Sixt+ (Auto Abo): The Car Subscription That Wants You to Stop Owning a Car
29.01.2026 - 00:56:12
It always starts the same way: you need a car, but you don’t want a car-shaped mortgage. You want the freedom to drive to work, escape the city on weekends, maybe move apartments next year, maybe change jobs the year after. But the traditional options all feel wrong.
Buying ties up your savings and dumps maintenance risks in your lap. Leasing locks you into 24–48 months and punishes you for every extra mile or tiny scratch. Traditional rentals are great for a week, painful for a year. And then there are the endless line items: insurance, registration, taxes, depreciation, tires, servicing – all quietly draining your account.
If you’ve ever stared at a dealer contract or lease agreement thinking, “Why does getting a car feel like signing away my future?”, you’re not alone.
That’s exactly the anxiety Sixt wants to kill with its subscription service.
The Solution: What Is Sixt+ (Auto Abo)?
Sixt+ (Auto Abo) is Sixt’s car subscription model: instead of buying or leasing, you subscribe to a car for a fixed monthly fee that includes use of the car plus key running costs like insurance, registration and taxes, as listed in Sixt’s official terms. You pick a vehicle category, choose your mileage package and term, and the car is ready for pickup at a Sixt station once approved.
No long-term financing, no separate insurance shopping, no haggling at the dealership. You pay a predictable monthly price and drive.
Sixt, via its corporate site at Sixt SE (ISIN: DE0007231334), positions Sixt+ as a flexible middle ground between daily rentals and traditional leases – designed for people who want mobility on their terms rather than another long contract.
Why this specific model?
Car subscriptions aren’t new, but Sixt+ (Auto Abo) leans hard into flexibility and predictability – two things car ownership is historically bad at.
Based on the current Sixt+ information on sixt.de, here’s how that translates into real-world benefits:
- Bundled costs in one monthly price: Your subscription fee includes the use of the car plus mandatory costs specified by Sixt such as liability insurance and registration fees in Germany. You’re not juggling multiple providers just to get on the road.
- Short minimum terms vs. leases: Instead of multi-year commitments, Sixt+ typically offers shorter minimum terms (for example, starting from one month with automatic renewal, depending on offer and country). That makes it far more compatible with modern life: internships, temporary relocations, trial periods at a new job, or life experiments where you genuinely don’t know where you’ll be in 12 months.
- Choice of vehicle categories: You don’t subscribe to a random car; you choose from defined categories like compact, sedan, SUV or premium segments as shown on the Sixt+ page. If your life changes, you can switch category (subject to availability and conditions) instead of selling a car or renegotiating a lease.
- Predictable mileage packages: You select a mileage package that fits your driving pattern (for example, 500 km, 1,000 km or more per month as displayed in the configurator). This helps you understand your total monthly mobility cost up front, rather than nervously watching the odometer on a lease.
- Use of Sixt’s existing station network: Pickup and return generally happen at Sixt stations, tapping into the infrastructure of one of Europe’s largest mobility providers.
In practice, Sixt+ feels less like 22having a car 22 and more like having a streaming subscription for personal mobility. You keep the physical freedom, lose a lot of the financial and administrative baggage.
At a Glance: The Facts
| Feature | User Benefit |
|---|---|
| One monthly fee including car use plus specified costs (e.g., liability insurance, registration, taxes in Germany) | You avoid separate insurance contracts, registration hassle and multiple recurring bills; easier budgeting and less paperwork. |
| Short minimum term compared to typical 24 2B month leases | Ideal for temporary projects, expats, students or anyone who doesn 27t want to commit to a car for years. |
| Choice of vehicle categories (e.g., compact, sedan, SUV, premium) | Pick a car class that fits your current lifestyle and budget; move up or down later as your needs change, subject to Sixt 27s conditions. |
| Configurable monthly mileage packages | Match your subscription to your real driving habits and avoid the worst surprises from over-mileage that plague classic leases. |
| Use of Sixt station network for pickup and return | Rely on established rental locations instead of a single dealership; easier to access in major cities and travel hubs. |
| Digital booking and management via website/app | Configure, book and manage your subscription online from home instead of spending an afternoon at a dealership. |
| Backed by Sixt SE, listed under ISIN DE0007231334 | You 27re dealing with an established, publicly listed mobility provider rather than an untested startup. |
What Users Are Saying
Looking at current Reddit threads and forum discussions about Sixt+ / Sixt Auto Abo, sentiment is mixed but generally positive among users who understand what a subscription is (and isn 27t).
The recurring praise:
- Transparent overall cost vs owning: Many users appreciate seeing a clear monthly total that already includes the car, insurance and taxes as specified, rather than being surprised by service or insurance hikes.
- Good for temporary life stages: Expats on limited contracts, people relocating to Germany, and drivers in between cars often highlight how easy it is to get a reasonably new vehicle without long-term risk.
- Vehicle quality: Feedback often notes that Sixt 27s fleet feels modern and well-maintained, with many models being relatively new compared to aging personal cars.
The common complaints:
- Can be more expensive than leasing in the long run: Several users point out that if you know you 27ll keep a car for many years, traditional leasing or buying can be cheaper per month than a flexible subscription like Sixt+.
- Fees and fine print: As with any mobility service, some criticism targets additional fees, return conditions (e.g., damage assessment) and the need to read the contract carefully. A few Reddit posts mention frustration with damage charges they felt were strict.
- Availability by region: Users in smaller cities sometimes complain about limited category availability compared to major hubs.
The takeaway: if you treat Sixt+ like a 22forever car 22, you may be disappointed by the long-term pricing. If you use it like what it is – a flexible, medium-term mobility solution – it tends to score much higher.
Alternatives vs. Sixt+ (Auto Abo)
The car subscription space has exploded across Europe and beyond. Competitors include manufacturer-run subscriptions (think OEMs running their own 22care by [brand] 22 programs) and independent subscription startups. How does Sixt+ stack up?
- Versus manufacturer subscriptions: Brand-run offers often lock you into that brand 27s lineup, which is great if you love it, limiting if you don 27t. Sixt+ draws from a multi-brand fleet, so you generally see a wider variety of makes and models within each category, as reflected on the Sixt+ configurator.
- Versus traditional leasing: Leasing usually wins on long-term cost if you are certain you 27ll keep the car for several years and you 27re comfortable handling insurance contracts and potential resale risk. Sixt+ wins on short commitments, simple setup and avoiding long-term obligations.
- Versus classic car rental: Renting day-by-day or week-by-week is flexible but quickly becomes expensive for multi-month use. Subscriptions like Sixt+ are purpose-built for that 3–12 2B month window where rental feels overpriced and leasing feels overcommitted.
- Versus other independent subscription startups: Smaller players sometimes advertise super-aggressive pricing, but user reports occasionally mention patchy service or sudden changes. Sixt+ rides on Sixt 27s long-established operations, station network and corporate backing, which many risk-averse users prefer.
In simple terms: if your priority is lowest possible cost over many years, look closely at buying or leasing. If your priority is maximum flexibility without car-sharing constraints, Sixt+ is one of the most mature subscription platforms in the market today.
Who Is Sixt+ Really For?
From the patterns visible in user reviews and Sixt 27s own marketing, Sixt+ hits the sweet spot for:
- Expats and international professionals who don 27t want to navigate local car-buying bureaucracy but need reliable private transport for 6–24 months.
- Urban dwellers who primarily use public transport but want a 22real car 22 for some months – for a new job, a personal project, or a family situation – without committing to ownership.
- Young professionals and students on internships, probation periods or fixed-term contracts who don 27t yet know where they 27ll live or work long-term.
- Families in transition – for example, waiting for a factory-ordered car to be delivered, or temporarily needing a larger vehicle.
If you 27re clocking predictable mileage, plan to stay put for 3 2B years and don 27t mind dealing with insurance, a lease can still be rationally better. But that 27s exactly the point: rational isn 27t the same as frictionless. Sixt+ sells frictionless.
Final Verdict
Sixt+ (Auto Abo) isn 27t designed to make traditional car ownership obsolete overnight. It 27s designed for the growing slice of people whose lives simply don 27t fit the old model.
If your next 12–24 months are a question mark, the thought of signing a multi-year lease or taking out a loan for a depreciating asset probably feels absurd. In that world, Sixt+ is less a financial instrument and more a lifestyle tool: a way to plug 22car 22 into your life when you need it and unplug it when you don 27t.
Its strengths are obvious: one consolidated monthly payment, short terms compared to leases, multi-brand choice, and the backing of a major player in Sixt SE. Its weaknesses are equally clear: for multi-year, high-mileage use, a traditional lease or purchase can still come out cheaper, and you need to pay attention to damage policies, mileage limits and the usual mobility-service fine print.
If you read those caveats, nod and think, 22That 27s fine, I just need a solid car without all the long-term drama, 22 then Sixt+ is absolutely worth a serious look. In a world where streaming has changed how you access music, movies and software, Sixt+ is that same subscription logic applied to the most emotional possession of the 20th century: the car.
And for a lot of drivers, especially the ones who live in maybes, that trade – less ownership, more freedom – is exactly what they 27ve been waiting for.
