There’s a new kid on the car block and he doesn’t have a dealer forecourt. Driver 1 operates like a giant online car vending machine with access to over 10,000 cars ready to be delivered to your home in as little as 48 hours. And like Amazon Prime, delivery is free.

Founder Tim Hammond, a 90’s online shopping pioneer (he made the online shopping malls for Internet Service providers and put the shopping cart key on Compaq PCs) designed the driver 1 service for today’s younger consumers to be compatible with mobile and digital-first lifestyles.

Putting young drivers first

“This generation (GenZ) of over 2.7 million young drivers (under 24) are being under-served by the car industry. They no longer want old bangers that they have to work on with a Haynes manual, and they’re not eligible for, and can’t afford new car leases. There is a huge gap in the market that we can fill with driver 1. ” Says Hammond.

The secret to the model is depreciation. A new Polo costs £15k, but after 4 years its as low as £6k. But 4 year old cars are so much better than they used to be and now have all the technology that young drivers want such as bluetooth connectivity for their music playlists. So like the mobile phone sector where Apple have found that less people are changing to the new handsets, the same can be said of cars, where 4 year old ones are now just as desirable as new ones, but at less than half the cost.  This means monthly payments from as little as £96 a month. That’s far more affordable for young drivers on a budget, and great news for their parents who often have to foot the bill.

Creating a better online car buying journey

Driver 1’s ‘online car vending machine’ dispenses pre-loved, 4 year old Polos, Fiestas, Minis, and Fiat 500s swiftly and cheaply. Drivers can simply scan their driving licence with their mobile phone and get approved for a monthly personal contract plan in just a few minutes. Once approved they are shown a range of shiny small cars in their price bracket and free home delivery is arranged in as little as 48 hours.

All cars come with an inclusive, hassle-free package that covers warranty, breakdown, MOT, and road tax. Driver 1 are also the first to offer free home delivery and a 14 day money-back guarantee on every car.

We only need 8 models of cars on our website in the 3 or 4 most popular colours, but we have hundreds of those cars waiting in line to deliver.

Through a partnership agreed last month with Cox Automotive, the world’s largest automotive service organisation, Driver 1 customers can experience a seamless end-to-end service from ‘click to door’.  “We’re a ‘customer first’ company, building our service around the driver, not the car. Says Hammond. Our mission as consumer champion is to make the cars more affordable by stripping out all the unnecessary steps and margins in the supply chain and dis-intermediating the dealer. It also means that a car can be turned around from its first to second driver in under a week, which is almost unheard of in the leasing sector. This time saving has major benefits for driver 1 and its customers. It means driver 1 doesn’t get affected by stock de-valuing in the same way as traditional car dealers, and those cost savings can be passed onto the customer.”

Upgrade your car like your mobile

Driver 1 has made upgrading into a newer, safer car as easy as upgrading your mobile phone, and at about the same monthly price.  Young drivers often learn to drive in a family runaround which they can’t get insured on when they have passed their test because the engine size is too high. Or they may have bought a cheap car to learn in but now they want something with all the tech and gadgets on.

Everyone talks about offering a hassle-free service, but what can be easier than driver 1 delivering your new car, and taking away your trade-in at the same time? No journeys to webuyanycar, or haggling with the salesman, simply click upgrade on the driver 1 website for a complete key-to-key service.

While they are the early adopters of subscription services like Netflix. Ultimately, Driver 1 is focusing on providing first-car drivers with quality at affordable prices, aiming to make driving like a mobile phone subscription on wheels.”

We’ve created Driver 1 to be as easy as Amazon Prime. A huge stock available for just-in-time online ordering, free home delivery and a money-back guarantee – Tim Hammond, Founder.