A Simple Alternative to Car Ownership

It’s no secret that many of us have a love-hate relationship with our cars. We love the freedom they represent and the memories they can create, and owning a car is about as American as it gets. It’s so core to who we are that we often overlook or just accept how painful it can be. I love having a car, but realistically, the process of owning your car is not always that romantic vision of the open road. Often, it’s a challenging mess that leaves many of us wishing there were something simpler.

There is so much that is unknown, and that’s the problem. We do months of research to pick the right car, negotiate, finance, and commit, but sometimes we still end up choosing a car that doesn’t suit us. Our life circumstances may change, or worse yet, we can be left holding the bag paying for unforeseen vehicle expenses. We thought, “If you could find a way to improve what people really want in a car (convenience, flexibility, independence), then you’re onto something really special.”

So, we started to ask ourselves, how do we do that?

When we started digging into data about car ownership, we discovered some interesting ownership trends: 1) American households with auto-related debt, on average, have almost $30,000 in loans and 2) the length and amount of auto loans have been increasing significantly over the last decade.

People are clearly financing their cars at greater rates than ever before, but do these types of long-term financial commitments make sense for everyone?

What does the graduate student drive when she has no idea what her future holds? Is it wise for the freelance photographer to commit to a lease when he may move to a city where he won’t need a car next year? What options does a commuter have for a simple, reliable vehicle without being locked into a multiyear contract? Or what about the more nomadic lifestyles of Millennials — does traditional car ownership even make sense for them? The truth is that there are no viable alternatives to traditional car ownership. For the most part, buyers are tied to a long-term commitment that requires ongoing care and attention (and often unanticipated out-of-pocket expenses).

So that’s what we’re trying to fix: Canvas is building a simple alternative to car ownership. With our month-to-month car subscription model, you can have a car for as long as you want (or as little as you want) with full insurance, maintenance, and warranty coverage. No more worries about lengthy negotiations, the stress of wondering whether you’ll have to pay for a transmission replacement, or how you’ll handle another random “life happens” moment.

We believe in a future that’s more flexible and more customized to your life, and that’s why we’re building a product that helps redefine and improve car ownership. I can’t wait to see what the future holds.

If you’re interested in becoming a customer, you can sign up on our website. Or, if you want to join us in reinventing car ownership, check out the job postings on our website.