fuel. It must be compared to all the individual costs of traditional car ownership, including deposit, monthly lease payments, insurance, tax, servicing, and repairs. By the time you have totalled these costs together, subscription works out to be very close or even cheaper.

While the total cost may be comparable, subscription comes with many extra benefits that customers often do not consider. These extra benefits can reduce risk and save money in the longer term.

Here are 5 great ways car subscription can save you money compared to traditional car ownership:

1. Flexibility to live your life with no long-term commitments

It used to be said you had a job for life. Today, employment consists of job swaps, different employers, and sometimes periods of no work altogether or even sabbaticals. Subscription gives customers extra flexibility; if they’re faced with unemployment or reduced income, then they can pause the subscription and return the car (after the initial period). 

Instead of being locked into a lease contract for up to 48 months, the customer is empowered to deal with the pressures and risks of employment and can rest easy.

2. Releases the equity in your car

A traditional out-right purchase or lease plan will tie the customer’s capital into the car for up to 4 years. Most customers do not stop to think about how that £10,000 could be spent elsewhere – in the household, invested, or put into savings.  A car subscription acts like an equity release for customers. Over time, the monthly payments will net out, but customers can benefit from the cashflow advantage upfront and use the cash for other needs.

3. Eliminates depreciation uncertainty

Customers never have to worry about vehicle depreciation with a car subscription. Instead, every few months their vehicle is refreshed by the provider (6 months in the case of Pivotal). With the transition to electrification, the focus on environmental impact, and the rising cost of taxes and fuel, now might not be the right time to be locked into an expensive vehicle for 4 years. Remember, with a traditional lease you will be paying the same amount in year 4 as you did in year 1 but on a 4-year-old car.

With a car subscription, a customer can sleep soundly in the knowledge that that risk is not on their shoulders.

4. Allows you to consolidate to fewer cars and save money 

A subscription service allows a customer to switch easily between a variety of different types of cars. So if you need a large SUV for a period, flip the car. If you want to try out an electric vehicle, flip the car. Over time customers learn to recognise that instead of owning more than one car for different needs, they can simply change cars as needed. This can help save a household unnecessary costs from running multiple vehicles and carrying the depreciation.

5. Does not impact your Credit Rating

Car subscriptions are not considered loans and so do not affect a customer’s credit score. That means that if the customer needs financing for other expenditures, they will show a lower level of debt compared to taking a traditional vehicle lease. This, in turn, may help obtain the finance or even achieve, in some cases, a lower interest rate.

The Road Ahead

For any customer thinking about changing their vehicle, or who may be uncertain about how long they’ll need a car, now is the perfect time to look at vehicle subscriptions. 

Pivotal by Jaguar and Land Rover offers a range of beautiful vehicles, a high level of customer service, and competitive subscription tiers for every budget. Popular vehicles include Evoque, Range Rover Sport through to Jaguar I-PACE.

Visit www.drivepivotal.com for more information or call 0203 950 4833.