No spin, promise

Rent to own vs the bank vs a subscription vs an old cheapie. Honestly.

You work for your money, so you do your homework before you spend it. Good. Most comparison pages are rigged so the company writing them wins every row. Not this one. We'll show you where we lose, because you deserve the real numbers before you choose how your work gets its wheels.

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Our 2017 Kia Cerato Sport, 3.5 years

The four ways to get a work car, side by side

Comparison of rent to own with Why Not, a bank car loan, a car subscription and buying an old car outright
	Why Not rent to own	Bank car loan	Car subscription	Old car bought outright
Credit check required	✓ No, ever	✗ Yes, and it marks your file	Usually yes	✓ No
Time to get on the road	About a week	1 to 3 weeks, if approved	A few days	Whenever you find one
Weekly cost (our Kia Cerato Sport)Based on our 2017 Kia Cerato Sport over its 3.5 year term. Bigger cars change the numbers, and your exact quote always shows your real figure before you sign.	$195, everything included	About $85, then insurance, rego and servicing on top	About $250 to $300, most costs included	$0 per week, but repairs arrive when they feel like it
Insurance, rego, servicing included	✓ All included, servicing for the whole term	✗ All on you	✓ Mostly included	✗ All on you, and repairs too
Own the car at the end	✓ Yes, written into the agreement	✓ Yes, once the loan is paid	✗ Never	✓ Yes, from day one
Flexibility to exitReturn the car and your exit cost is capped at 4 remaining weeks of payments, never the whole rest of the term. It's written into the agreement, not a favour we might grant.	Return the car, pay at most 4 more weeks	You still owe the loan, or sell the car to clear it	✓ Very flexible, often 2 to 4 weeks notice	Sell it, for whatever it's worth that day
Best for	Working people the banks decline	People the banks approve	People who never want to own their car	Handy people with savings and a good mechanic

Figures are honest estimates for our 2017 Kia Cerato Sport over its 3.5 year term, based on our guide pricing, typical bank rates for borrowers with fair credit, and advertised subscription pricing. Your numbers will vary, and we'll always show you ours exactly before you sign.

Advice we'd give our own family

If a bank will back you, take their deal

We mean it. Look at the table above: the bank is about $7,000 cheaper than us over 3.5 years for the same car. If your file is clean and the bank says yes, go with them. You don't need us, and we'd rather tell you that now than have you find out later.

Rent to own is NOT the right choice if a bank or credit union will approve you, if you have savings to buy a reliable car outright, or if you're comfortable arranging your own insurance, rego and servicing to save money. In all of those cases, the cheaper path is open to you. Take it.

Rent to own IS the right choice if the banks have said no but your car earns your income and the work is real. If a knockback letter is standing between you and a support roster, a week of client visits or the mobile business you're building, and you can afford a steady weekly payment, that's exactly who we built this for. You pay more than a bank customer would, we've never pretended otherwise, and in exchange you get a late model car, full insurance, servicing for the whole term, no credit check and ownership at the end, in writing.

That's the whole pitch. No pressure either way. If you're not sure which camp you're in, email admin@whynotownit.com.au and we'll tell you straight, even if the answer is "go to your bank".

Shopping around? Good.

Comparing rent to own companies? Check these four things.

We won't name names, and we don't need to. Put any rent to own agreement next to ours and check four lines.

First, does servicing run the whole term, or quietly stop after the first year while your payments keep going for three more?

Second, does the agreement actually say you'll own it, or does it say something like "at our discretion"? Some structures in this market legally cannot promise you ownership, ever. Ask to see the clause.

Third, is the total cost printed next to the weekly price, or do you have to multiply it out yourself in the car park?

Fourth, what happens when you miss a week: a phone call from a person, or a car that won't start the next morning?

Our answers: whole term, yes on page one, always, and a phone call. If someone else's answers are better, go with them, and fair play. We just don't think you'll find that.

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Straight answers

Questions people ask about the comparison

Why is rent to own about $7,000 more than the bank?

Two reasons. First, we take on the risk that banks refuse to take, and that risk costs money. Second, our weekly price bundles in comprehensive insurance, rego, CTP, servicing for the whole term and roadside, which bank customers pay separately on top. Some of the gap is real extra cost and some of it is just costs you'd pay anyway, moved into one payment. We show the total up front so you can judge it for yourself.

A subscription looks similar. What's actually different?

The ending. With a subscription you can pay $250 or more a week for years and hand the car back owning nothing. With us, every payment moves you toward owning the car, and ownership transfer is written into the agreement. Subscriptions win on exit flexibility, so if you only need wheels for a few months between contracts, a subscription is genuinely the better tool. For the long haul, an asset your business owns beats rent forever.

Wouldn't a cheap old car be the smartest money?

Sometimes, honestly, yes. If you have $8,000 saved, know cars or know someone who does, and can absorb a surprise $1,500 repair bill, an older car bought outright can be the cheapest option there is. The catch is the words "saved", "know cars" and "absorb". When the car is how you earn, a breakdown isn't just a repair bill, it's a week of cancelled clients and lost income while it sits in a workshop. Our drivers pay more overall, but the amount is fixed, the car is late model and insured, and there are no surprise bills or lost weeks.

Your work needs wheels. Why not sort it this week?

Find out in 60 seconds if you qualify. No credit scores, no documents for the first step, no obligation, and an answer on your screen straight away.

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Checking never affects your credit score. Prefer email? Write to us at admin@whynotownit.com.au.