Fixed monthly costs for regular expenses make it possible to budget with less concern about unexpected charges you can’t afford. Auto dealers have quickly caught on, as they’ve adopted prepaid maintenance plans, making services and sales worth everyone’s while. As ridesharing and food delivery becomes more and more popular, there is one question posed – do ridesharing and food delivery services fit into prepaid maintenance plans?
Ridesharing and food delivery are skyrocketing, with Uber, DoorDash, and many more companies offering service as a part-time or full-time gig. This gives dealerships the opportunity to provide vehicles to these independent contractors and their business.
There are many traditional benefits with investing in prepaid maintenance such as fixed ownership costs, security, and peace of mind. But now, more than ever, dealers need to be asking their customers:
“Do you plan to use this vehicle to drive for a ridesharing or food delivery business?”
These drivers put countless more miles on their vehicle than regular drivers. For those customers planning to make some income driving, prepaid maintenance becomes very appealing. Time off the road means money out of their pocket, so subsidizing maintenance with their vehicle loan means operating without any worries about an expensive repair bill threatening their livelihoods.
As prepaid maintenance cover solely regular maintenance, if your dealership locks the customer into a PPM, you have the first chance to gain additional business that comes with normal wear and tear. This occurs more frequently when dealing with customers who drive for a living. Prepaid maintenance should be a no-brainer for both the customer and the dealership, as the customer will soon require new tires, brakes, frequent oil changes, etc. They want to maximize their time and get their vehicle repaired and back on the road so they can be on their way.
Ridesharing and food delivery services are in demand more than ever before, and drivers must provide their own vehicles, using their own gas, and their own mileage. If you include inquiries in your F&I process that establish if the customer is planning to drive their vehicle for income purposes, there’s a good chance those customers will become more receptive to your prepaid maintenance offer.