One Is the Most Affordable Number: Porsche Subscription Service Strips It Down

Sick and tired of paying through the nose to swap out Porsches all month, wowing your friends and coworkers with your revolving door of high-end rides? Your prayers have been answered.

Porsche Drive, the German automaker’s limited-market, all-in subscription service, has added something new: one- or three-month access to a single Porsche vehicle, rather than a multi-vehicle plan costing significantly more.

If you’re in town for only a short contract or just can’t stand the commitment that comes with leasing, this could be for you.

Of course, you’ll have to live within 50 miles of San Diego, Atlanta, Los Angeles, or Phoenix to take part. Subscription services are still in their infancy, and limited geographic availability are the name of the game for these pilots. Porsche Drive launched in 2017.

The Single-Vehicle Subscription tier isn’t the lowest on the Porsche Drive totem, however. Those who wish to drive 200 miles or less per day can opt for the short-term rental option, which offers a single car for one to three days, or four or more. Perfect for an extended layover or a shallow plot to make the person you’re meeting at the bar think you’re someone extra special.

The Multi-Vehicle Subscription tier offers two levels of ride-swapping pleasure, starting at $2,100 a month (a fee that includes insurance but excludes gas) and topping out at $3,100 for access to the full gamut of nameplates. Going the single-vehicle route gets you into a Macan, Boxster, Cayman, Cayenne, Panamera, or 911 Carrera, with $1,500 as the monthly fee floor and $2,600 as the ceiling. The same $595 activation fee as the multi-vehicle tiers applies to the one-month rental. Three-month subscription customers see their fee waived.

Worth it? That’s for you to decide. If you’ve got $2,600 a month to put towards a Carrera, why not add another $500 and get the Carrera and everything else? Still, enough customers have availed themselves of the app-based service to keep the project running, it seems. Other automakers haven’t been as lucky.

Of course, in addition to the reduced monthly fee for single-vehicle access, subscribers will find their monthly mileage allowance has taken a haircut — from the 2,000 miles afforded to multi-vehicle subscribers, to 1,500 miles. Choose your journeys carefully… and maybe your financial decisions.

[Image: Porsche]