May 27, 2026
The Era of Uncertainty: Why More and More Drivers Are Avoiding Long-Term Car Commitments
The world has changed fundamentally in recent years – geopolitical conflicts, inflationary pressure, fluctuating interest rates and a constantly shifting labour market are shaping a new economic reality. Within it, both individuals and businesses are increasingly avoiding the long-term financial commitments that, only a decade ago, were considered the norm.
This trend is confirmed by economic indicators. According to Eurostat, labour costs in the European Union rose by 4.1 percent in 2025, while the vehicle maintenance and repair sector recorded a steady increase in expenses. At the same time, European Commission data shows that fuel prices in the region remain high – the average price of petrol in the EU last year stood at around €1.70 per litre. All of this is pushing up the overall cost of car ownership and encouraging consumers to look for more flexible mobility solutions.
Against this backdrop, long-term fixed contracts are becoming a source of risk rather than stability. Analysis by the international consulting firm PwC (PricewaterhouseCoopers) shows that companies are increasingly choosing solutions that preserve financial flexibility – a quality that has emerged as one of the most important resilience factors in a period of uncertainty.
The automotive market is one of the clearest examples of this shift. Traditional five- to seven-year leasing or loan models are increasingly out of step with today's expectations, because they limit the ability to react quickly to economic or operational changes.
“We are seeing a clear turning point – neither private customers nor businesses want to be ‘locked into’ long-term contracts anymore. Mobility is becoming a service that has to adapt to the pace of a person's or an organisation's life, rather than the other way around. More and more customers today value not the fact of ownership itself, but practicality, flexibility and predictable costs,” says Ainė Martinkėnaitė-Martyniuk, CEO of Modus Mobility, the company that operates MyBee.
When Uncertainty Becomes the Norm
International institutions point out that the global economy is now operating under conditions of heightened uncertainty. UNCTAD (the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development) emphasises that geopolitical tensions and trade conflicts are not only slowing growth but also driving up the cost of financing. This has a direct impact on business decisions – long-term debt is becoming less attractive, while flexibility is gaining strategic value.
This direction is also confirmed by surveys of chief financial officers (CFOs). PwC's annual Global CFO Survey, for instance, shows that their list of priorities is dominated by preserving liquidity, controlling costs and reducing risk. Long-term solutions that “lock up” capital and limit the ability to respond to market changes are becoming increasingly unwelcome.
“For companies today, what matters most is not only how much a solution costs, but also what kind of risk it creates further down the line. Long-term car financing models often imply not just a financial commitment, but also residual value and liquidity risk,” comments Martinkėnaitė-Martyniuk.
A Psychological Turning Point
Alongside the economic factors, a deeper – behavioural – shift is also taking place. The growing subscription economy shows that consumers are increasingly choosing access over ownership. This model, expanding at double-digit rates, rests on a simple logic: people want flexibility, transparent costs and the ability to adjust their decisions as situations change.
Within this context, the car is gradually losing its meaning as a status symbol and becoming a functional mobility tool. So-called “commitment stress” is also receding – long-term loans or leasing agreements are today increasingly perceived as an additional burden, especially when the future remains difficult to predict.
“Customers no longer want to plan their mobility five or seven years in advance. They want solutions that allow them to adapt to changed circumstances – whether that is a shift in income or a transformation in lifestyle,” says Martinkėnaitė-Martyniuk.
Flexibility as a New Form of Value
Today's mobility solutions are increasingly judged not only by price, but also by how flexibly they can adapt to change. This is precisely where the advantage of subscription-based models becomes apparent.
Unlike traditional financing methods, they allow part of the risk – from a drop in the vehicle's value to market fluctuations – to be transferred to the service provider. At the same time, the customer retains the ability to adjust their decision: to amend the duration of the contract, change the vehicle, or end the service if the situation requires it.
In a context of economic uncertainty, this becomes a kind of “stabiliser” – a solution that allows control to be maintained even in a rapidly changing environment. As PwC's analysis shows, flexible, service-based models help organisations manage costs more effectively and adapt more quickly to economic fluctuations.