A new player has arrived in the car subscription market in Dubai, providing residents of the United Arab Emirates with another way that they can lease, rent or own a motor vehicle.
Carasti is the name of a new app that makes it simpler to get hold of a motor vehicle within the UAE.
Carasti is available on the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store and offers free sign-up for users, who can then upload their documents and make monthly subscriptions to any vehicle of their choice from an ever-expanding fleet.
The monthly subscription fee is all-inclusive and includes insurance, registration and service costs, with the car being delivered right to customers’ doorsteps free of charge.
The subscription model also means that consumers do not have to waste time on the complicated aspects of more long-term commitments, such as physical paperwork and big down payments.
The vehicle can be returned to the dealer at the end of every month and replaced with a different car.
The car’s make and model will have an impact on how much the monthly rate is, with customers being given discounts if they commit to the same vehicle for lengthier periods.
A number of UAE leasing agencies are providing the vehicles.
A subscription to Carasti gives subscribers more freedom, peace of mind and flexibility, with car insurance, roadside assistance and maintenance being covered by just one monthly fee, says Carasti’s chief executive officer Claudio Esposito-Aiardo.
Esposito-Aiardo adds that the process is little different from ordering a pizza, with customers not having to worry about paperwork or deposits.
The levels of actual car ownership are declining all over the world, with nearly 30% of revenue in the automotive industry predicted to be from subscriptions and other recurring shared mobility models by 2030, according to consulting firm McKinsey.
Modern consumers have a different view of car ownership, seeing it as an expensive and ever-depreciating burden rather than a necessity or status symbol.
Flexibility is big at Carasti, according to Esposito-Aiardo, with subscribers able to switch vehicles every month easily in just a few minutes in-app.
Carasti’s CEO admits that he always found the idea of owning a vehicle troublesome because of the costs involved and the idea of being limited to just one car, and from there he came up with the idea of the new app.
Subscribers can already choose from a number of different vehicles via the Carasti app, including the Toyota Prado, which is available to rent for just AED4,000 per month, and the Kia Picanto, which can be got for just AED1,400 per month.
iPhone and Android users are able to download the app, with more information being available on the Carasti website.
Everyone who drives in the UAE has to legally have some form of basic car insurance coverage.
Car insurance ensures that unexpected occurrences that include the likes of car accidents and theft do not leave drivers in serious financial difficulties.