Auto One Drive

About Auto One Drive

Auto One Drive is a car subscription service that operates as part of Auto One. Auto One’s main focus is traditional leasing, with the subscription option being relatively new. The company offers 30-day terms to customers in Toronto, Halifax and Vancouver, with a range of maintained second-hand vehicles from their fleet. While the company doesn’t offer insurance as part of the subscription terms as yet, it is looking to get approval to do so. As a self-stated premium car offering, Auto One’s fleet is at the higher end of the market.

How it works

Auto One Drive offers a range of cars based on whether you are in Toronto, Vancouver or Halifax. Their range varies slightly.

• Sign up and go through the pre-checks. Auto One Drive, like their competitors, do a credit and driver check.
• Choose your vehicle. You can see how far away it is, the age, spec etc. all on the website
• Arrange to collect the vehicle or have it delivered to you within the specified areas
• Drive the vehicle. Auto One currently don’t offer insurance, but all vehicles are maintained, and a roadside assistance plan is available with every vehicle.

If you want to cancel, you need to give 30 days’ notice in writing. You can swap your car every 30 days on the subscription plan.

Costs and fees

Prices vary based on the vehicle:

Ford Escape / Kia Soul: From $500 per month
Mercedes C400 / Toyota Prius: From $800 per month
Tesla Model S / Porsche Cayenne: From $1,800 per month

The deposit amount is $175 and there is a $125 fee per swap. Excess mileage over the stated limit of 1000km per month is charged at $0.65 per kilometer.

Brands and models

Auto One Drive is a premium service and car availability is subject to location. The fleet of subscription vehicles is taken from the company’s main business as a traditional lease firm. Brands include BMW, Audi, Porsche, Ford, Mercedes and Tesla.

Notice periods

Cancelation of your subscription service requires 30 days’ written notice.

What’s special about Auto One Drive

Car subscriptions are a relatively new concept in Canada, and Auto One Drive’s service is one of the first. This means that they have a settled infrastructure, and their range of vehicles is taken from their leasing company, which is much longer established.

This range includes vehicles from premium brands such as Porsche and Tesla, with more affordable vehicles also available. While the monthly mileage allocation is quite conservative, at 1000km per month, the excess charge is also low compared with industry standards. This will appeal to people who often have to make long trips.

Users can swap vehicles once a month with no restrictions on moving to cheaper or more expensive vehicles, for a flat fee. This allows for a bit of luxury or frugality whenever you need.

Social media

Auto One Drive doesn’t have a separate social media presence, but the Facebook account for the group is here.

Conclusion

Auto One Drive offers a range of cars from its leasing arm, which means that customers have access to a larger pool of vehicles than they otherwise would with a subscription-only company. The lowest price cars are accessible, but the lack of included insurance isn’t standard in the subscription market. It is therefore something that Auto One will need to add to bring themselves in line with the US market, for example. There is also the option to drive premium vehicles, meaning that Auto One Drive has appeal to several different demographics.