Porsche Drive Review

Porsche Drive and Porsche Drive Rental

https://www.porsche.com/usa/accessoriesandservices/porschedrive/rental/

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Guy who did stuff: Yousef Alvi

Before we get into Porsche Drive. Let’s talk about vehicle subscriptions and leasing.

Car ownership is reaching an inflection point in society today. The speed of technological progress has wired our minds to update anything and everything in regular cycles and that has hit vehicle ownership as well. Most would say this started with the advent of the smartphone but it was before that. Way before that.

First came leasing and the idea of leasing has been with us since the Sumerian times. There one could lease land, cattle and other items. But, it took the famed Hammurabi to codify leasing agreements into law back in 1750 BC. From there, leasing became a staple on how businesses and empires were ran. Then fast forward to 1952, a company called United States Leasing Corporation opened its doors and unveiled vehicle leasing as we know of it today.

If you, unfortunately, read the internet or listen to economic or automotive pundits. Leasing a vehicle is evil and should be stopped. A person should buy a car (preferably in cash) keep it until they die and be buried with it.

While that is a ummm romantic (?) sentiment…it’s all crap. The entire civilized world is based upon consumer consumption of goods and services, consumers churn and burn products…which in turn churn and burn businesses, which in turn chun and money, which in turn churn and burns employment and the cycles goes on.

So from a strictly auto industry point of view…leasing is fantastic. It enables manufacturers to get a consumer into a new vehicle then 3 years later into another one. That enables that manufacturer to move inventory which in turn leads them to build more cars, which in turn keeps suppliers in business, which in turn hires people on all ends of the spectrum and the economic scales move forward. So basically…moving inventory is what keeps the industry alive.

So what the hell that does that have to do with Porsche Drive? Trust me, i’m getting there but I like putting things into perspective.

Now there is a new player on the block. Instead of leasing a vehicle…there are vehicle subscription services. Again, if you listen to the internet or watch any pundits…the foam from their mouths is palpable in relation to vehicle subscriptions. BUT from a consumer point of view and frankly from a guy that just loves driving cars…they can STFU.

Think of vehicle subscriptions like this: It’s leasing…simplified. That’s it. You don’t have to worry about insurance (in some cases), maintenance, mileage (in some cases) or long-term commitments. You chose a vehicle when you need it, then swap it out for another when it suits you. It’s simple. It’s effective and honestly it’s the future.

It will keep consumers happy because they get to ‘swap’ out to differing vehicles depending on their appetite/use case and keeps manufacturers happy because they can move inventory…and the cycle continues.

Okay…now onto Porsche Drive! Porsche Drive has been with us for a few years now and offers differing tiers depending on your need. One is Drive Rental and the other is Drive Subscription. Drive Rental, is as simple and elegant as it can be. Download the Porsche Drive app, fill out the application, choose your dates, vehicle and then pick it up. You can go as low as hourly or as long as a week. Everything from the 911 to the Macan is available. The standard Porsche Drive Subscription just as simple to use and understand. You have access to two tiers single vehicle and multi. Single vehicle you can choose to keep a Porsche of your choosing from 1 month up to 3. Or the multi vehicle you can swap vehicles at your leisure for as long as you like.

That’s it. It’s really as easy as that and honestly it’s the future of leasing….and with that its the future of vehicle ownership.