Time was when most subscriptions were considered minor indulgences, if not outright luxuries. But today, many automobiles come with more timed-interval financial obligations than their owners had to contend with just a generation ago.

As technology relentlessly broadens our options, carmakers and bureaucrats are responding with new revenue schemes to siphon consumers’ bank accounts in convenient monthly installments. With subscriptions for every kind of service including safety, entertainment, and appearance options guaranteeing predictable, sustainable returns by design, auto executives are seeing dollar signs.

The nexus of this phenomenon starts with the vehicle purchase. For the majority of buyers, a car is itself a subscription, with payments meted out monthly. Before leaving dealerships, consumers must provide proof of insurance, incurring another payment structure. Some plump for various extended warranties or AAA memberships. Car buying was once a strictly piggybank-raiding exercise, but things have changed.

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Magazine Issue: Winding Road Issue 28