Car subscription explained

Is an electric car subscription right for you?

For drivers who want access to the latest electric cars without the hassle of traditional leasing or financing models, car subscription is fast becoming one of the most popular alternatives. 

Flexible, convenient, and cost-effective, an electric car subscription gives drivers all-inclusive access to the latest electric cars, delivered direct to your door. Onto takes care of insurance, maintenance, road tax, and public charging*. Get behind the wheel of the latest, most popular electric cars in minutes – all online, with no tedious admin and no deposit, just one transparent monthly fee. Which one will you drive first?

*If you select a no-charging subscription, this won’t apply.

Car subscription: A better alternative to buying or leasing for your next car

If you’ve previously owned or leased your cars, you’ll know that the process can be complicated. You have to decide on the best way to finance your new car, make a large (and often non-refundable) deposit, and fill out seemingly endless paperwork - all so you can just reserve your vehicle.

And it doesn’t end there - you’re usually looking at a few weeks’ wait for your car to arrive at the dealer, and you’ll have to arrange your own insurance cover before you can start driving. Not to mention all the other costs that can come up over the years you’ve committed to driving this car.

Multi-year contracts, long waiting periods, and all those associated hassles are things of the past with an electric car subscription, which offers you:

  • Flexibility - Subscriptions run monthly. When you feel like changing things up, all you have to do is let us know if you’d like to continue, cancel or swap to a different model.
  • Delivery to your door - There’s no need to wait for the dealer to call, as we’ll deliver your new electric car directly to your door. 
  • All the extras, as standard - We know the ‘optional extras’ are really essentials, so insurance, maintenance, 24/7 service and a range of public charging options are included with every Onto car subscription*.

*If you select a no-charging subscription, this won’t apply.

Meet our electric cars

Peugeot e-2008
GT
155mi Real World Range|21 & 22 Model
£619/month incl:
  • No deposit
  • Insurance
  • Charging
  • Maintenance & Servicing
  • Breakdown cover
  • Road tax
  • 24/7 support

Subscription is revolutionising EV access

Car subscription gives you more with less hassle. That’s why Onto is the future of driving.

“Onto is an all-inclusive electric vehicle (EV) subscription service, which means that, for one flat monthly fee, customers get car insurance, maintenance service and even public charging at a variety of convenient locations included. It's all without an up-front deposit and with only a flexibly monthly commitment. 

The concept behind the subscription is to make it more accessible, giving people the real benefits of an electric car without them being locked in for long periods of time – while realising of course, that once people try an electric car, the vast majority never go back.”

Rob Jolly, Onto CEO, BDO

How does car subscription work?

When you’re ready to start your electric car subscription, the process is easy with Onto. In just a few simple steps, you’ll be able to complete your registration and book your first car. We walk you through each step of the process here.

Easy sign-up on our website or with our app

First, you’ll need to create an account. The Onto sign-up process is totally digital - you can complete almost all of it online, without having to fill out any paperwork. 

Just enter your email address, create a password, and provide your name and phone number, and you’ll be registered.

Once you’re logged in, you’ll be able to complete your profile by providing a photo of your driving licence and a selfie with your licence visible. 

No credit checks

Unlike a traditional lease, an electric car subscription with Onto does not require a credit check

Once your profile is complete, we’ll do our own affordability background check to look for things like CCJs (county court judgements for debt), bankruptcies, insolvencies, and credit searches by debt collection agencies. With that information, we’ll be able to make an affordability assessment.

Though not a formal credit check, a record of our search will be left in your history, but it will not affect your credit rating.

No deposit

Unlike leasing or hire purchase, a car subscription lets you get into an electric car without a deposit. Traditional financing options usually mean putting down a non-refundable deposit of thousands of pounds before you can even reserve your electric car. 

With Onto, you won’t have to pay a deposit before you choose your first electric car. You’ll be able to book the EV of your choice, when you pay your first month’s subscription fee.

Book your first car

See all the cars available for delivery to your postcode with just a search on our site. From your account, select ‘Browse cars,’ and you’ll be taken to a view of all of our electric cars.

To start your first car reservation, simply enter your postcode into the ‘Check availability’ field. This will filter all of the electric cars down to the ones currently available for delivery to your postcode. 

Make your choice from dozens of the latest electric cars, and you could be driving your EV in as little as a few days.

Or swap it for another one

Are you thinking of going for a convertible for summer? Or do you want something with a bigger backseat for the kids? Have you been leaning towards something more luxurious? 

However you’re feeling, Onto get it - our monthly subscriptions mean that you can change things up when you choose. All you have to do is book a swap through the website or app, pick your preferred swap date, and we’ll arrange the swap of the current car for your next electric car. Each swap costs only £79.50. 

Convenient delivery and collection

When you reserve your electric car, you’re choosing from a selection of cars that are already available for delivery - you won’t have to wait for your EV to be ordered in or go out of your way to pick it up from the dealer. 

Instead, you’ll be able to have your electric car delivered directly to your home for a one-time delivery fee of £129.50. Choose the date that’s convenient for you, make sure you’re there with your driving licence to hand to receive the delivery, and you’ll be able to start driving your new EV.

When you’re ready to swap to your next electric car, you can arrange a collection for your current car and the delivery of your next one - all directly from our app or online.

And if you decide to end your subscription, you’ll be able to request that collection from your account as well.

What does a car subscription include?

Onto offers all-inclusive access to the latest electric cars, with everything you need to enjoy the ride.

At Onto, we know how stressful it can be to lease or buy a new EV - it’s not just the deposits and payments, it’s the hours spent researching the best deals, filling out all that paperwork, and arranging what you’ll need to get on the road. 

That’s why we offer an alternative. We constantly monitor the market to ensure we’re offering competitive rates on our electric cars, and demonstrate those savings directly to you with our fully transparent pricing model. 

And that includes all the essentials - from 24-hour access to breakdown assistance to public charging, we’ve made it convenient and cost-effective for you to access your next electric car.

Insurance

When you choose an electric car subscription with Onto, we’ve got you covered. 

Car insurance is a legal requirement for driving on the roads in the UK. There are three levels of insurance cover: third party only, third party fire and theft, and fully comprehensive. 

Third party only insurance is the lowest level of cover that meets the legal requirement, and it essentially only covers the cost of damage to the other driver’s car in case of an accident. The next level of cover is third party fire and theft, which adds cover for your car if it’s damaged by fire or stolen.

Fully comprehensive insurance offers the highest level of protection - it doesn’t just cover other drivers, it covers you and your own car. 

And fully comprehensive insurance is the level of cover we’ve included with every electric car subscription with Onto. Your safety is important to us, so we’ve partnered with a provider to offer it to all of our drivers as standard.

Maintenance

Even electric cars can experience wear and tear. As soon as you notice something wrong with your car, give our 24/7 customer service team a call - we’ll be able to sort any necessary repairs and get you back on the road safely. 

When you’re an Onto subscriber, we’ll look after any regular servicing your EV may need and arrange the maintenance of fair wear and tear or manufacturing faults. Depending on the types of repairs needed, you may be eligible for a courtesy car while they’re completed.

Please note that while you won’t be responsible for carrying out your own maintenance or finding your own professionals, certain exclusions to repairs apply. You can read more about this in our terms and conditions and in your hire agreement. If you’re unsure, just check with us as soon as anything happens, and we’ll be able to give you a transparent overview of every step of the repairs process.

Breakdown cover

If your Onto electric car breaks down, just give us a call on 03450 348 647. We’ll be available any time, day or night, to advise you on the assistance we can offer you.  

Public charging

Public charging, free of charge*. Onto electric car subscription puts range anxiety to rest with access to Shell Recharge, the nation’s largest public charging network.

As an Onto subscriber, you’ll be able to charge your electric car at any of the 20,000 charge points as part of the Shell Recharge network*.

And if you’ve chosen a Tesla, you’ll also enjoy access to the Tesla Supercharger Network.

*If you select a no-charging subscription, this won’t apply.

Monthly allowance of 750 miles

At Onto, we go the extra mile for you. Every month, we provide an allowance of 750 miles as standard with your electric car subscription. Most traditional leases will impose strict (and quite low!) mileage limits, but we know that there will be some months where you drive more and some where you may drive less.  

Instead, we offer a flexible solution to making the most of your monthly mileage. If you think you’ll need extra miles, it’s easy to add an additional package of 250, 500, 750, or 1,000 miles to your account directly from your My Account section on our website or our app.

And if you don’t end up using your full allowance, those miles will stay in your account for a full year. So you can use them next month - or the month after. 

Flexible access to the latest electric cars

Choose from the best electric cars, every time. When you sign up for Onto, you’ll have access to all of the best electric cars we have on offer in your area. 

With your Onto electric car subscription, you can choose from some of the most popular models on the market today. And when you decide you’re ready for a different model, you can simply choose again.

From your first reservation to your final pick-up, Onto makes it easy to start driving an electric car - and keep driving the latest models as they’re released.

Going electric with Onto: Real stories from the road

Don’t just take our word for it. Hear from a couple of real Onto customers about what it’s like to subscribe to an electric car.

“I would highly recommend Onto to everyone. My daughter’s dad actually joined a couple of months after we did because he saw what a great experience we were having. I think he might swap his car for a new one soon. But we’re sticking with our Renault Zoe for now. I can’t believe we didn’t make the change sooner.” – Nicole, Devon

Read Nicole’s story

“I’m just about to swap to my third car, which will be a bright green Vauxhall Mokka. EVs make me feel like driving is fun again.” – Ron, Hertfordshire

Read Ron’s story

Car subscription FAQs

This is the future of driving

For a monthly subscription, enjoy all the benefits of car ownership, but none of the hassle.

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