[Auto] On.To car subscription service 2021 long-term review

[Mr.Talha]

https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-review/ds/3-crossback/long-term-reviews/car-subscription-service-2021-long-term-review

 

 

 

How do you hand back the keys to a car you never had the keys to in the first place? With a few taps on a screen. Ending our final month of Onto’s app-based subscription service was, like just about everything else to do with the firm, handled via a smartphone.

Just open the app, tap ‘Arrange a return’, confirm which date you’d like a friendly face to turn up on your doorstep and, after a few checks for damage, wave them off. There’s no paperwork to sign, and no break clauses to trouble your bank balance. For sheer ease of use, few other methods of car ‘ownership’ come close.

In fact, the entire experience was fairly painless, even if it did take a little while to get used to the app’s quirks – particularly with the DS 3 Crossback E-Tense. Simply unlocking the doors meant fighting a decade of muscle memory, where I’d reach into a pocket for a physical key that wasn’t there. The car wouldn’t always detect my phone was present, especially if I’d closed the door and then opened it again, meaning it would refuse to start until I rebooted the app.

I couldn’t have been the only person with key-related woes as, during our loan, Onto announced it would be providing physical keys to new customers, as well as to existing subscribers if they asked for one. This seemed to go down well on the company’s very active web forum, which was the place to go for any queries.

Onto moderators are quick to reply, but other users would usually chip in first. There was never a shortage of helpful suggestions, especially on the topic of which cars should be added to the fleet next. A user poll voted the Volkswagen ID 3 as most in demand, and Onto quickly announced it would be added to the fleet later in the year.

A lot of the subscription’s included ‘benefits’ were invisible, meaning I didn’t have to get an insurance quote, or organise a tyre replacement when the DS suffered a puncture. I never needed the built-in dashcam, either – a fact Onto’s insurer will no doubt be glad to hear.

I took most advantage of the free public rapid charging, from both Shell Recharge and BP Pulse; by the time the Hyundai Kona Electric was returned, Instavolt had also been added.

 

 

I’d typically top up between 30kWh and 40kWh per charge, which would cost a pay-as-you-go customer between £8 and £15. Had I acquired the car on PCP or a lease, that would soon add up: with no way to charge at home, at least one visit a week, and BP’s membership fee to account for, I’d be having to fork out roughly £65 every month. With Onto, even maximising the subscription’s 1000-mile monthly limit wasn’t going to have a negative impact on my bank balance.

That was handy, seeing how cold weather was kryptonite to the DS’s range. Even on milder days, it failed to deliver close to its WLTP-certified 197 miles of range per charge, especially when attempting long- distance trips. Conversely, the Kona Electric that followed it was accurate to the mile, regardless of journey length. That meant I was happy to run the battery down further, all but eliminating range anxiety.

Of the pair, it was the Hyundai I enjoyed more. It was genuinely fun to drive on the right roads, with a sport mode that could embarrass hot hatchbacks at traffic lights, fine- grain control over brake regeneration via steering wheel-mounted paddles and enough cabin space for a family of four. Even rear passengers got luxuries like heated seats. I could easily see myself living with one permanently.

Would I do it via subscription, though? Time for some maths. Three years of subscription ‘ownership’ would set you back £20,124, whereas a typical PCP deal we found would cost £22,000 over the same length of time, based on a £6000 deposit and monthly payments of around £450. Of course, the PCP route gives you the option to keep the car at the end, if you want to pay the balloon payment – roughly £17,000.

A typical lease deal over the same period, though? That would be around £13,000. Keep in mind you would still need to pay around £2500 of that up front, and you’re on the hook for your own insurance, maintenance and charging, but the car would be brand new – with Onto, there’s no guarantee you’ll be the first ‘owner’. For anyone willing to tie themselves in for the long term, subscriptions are an undeniably expensive option.

If you need a car for only a few months, though, things make a lot more sense. There’s no deposit required and you could change models every month if you wanted to. Even more importantly, I think services like this might just be the best way to find out if an EV fits into your life.

One of our jobs on Autocar is to explain the benefits and pitfalls of electric car ownership, but I’ve got to admit nothing beats actually trying one for yourself. You’ll learn so much more in a month behind the wheel than you ever could from a car dealer’s weekend test drive, so when your time is up, you’ll be assured in your decision to make the switch to electric or not. If subscriptions help with that, they’ve earned their place.