What Is Flexdrive?
Flexdrive is essentially a white glove service for app-based car leasing. For a monthly fee, you’ll get to drive a vehicle of your choice. The costs of maintenance, roadside assistance, and insurance are all built into the monthly price.
What Is the Advantage of Flexdrive?
Convenience, mostly. You only have to think about one monthly fee, don’t have to purchase insurance, and don’t have to pay for maintenance costs.
How Much Does Flexdrive Cost?
The range is about $400 per month to $1,000+. At the low end, you can drive a small compact car or sedan. At the high end, you could drive a Jaguar—or a Jeep.
Who Is Eligible to Use Flexdrive?
You have to be 25 years or older in most states. You must have a mobile phone. The service is app-based, and they send alerts to your phone. You must have a credit card or debit card active and on file. You must have been a licensed driver for at least 3 years and have a clean driving record for that same period of time. Clean, to Flexdrive, means no major violations in the past 3 years and no more than one minor violation per year. Most importantly, you must be located in one of the areas where Flexdrive is available. Right now, this includes parts of Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Minnesota, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia. The minimum subscription is for 7 days and can be extended if needed.
How Do I Use Flexdrive?
To use Flexdrive, you must download the Flexdrive app, which is available for both iPhone and Android users. You then need to accept the membership agreement, snap a photo of your driver’s license, enter your valid credit card information, and wait one to seven days for your application to be approved. To reserve a car once you’re approved, you choose an available vehicle in the app, pay a subscription fee and deposit, and schedule a pickup time. Once you’re done with your vehicle, return it to the lot during business hours and observe the check-in and inspection. There’s no discount for returning your vehicle early, but you can swap it out for a different vehicle using the app. Keep in mind that mileage maximums may apply, and you’re the only driver that is authorized to operate your vehicle (and more importantly, covered by the Flexdrive insurance).
Comparison With Other Car Subscription Service Apps
If you aren’t sold on Flexdrive or don’t live in their service area, there are definitely alternatives. If you want to change cars often or drive a very basic model for a low price, check out Fair. If you have $1,500 a month to spend and prefer to drive exclusively Cadillacs, you should check out Book by Cadillac. If you live in L.A., are looking for an electric car, and can commit in three-month intervals, you might be better off looking at Borrow. If you’re San Francisco-based and don’t drive more than 500 miles per month, Canvas might be for you.
The Bottom Line
If you don’t want to commit to a vehicle for the long-term, are looking for an all-inclusive price, and live in the current service area, you should definitely consider Flexdrive. If you are otherwise considering leasing a car, it pays to price out your options and do a side-by-side comparison before committing. The Flexdrive app has an acceptable rating of 3 stars in the Google Play store, and 3.3 stars in the iPhone App Store 404. Correction - Jan. 26, 2022: This article has been updated to clarify how Flexdrive’s subscription model works, specifically its terms and time periods
