And Germans are diligently joining in, sharing services, music, files, accommodation or their cars. This is also the finding of the study “Share Economy. The New Business Model” by the auditing and consulting firm PwC*. In the survey, PwC also found out which aspects of the sharing economy the German study participants see as advantageous and disadvantageous. On the pro side, the largest user group (50 percent) emphasized the better price-performance ratio. 25 percent of respondents see resource conservation and environmental protection as the main advantages. Just as many people feel that the direct communication between users and providers is advantageous.
Sharing instead of owning is really that popular
Car subscription? It works in a similar way to other subscriptions, such as a box of vegetables from the farm, a mobile phone contract or a subscription to a newspaper. A car subscription is somewhere between car sharing and leasing. Unlike car sharing, you own your own car for the period you want, and unlike leasing, that period is usually much shorter. For example, the minimum term of a car subscription is between one and six months, depending on the provider. However, the basic idea is always the same: for an all-inclusive fixed amount per month, you get a car for immediate use. Only the fuel costs and car cleaning are paid additionally by the user.
For a fixed monthly amount a car on time
Car subscriptions, it seems, could be a sensible addition to existing offers ranging from car purchase to car sharing for people who need their own car at short notice and for a manageable period of time. This is also shown by the fact that car rental company Sixt offers such a subscription model with its SIXT+Auto Abo.
The new way to own a car
The SIXT+ car subscription is the flexible alternative to buying a new car or leasing. Drive the vehicle of your choice for as long as you like and cancel at any time at the end of the month – without any long-term commitment or obligation. What’s more, all additional costs, such as registration, tax, third-party liability, comprehensive cover and maintenance, are covered by SIXT, so you don’t have to worry about anything. You only pay the monthly fixed price and the fuel costs at the petrol station. SIXT and the ADAC take care of everything else. Since there is also no minimum term, a change of vehicle is possible without any problems and you can cancel at any time at the end of the month, the SIXT+ car subscription is super flexible.
What is striking about the offers of all providers is that, in addition to cost and convenience, it is also about quickly available individual mobility. It can also be seen that the car is no longer an object of passion and pride of ownership. Just as with newspapers or the vegetable box, a car subscription can also be cancelled simply with a signature.
* The PwC study “Share Economy. The New Business-Model” is based on a representative survey of 4,500 consumers in Belgium, the Netherlands, Austria, Switzerland, Turkey and Germany in late summer 2017. Among these countries, Germany is the largest share economy market with a volume of well over 20 billion euros, which is why 2,000 people were surveyed in this country.
