© Car Adviser 2024 - All rights reserved.
Menu
Car subscriptions are a great alternative to leasing or buying a car. When you subscribe, you get more freedom and flexibility as you can swap cars during your contract and try out some of the best modern vehicles available.
In addition to that, car subscriptions are usually much cheaper than leasing a car and can be more affordable than buying a vehicle in one large lump sum.
There are plenty of excellent car subscription services in the UK, but a new option on these shores is MyCarDirect. This brand has grown quickly in the few years it has operated in the country and is fast emerging as a top option.
Here’s a more detailed look at how good MyCarDirect is, exploring its features, how it works, and how it’s perceived and reviewed online. Learn more about MyCarDirect with this Car Adviser review.
MyCarDirect is a car subscription provider that allows customers to get various cars, vans, and electric vehicles. The brand started trading in 2020 but is not necessarily a young company.
This is because the business first started in Australia under the name, Loopit. It has grown to occupy 80% of Australia’s car subscription market share. This gives MyCarDirect significant experience and infrastructure to excel within the UK market. Even though it’s only been in operation in the UK for a handful of years, it’s already claimed to be the most prominent car subscription service in Europe.
MyCarDirect prides itself on doing everything digitally and quickly, completing all forms and contracts online. This can speed up the process and gives its customers access to top-quality vehicles rapidly.
You can get a wide range of cars from MyCarDirect, including Mercedez-Benz, Audi, Kia, and Teslas, to name a few. Contracts are flexible, and you can get your hands on some of the best modern cars for a month up to two years, depending on what you choose.
The process for getting a vehicle from MyCarDirect is simple and entirely digital, meaning there’s no paperwork. This speeds things up and ensures that you can get hold of your vehicle within 72 hours.
When you first look to get a vehicle with MyCarDirect, you’ll need to join and become a member first. To do this, you’ll need to send some virtual documentation, like photos of your driver’s license, proof of address, and bank statements, depending on your credit score. Once all that’s sent, you must sign a contract and pay a one-time £250 joining fee.
This fee ensures that you’re a member for life, even if you cancel a subscription and then decide to come back in the future.
Once you’re a member, you can browse the vast array of cars, vans, and electric vehicles. When searching online, you can filter based on various factors, such as colour, make, transmission type, and available mileage. You can also search from lowest to highest-priced cars to ensure you’re within budget.
Each car is priced individually, and the amount you have to pay a month for the vehicle will depend on the length of your contract. Unlike a few other subscription providers, the longer your contract, the cheaper your monthly fees. This rewards customers who make long-term commitments and can help them save money.
When you order your car, you must decide how long you want the contract for and what minimum mileage you want. The default is 1000 miles a month, which is good as this is above the average range that a UK driver does in this period. You can change the details of your subscription and even swap cars before your term is up, but you may be subject to fees.
Once you purchase your car, you can have it delivered to your door within three days or collect it if it’s more convenient for you. Having your car delivered is free and is one of the most convenient ways to access your subscription car.
You’ll have to pay a deposit to secure your car, which will be returned to you once the vehicle is successfully delivered. Your first payment will be due the day before the vehicle delivery date, and then your next payment will be taken out a month after the car has been delivered. It will remain this monthly date until your term ends.
Regarding the length you can subscribe for, your options range from 1, 3, 6, 9, or 12-month terms, so you can decide which works best for you.
How MyCarDirect manages its mileage differs slightly from other subscription providers and allows for greater customer flexibility. When you get a subscription, no matter how long the contract lasts, you can drive 1000 miles a month. This limit is there to help ensure the vehicle maintains good quality, but if you want, you can get subscriptions with more mileage if you need it.
Other competitors will track how many miles you’ve travelled each month and punish you if you go over. However, MyCarDirect doesn’t and instead checks your total mileage at the end of your contract. You can exceed your monthly mileage limit if you make up for it in the other months.
Here’s an example. If you have a regular six-month subscription, you’ll have a total mileage limit of 6000 for that term. If you go over one month and drive 1250 miles instead of 1000, you’ll avoid any punishments if you’re under 750 miles for the other months.
Once you hand over your vehicle at the end of your contract, MyCarDirect will check how many miles you’ve driven. If you have gone over, you will be charged a surcharge. You’ll have to pay for every mile you’ve exceeded your limit, and the rate will differ for every car. You’ll have to phone and ask directly to find out the surcharge for a vehicle, as they’re not displayed on the website.
If you find that the mileage you’ve bought isn’t enough and that you’re going over constantly, you can change this during your contract, which helps with the flexibility of the service.
The same mileage checks and charges apply if you cancel your subscription early or change vehicles. However, if you cancel three months into a six-month contract, your overall mileage limit will decrease from 6000 to 3000.
Cancelling your subscription halfway through an agreed term is easy with MyCarDirect and doesn’t come with any fees. That said, you may still have to pay a fair bit, depending on when you cancel your contract. When you get a longer contract, you get a cheaper monthly rate for your car. To ensure that no one gets an extended contract and then cancels early to try to save money, you’ll be recharged at the monthly rate your contract lasted.
So if you cancel three months into a six-month contract, you’ll have to pay the difference between the six-month fee and the more expensive three-month fee.
There are plenty of reasons why MyCarDirect is an excellent option to get some of the best cars available.
To start, the cars on offer are in excellent condition, with many being brand-new, meaning that you’ll avoid getting vehicles with any pre-existing wear and tear. Some older options exist, but no car will exceed two years old. This ensures you’ll drive some of the most modern and cutting-edge vehicles.
In terms of the options, you have a wide range of luxury and mid-market manufacturers, including Audi, BMW, and reliable options like Kia and Hyundai. You can get premium electric vehicles like Tesla too.
What makes MyCarDirect stand out is that, unlike many other subscription providers, you don’t have to pay any delivery fees for your vehicle. This can help you save a lot of money, making it an affordable option. Plus, this delivery is available for any location on the Uk mainland, regardless of if you’re at the tip of Cornwall or high in the Scottish highlands. Compared to car leasing, which usually demands a long-term commitment and a huge deposit, MyCarDirect is the cheapest option.
Another great feature is that when you subscribe with MyCarDirect, you get far more than just the car itself. In addition, you also have things like maintenance, tyre wear, MOTs, road tax, and breakdown cover included in the price. This saves you from having to spend time looking around and finding the best deals and makes things far more convenient.
Adding tyre wear protection is a great benefit, as a few car subscription competitors do not include this.
Plus, if you get an electric vehicle with MyCarDirect with a contract length of more than 12 months, you’ll get an Egg membership. This helps cover the cost of a home charger plan, making subscribing to an electric vehicle even cheaper.
Finally, unlike other car subscription services, there are no minimum age requirements or a minimum length you must be driving. This means this service is open to all ages and is a good option no matter how old you are. That said, getting insured as a younger driver may be an issue, which could preclude you from getting a subscription.
MyCarDirect is a fantastic subscription service with only a few drawbacks. That said, a few things that may turn one or two people off are worth knowing about.
Their subscription service is advertised as fully all-inclusive; however, it does omit one aspect other providers do include: insurance. When you get a car from MyCarDirect, you must provide your insurance policy. If you already have a car insurance plan and are happy with it, then keeping it can be a benefit. Plus, having the opportunity to find the right plan for you instead of being forced to one can be seen as a good thing for some.
Plus, when checking out, you can add insurance provided by Wagonex. This is optional and will cost extra.
As well as the insurance issue, another drawback of MyCarDirect is that you are somewhat locked into longer terms if you want the cheapest deals. For those happy to commit, this can make a subscription with MyCarDirect cheaper than other competitors, but it does affect the flexibility. Of course, you can change cars and cancel early if you want, but you will be recharged and have to pay more as a result.
To better understand how good a brand truly is, it’s worthwhile looking at the reviews the company has obtained online. Reviews give you a good insight into what it’s like to be a customer before you commit to the business and can help provide key insights into what to expect.
We here at Car Adviser think you should always pay attention to reviews, especially before signing up for a car subscription service. Many businesses will have gained a good reputation, but that reputation may not be illustrated in their reviews, usually written by reliable past customers. MyCarDirect is a fantastic service and one of the leading car subscription providers. Still, it’s best to see what past users say to understand the business’s quirks fully.
You can’t just get your reviews from anywhere, though. With the rise of AI, bots, and fake reviews, many companies can build a false score that doesn’t reflect their quality. To combat this, we recommend using Trustpilot. They’re the most extensive online reviewing website and have some of the most robust and secure features that ensure their reviews are from real, genuine people.
Trustpilot has many reviews and data, which can help build a more accurate picture of a business.
All the businesses registered on Trustpilot are given a score out of 5 based on the average of their reviews. As well as this general score, you can look at individual reviews to get a good sense of the business.
We’ve analysed all the MyCarDirect reviews to help give you the fundamental facts to see how well the business has done.
MyCarDirect has a great score of 4.2 stars out of 5. This means that Trustpilot recognises it as a great business and that you’re likely to get a good experience.
When looking at the review scores of a business, it’s always best to see how well it ranks compared to other companies in the same industry. This context can help you determine if a business is truly good. In the case of car subscriptions and rentals, you’ll find that the average rating is around 3.5 stars, meaning that MyCarDirect is one of the best-rated businesses you can get in the industry.
What can be concerning for MyCarDirect is that they only have around 15 reviews on Trustpilot. This is likely because they’re relatively new and may not encourage customers to leave reviews like other businesses do. A low pool of reviews means that the score may lack a bit of accuracy, as one good or bad review can skew the data and massively affect the average.
To combat this issue, it’s a good idea to see how Loopit ranks as well, with them being the Australian version of MyCarDirect and sharing the same infrastructure and service. Loopit doesn’t have a Trustpilot page because it is not UK-based, but they score well on Google reviews.
In addition, MyCarDirect currently has a 4.4 rating on Google reviews and has been reviewed a lot more often on that platform, too, helping to demonstrate that MyCarDirect’s score is more accurate and legitimate.
To better understand how good a business is, it’s worth looking at the positive review to see what features come up often. This can give you a good indication of the business’s aspects that work well and lets you know what you’re in for.
When looking at the positive reviews of MyCarDirect, you’ll see that many people praised the communication and the seamless signing-up process. In fact, one reviewer was able to set themselves up while being in a different timezone, which shows how accommodating and fast the digital approach of MyCarDirect is.
Others also highlight the price of the service and how it was much cheaper than their competitors, especially when you compare it against leasing a car. Plus, many people were impressed by the quality of the vehicles they got despite the low price and loved how minor wear and tear each vehicle had.
Finally, another aspect that reviewers loved is the convenience of home delivery. Many say this process is seamless, and the car was delivered quickly and hassle-free. The fact that this service is free and doesn’t cost extra is also well highlighted as a great benefit of the business.
Although most of the feedback MyCarDirect has gotten from their reviews is positive, a few complaints are worth highlighting as they could point to things the business isn’t the best at.
It’s good practice to look at the complaints first to see if there is any validity in the reviews, as some people can be overly harsh, and then also see how the complaints have been dealt with.
When looking at the small number of complaints against MyCarDirect, you’ll see that the biggest issue is that there have been a few delays with people getting their deposits back. As you have to pay £250 to secure your vehicle, many people expect this to be paid back soon after the car has been delivered. This should be given back more quickly, although a few individuals have had to wait up to 8 weeks for this repayment.
In addition, some customers have had a hard time communicating with MyCarDirect. Many claim that emails have gone unanswered, which can be frustrating. MyCarDirect push towards mobile communication and are much easier to reach through a phone call. This can be an issue if you don’t enjoy communicating via this means and prefer to email instead.
Some customers have also drawn attention to the fact that they received their car without a driver’s manual. Although not essential, having a manual does make it easier for a driver to look after a vehicle and understand how it works. Thankfully, the company responded quickly to issues like this and got a replacement within two days.
When getting a car subscription, it’s best to analyse all the pros and cons to see what’s good about the brand and what’s not so great. This can let you see if the business is right for you.
There are a lot of fantastic things about MyCarDirect that make it a leading option for car subscriptions in the UK. That said, some things about the business can be seen as negative.
Here are all the pros and cons to decide if this business suits you.
Pros
Cons
You can drive your subscribed car overseas; however, you need to inform the company at least two weeks before you depart. This gives them enough time for you to obtain a VE103 form which permits travel.
When you go overseas with a subscribed car from MyCarDirect, you won't be covered by the included breakdown cover, as that's UK only. That means you must sort out your own single-trip European breakdown cover.
If you have a valid driver's license, you can get a car with MyCarDirect. There's no need to have a UK license, as international licences are good for a year after first arriving in the UK. MyCarDirect is happy to serve customers with international licenses, although they won't be able to offer subscriptions beyond when the license's validity expires.
You don't need a clean license, either. You can get a subscription with MyCarDirect with 9 points on your driver's license; however, this can affect your insurance.
You will be subjected to a credit check when you apply for a car from MyCarDirect. This is to ensure that you can afford the subscription and that using the service doesn't put you in financial harm.
This will be a hard credit check, meaning that a mark is left on your credit report that can temporarily affect your credit score. This check will see if you have any CCJs or bankruptcies and use that information to decide if you can get a subscription.
When you first apply for a car from MyCarDirect, you must send clear photographs of your driver's license. You'll need to send an image of both the front and the back. As well as this, you'll need to supply proof of address to prove that you live in the UK. A utility bill is the most common way of doing this.
Plus, if you need to, you may also have to supply copies of three months' worth of your bank statement to show that you can afford the subscription.
As a result of the processing being entirely automated and digital, you can get your car delivered to your door within three days of first applying to become a member. Once you've had your contract signed and agreed upon, you'll be able to arrange a delivery date that suits you.
MyCarDirect does not include insurance in its subscription. Instead, you need to sort out your own arrangement. You need comprehensive insurance to get a car when doing this. Anything less than this will mean that you're unable to use MyCarDirect.
You can change the car you drive with your subscription every month. If you want to move on to something different and are still in your current contract term, call MyCarDirect two weeks before your next monthly payment is due. This allows them to make the necessary arrangements and collect and deliver your vehicle before your next monthly payment is due.
When you swap cars, your monthly fee will likely change to better reflect the value of the vehicle you've swapped to.
Not all the cars you can get from MyCarDirect are brand new, and some can be as old as two years. Many vehicles haven't had a previous owner and have come straight from a dealership.
If you want a brand-new car with minimal wear and tear, you can call the company to be advised on what cars and options are brand new.
Although you don't technically own the car you drive on a MyCarDirect subscription, you can change the number plate with a personalised one. Of course, this new number plate needs to be legal and registered.
When returning the vehicle, you need to return it with the original plates, and when adding your personal number plates, you may be charged a small admin fee for the hassle.
All subscriptions come with a maximum of 1000 miles per month when you get a car with MyCarDirect. However, you do have the option of adding more to your subscription if you don't think that it's going to be enough.
Remember that your mileage limit is an accumulation for your entire contract term. If you have a bass level contract of 6 months, you'll have 6000 miles to use over the term and can go well over the 1000-mile limit one month as long as you balance it out in the rest of them.
That said, the maximum monthly mileage you can buy is 2000 miles. This means the most you can accumulate for a six-month term is 12,000. If you go over this, you'll be charged extra per mile, and if you dramatically go over this, you could have your contract cancelled.