Automotive Subscriptions Are Spreading, and Parts Sellers Can Get In on Them

Drivers have gotten used to paying for their cars on a monthly basis. Some have rented a whole vehicle through vehicle subscription services, while others have paid a few dollars per month to keep remote start or hands-free driving switched on. The car subscription model has moved from an experiment at a few automakers to something buyers now expect to see on the menu.

That shift opens a door for parts sellers. Cars need oil, filters, wiper blades and brake pads on a schedule, and a customer who’s already comfortable with a monthly payment won’t blink at a maintenance plan that shows up before they need it. Below, you’ll see how car subscriptions work today and six ways to bring the same idea to your parts store.

How Does Car Subscription Work? 

With a vehicle subscription, you’d get access to a car without ownership. The company keeps the title, and the driver pays a flat rate that bundles most of the costs a car owner would handle alone. Leasing makes the difference clear: you’d sign for a single vehicle for a fixed number of years.

Swapping Between Cars

Porsche tested the idea early in the US. When it expanded Porsche Drive in 2020, the multi-vehicle plan started at $2,100 a month and let members swap vehicles as often as they liked through an app. Drivers covered only the fuel, since maintenance and insurance came inside the monthly fee.

Minimum Terms

Most vehicle subscriptions will set a minimum term before you can hand the car back. Volvo said Care by Volvo subscribers could upgrade or return their car after four months. Flexibility has driven the pitch from the start. People who’d never sign a three-year lease will try a car for a season.

All-Inclusive Monthly Fees

Independent companies have built car subscription services too. FINN has bundled insurance, maintenance and roadside assistance into a single monthly fee, leaving FINN subscribers to cover fuel or charging. Rental car companies have tried similar programs, and other car subscription services keep appearing as more people look for ways around car ownership. Most of these services offer one payment per car and shorter commitments than a lease.

You’ll pay for that flexibility. A subscription usually carries higher monthly payments than a conventional lease, and over a long stretch it can cost more than buying. It’ll suit drivers who value flexibility, want to test electric vehicles or a new car before committing, or need one of the bigger SUVs for a season.

Feature Subscriptions Inside the Car

The other half of this trend has shown up in cars people already own. Automakers have started selling software features on a subscription, and those subscription fees can add up over a car’s life.

Hands-Free Driving

Ford has priced BlueCruise at $49.99 per month or $495 a year once the 90-day trial period ends.

Connectivity and Driver Assistance

If you drive a Tesla Model 3, you’d pay $99 a month for Full Self-Driving (Supervised). Premium Connectivity adds $9.99 a month or $99 a year. Add both, and you’re covering two subscriptions on top of the car payment.

Remote Start and Connected Services

Toyota has included a Remote Connect trial with new vehicles, starting from the day you buy or lease, and it lets you start the engine and lock the doors from the Toyota app. Once the trial ends, a Toyota Camry owner who wants to keep remote start will need one of Toyota’s connected services plans. Other brands have gone the same way, and BMW runs a ConnectedDrive Store where owners can buy or extend service subscriptions and add upgrades for driver assistance, cabin comfort and navigation.

Automakers have moved plenty of other common features to a subscription as well, and this list covers just some of them. Safety features and performance upgrades have joined the same conversation, and buyers have noticed. If a payment lapses, the feature can switch off, and some drivers only learn a feature needs a fee after they’ve driven off the dealership lot.

What the Trend Means for Parts Sellers

Subscriptions have taught drivers to think about their car as a set of ongoing costs. How can a parts store use that?

Routine maintenance has always run on a calendar. Oil changes come due every few thousand miles, cabin and engine filters follow, wiper blades wear out each season, and brake pads have a predictable life. A customer who’s comfortable with a subscription for their truck’s connectivity will understand a plan that sends the right filter before the oil change is due.

It’ll also change your business model. Recurring orders make revenue easier to forecast, inventory easier to plan, and customers more likely to stick around. The pieces that made subscriptions work for automakers, a flat rate and a clear schedule, translate well to the parts counter.

6 Ways to Sell Auto Parts on Subscription

1. Maintenance Kits Matched to the Vehicle

Bundle oil, an oil filter and a cabin air filter for a specific vehicle and ship it on the owner’s service interval. Every part in the kit must fit. With fitment search, the customer picks their year, make and model once, and each shipment will match their car. You can run the same plan for a commuter sedan or a four-wheel-drive truck. Let them set the interval by mileage or months, and they’ll decide how often it arrives.

2. Seasonal Wiper and Fluid Plans

Anyone who’s driven through a winter knows wiper blades wear out on a rhythm. Send a fresh pair before winter and another before spring, along with washer fluid and coolant top-ups. Customers in snowy regions will value this more than anyone, and it’s a simple plan to start with.

3. Detailing and Car Care Boxes

Detailing supplies sell well as a monthly box, and they’re easy to ship. Wash, wax, interior cleaner and microfiber towels get used up at a steady pace, and a box with a new product each time will give enthusiasts something to look forward to. Accessories like covers for heated seats or new floor mats can rotate in as seasonal add-ons.

4. Shop and Fleet Replenishment

Repair shops and fleets have bought the same parts week after week for years. A standing order for filters, brake pads and fluids saves them from reordering by hand, and it’s steady volume for you. Build in a way to adjust quantities, since a busy month for a shop can look nothing like a slow one.

5. Subscribe and Save Pricing

Try a small discount for subscribing, on marketplaces and on your own site. Amazon’s Subscribe & Save program funds a 5% discount when customers get five or more items in a delivery, and sellers can add 5% or 10% more. Amazon has said a 10% to 15% discount can lift conversion up to 1.8 times. You’ll need Brand Registry to join, and qualifying products fulfilled by Amazon get enrolled automatically.

6. Membership Perks

Some customers would rather pay once a year for perks than sign up for scheduled boxes. A membership could cover free shipping, early access to deals, or a discount on every purchase. For example, think of it as your own version of the flat rate that Porsche Drive and FINN charge, scaled down to a parts store.

Setting Up Recurring Billing

Recurring payments have tripped up plenty of sellers. You’ll need to store payment details securely, charge on schedule, and handle expired cards and failed payments without losing the customer.

X-Cart Pay handles recurring payments and subscriptions, and it’s set up for cards, Apple Pay and ACH from your storefront. Pair it with a catalog that knows each customer’s vehicle, and a subscription can stay accurate for years. Keep sign-up short, with registration, payment and vehicle details on one page. Give subscribers an easy way to pause, skip a delivery, change the date or swap a product, and they’ll be less likely to cancel outright.

Rules to Know Before You Launch

Federal Rules

Subscription billing has long fallen under the FTC’s Negative Option Rule. The FTC amended it in October 2024 to add “click to cancel” requirements, and the Eighth Circuit vacated that amended version on July 8, 2025. That decision put the earlier rule back in place. Tell customers the price and renewal terms clearly before you take their payment, and make sure you’ve got their consent to the recurring charge.

State Auto-Renewal Laws

States have set their own rules too. California’s automatic renewal law spells out how businesses must disclose renewal terms and handle cancellations. Check the states you sell into, or ask a lawyer to review your sign-up flow before launch.

Where Subscriptions Go Wrong

Subscriptions will only keep working while customers feel they’re getting value. Car buyers have pushed back when fees piled up, and the same can happen at a parts store. Keep your plans honest. Show the full cost up front, let people cancel as easily as they signed up, and send a reminder before each charge. A customer who feels trapped will leave, and they’ll tell other drivers why.

Start small. Pick one plan, maybe a maintenance kit for your best-selling vehicles, and run it for a few months. You’ll learn how often people skip, what parts they swap, and what price feels right. Then decide whether to add the next plan.