Thinking of Getting a BMW Subscription? Expect to Mercifully Pay Less

Matt Posky
by Matt Posky

BMW is trimming some of the fat off its car subscription program after the media collectively realized that paying twice what you would on an average lease didn’t constitute a good deal. Frankly, most car subscription services that exist right now are an incredibly poor value. Bavarian Motor Works was the rule, not the exception.

However, most of these programs are in their infancy and cater to wealthier individuals who get a kick out pestering automakers to submit to their whims by occasionally delivering a new vehicle. It was presumed that those lofty fees would come down as competition ramped up and mainstream automakers entered the fray. That, along with some public criticism of the subscription model, seems to be helping push automakers away from astronomical prices.

That’s not to say the German manufacturer is suddenly offering a bargain alternative to leasing. But if you love the idea of having a car for every occasion and don’t want to deal with insurance agents, Access by BMW has become more affordable.

According to Automotive News, BMW has reduce the price of both of its existing packages by a significant amount. The $2,000 per month package, which yielded customers models like the X5 M and M2 Competition, now runs $1,399 per month. Meanwhile, the $3,700 top-tier plan that could have you swapping between several six-figure models is now $2,699 each month.

There’s also a new basic plan that gets you into just about every BMW with a starting MSRP under $50,000 for just $1,099 — which is priced suspiciously close to the Mercedes-Benz Collection plan’s opening bid.

Again, these aren’t the best deals we’ve ever heard of, but insurance and maintenance are included. The company will also let you hop between vehicles. For example — if you’re a member of the cheapest plan and spend most of your time in an M240i convertible, but need something bigger to take the whole family out of town for a week, you can swap into an X3 without much trouble. Want to see how you like a pint-sized electric? Ditch the SUV and hop into an i3.

The pricing still isn’t low enough for us to endorse any of these programs as financially sound. But, if you absolutely love the idea of car swapping and have some money to burn, we suppose there is little harm in jumping in and seeing how you like it — other than normalizing the practice of factory-owned rental cars masquerading as your own personal vehicle.

[Image: BMW]

Matt Posky
Matt Posky

A staunch consumer advocate tracking industry trends and regulation. Before joining TTAC, Matt spent a decade working for marketing and research firms based in NYC. Clients included several of the world’s largest automakers, global tire brands, and aftermarket part suppliers. Dissatisfied with the corporate world and resentful of having to wear suits everyday, he pivoted to writing about cars. Since then, that man has become an ardent supporter of the right-to-repair movement, been interviewed on the auto industry by national radio broadcasts, driven more rental cars than anyone ever should, participated in amateur rallying events, and received the requisite minimum training as sanctioned by the SCCA. Handy with a wrench, Matt grew up surrounded by Detroit auto workers and managed to get a pizza delivery job before he was legally eligible. He later found himself driving box trucks through Manhattan, guaranteeing future sympathy for actual truckers. He continues to conduct research pertaining to the automotive sector as an independent contractor and has since moved back to his native Michigan, closer to where the cars are born. A contrarian, Matt claims to prefer understeer — stating that front and all-wheel drive vehicles cater best to his driving style.

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  • Jalop1991 Jalop1991 on Jul 31, 2018

    "Again, these aren’t the best deals we’ve ever heard of, but insurance and maintenance are included. " Why does Days of Thunder suddenly come scrolling across my consciousness?

  • Stuki Stuki on Aug 01, 2018

    I don't find these prices outrageous, either. No more so than BMWs in general. Now, make the $1099 plan $799, but stipulate at least 50% of the time in either a "stripper" 1/2 series or on a BMW bike, and we're really talking........ Going off-BMW, payments on a CX-5, a Miata AND a Japanese bike probably don't combine to much more than $1099, so you're obviously still paying for the roundel...

  • Dave Holzman A design award for the Prius?!!! Yes, the Prius is a great looking car, but the visibility is terrible from what I've read, notably Consumer Reports. Bad visibility is a dangerous, and very annoying design flaw.
  • Wjtinfwb I've owned multiple Mustang's, none perfect, all an absolute riot. My '85 GT with a big Holley 4 barrel and factory tube header manifolds was a screaming deal in its day and loved to rev. I replaced it with an '88 5.0 Convertible and added a Supercharger. Speed for days, handling... present. Brakes, ummm. But I couldn't kill it and it embarrassed a lot of much more expensive machinery. A '13 Boss 302 in Gotta Have It Green was a subtle as a sledgehammer, open up the exhaust cut outs and every day was Days of Thunder. I miss them all. They've gotten too expensive and too plush, I think, wish they'd go back to a LX version, ditch all the digital crap, cloth interior and just the Handling package as an add on. Keep it under 40k and give todays kids an alternative to a Civic or WRX.
  • Jpolicke In a communist dictatorship, there isn't much export activity that the government isn't aware of. That being the case, if the PRC wanted to, they could cut the flow of fentanyl down to a trickle. Since that isn't happening, I therefore assume Xi Jinping doesn't want it cut. China needs to feel the consequences for knowingly poisoning other countries' citizens.
  • El scotto Oh, ye nattering nabobs of negativism! Think of countries like restaurants. Our neighbors to the north and south are almost as good and the service is fantastic. They're awfully close to being as good as the US. Oh the Europeans are interesting and quaint but you really only go there a few times a year. Gents, the US is simply the hottest restaurant in town. Have to stand in line to get in? Of course. Can you hand out bribes to get in quicker? Of course. Suppliers and employees? Only the best on a constant basis.Did I mention there is a dress code? We strictly enforce it. Don't like it? Suck it.
  • 1995 SC At least you can still get one. There isn't much for Ford folks to be happy about nowadays, but the existence of the Mustang and the fact that the lessons from back in the 90s when Ford tried to kill it and replace it with the then flavor of the day seem to have been learned (the only lessons they seem to remember) are a win not only for Ford folks but for car people in general. One day my Super Coupe will pop its headgaskets (I know it will...I read it on the Internet). I hope I will still be physically up to dropping the supercharged Terminator Cobra motor into it. in all seriousness, The Mustang is a.win for car guys.
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