How is a Car Subscription Different than Leasing?

If you want your dream car but don’t want to sink your savings into a new or pre-owned car in the UAE, there are alternatives. The most well-known (purely because it’s been around for years), is leasing. But recently, a new way of having the car you’ve always wanted has opened up – car subscriptions.

At first glance, they look quite similar. But there are some fundamental differences that make car subscriptions the option to choose if you tend to change your mind a lot!

What is a car subscription?

If you sign up with MOOV by Al-Futtaim, you’re signing into a car subscription policy rather than a traditional lease. It’s very simple – you pay a monthly fee that doesn’t change for as long as you have the car.. Getting bored with a little run-around and want to experience the luxury of a sports car for a while? That’s cool – at the end of the month you can swap to a sports car, an SUV for that long road trip, or a sedan for an upcoming special occasion.

The key is flexibility. Whereas with a lease you’re locked into your car for a set amount of time (depending on whether it’s a short or long-term lease), a car subscription allows you to change your mind. And as long as you stick with the same group or package deal, your fees stay exactly the same, month after month.

Hang on, isn’t that the same as leasing?

Not exactly. Leasing is an agreement that’s pretty-much set in stone. Once you sign on the dotted line, you’re locked in for the duration. And that could be quite a while, as long-term leases can be for around two to three years. So if you get six months into your lease contract and suddenly find that you just don’t like the way your car handles, well… tough. You’re stuck with it until the lease is up unless you want to pay a pretty steep get-out fee.

With car subscriptions, the longest you’ll be ‘stuck’ with a car is a month. Because at the end of the month you can call us up and arrange to swap it for something else. And that is the big, big difference between leasing and a car subscription.

Oh, and there’s another big red flag with car leasing – whereas with a MOOV car subscription, standard insurance is included in your monthly price, with car leasing you usually have to arrange your own insurance. And that’s another ‘lock-in’ for leasing because insurance runs for 12 months and can cost you extra if you change vehicles halfway through a policy.

Flexibility – the big difference

Put simply, car subscriptions are short-term leases that are far more flexible and customer-focused than a standard car rental or long-term lease. Everything you need is bundled into one package and you pay a flat rate every month, so it’s easier to budget.

And if you change your mind, that’s cool. You can switch to another package to get higher mileage allowances, a different category of car, or just because you fancy a change. That’s the beauty of a car subscription – it’s all about what you want, and not what the lease company thinks you should have.

Interested? It’s easy to find out more from MOOV by Al-Futtaim. Browse our website or give us a call today and let’s get you MOOV-ing!

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