[1][2] Vehicle subscriptions have been available since 2010 when Rima Braden of Autosource, LLC offered a short-term flexible auto acquisition program from his dealership in Honolulu, Hawaii that he coined "Flexlease".
[3] Clutch Technologies, a start-up, launched a subscription service for consumers in Atlanta in mid-2014; Flow Automotive Companies was the first automotive dealership to offer a subscription service, launching Drive Flow in Winston-Salem in 2016, using Clutch's technology platform.
[4] 2017 saw several automotive manufacturers announce and launch subscription services, including Book by Cadillac, Porsche Passport, Care by Volvo and Canvas (backed by Ford Motor Company).
[10][11] Edmunds.com observes that there is a wide variety in the types of vehicle subscriptions that are available, such that many different customer needs can be met across the various services.
Most vehicle subscriptions allow customers to pay a flat periodic fee, typically on a monthly basis.
Several services, such as Carousel, Porsche Passport and Book by Cadillac, offer the option to swap between different types of vehicles.
Several automotive manufacturers and brands offer or have announced vehicle subscriptions, including Porsche, Volvo, Cadillac, Hyundai, Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Lexus and Ford.
[24][25][26] A UK based startup, Elmo, focuses on a subscription service exclusively for electric vehicles.
Myles Automotive Technologies (Delhi-based) is a multi-brand car subscription brand operating in all metropolitan cities.
[30][31] VAI, a brazilian subscription service for ride-sharing drivers was founded in December 2017 in Sao Paulo.
As registered Victorian and NSW motor dealers, Carbar and HelloCars subscription vehicles are owned and operated by their respective companies while Carly utilises peer-to-peer customer vehicles offered in partnership with sister company DriveMyCar Rentals Pty Ltd.
[40][41] CARIFY, with the largest selection of cars of similar ventures in Switzerland, was founded in September 2019 by Sergio Studer and Raffael Fiechter.