If you're under 30-years-old and live in a large city, such as London, chances are you don't own a car, but there are occasions when you might need a car. Whether that's for driving to a festival with a group of friends, driving home for the weekend, or for heading out on an adventure into nature.
This has led to a number of car rental services which allow users to hire a car using an app, the most luxurious of which is The Out from Jaguar Land Rover.
So, when I recently needed a large luxury vehicle to drive family members to an event at Buckingham Palace there was only one place I could turn – The Out.
The term car rental usually conjures images of tiredly filling out forms on an airport counter or picking up the keys to a Vauxhall Astra in a portacabin, but The Out is different, it's a luxury car rental service that can deliver a Land Rover or Jaguar to your doorstep. The entire booking process is handled through an iOS app or using The Out's website.
About a week or so before the event I opened up The Out's website (because it doesn't have an Android app yet) and entered the address of where I'd like the car delivered.
Currently, The Out operates mainly in London. It will deliver and collect a car to addresses in travel Zones 1 to 5 (that could be your home address, a friend's home, your office, or somewhere more public – like a train station) as well as Gatwick and Heathrow Airport for free. If you're outside of Zone 5 then there's an additional delivery cost which gets higher the further out you go.
Once you've selected the address you can then select the timeframe of the loan. There are half-hourly slots between 6.30 AM and 6 PM on weekdays, and 7 AM to 9 PM on weekends.
Next, it's time to choose your vehicle. There are a lot of choices here, including a Discovery Sport, Range Rover Evoque, Jaguar I-Pace, Discovery, Range Rover Velar, Range Rover Sport, Range Rover Autobiography or Jaguar F-Type.
The Out has also recently started offering an 'Individual Collection' which includes more 'stand out' unique cars. For example, you can get a Range Rover Sport SVR Ultimate Edition in bright Gloss Maya Blue if that's your thing.
This service is ideal if you need something a little larger (and posher) than the traditional Volkswagen Polos or Ford Fiestas found on most other rental services.
If you need help choosing a vehicle, the app will give you a price for the rental upfront, as well as key specs, such as the fuel type, gearbox, and the number of seats.
I opted for a Range Rover Autobiography PHEV because it really is the ultimate SUV when it comes to sophistication, size and comfort.
Once this is complete, all you need to do is upload a photo of your driver's licence and select optional extras, such as a bike rack, baby seat, or a dog boot liner. All of these are free of charge.
The whole booking process can take a matter of minutes – it's very simple.
The car can then be delivered to your desired address, later that day if you're booking last minute and have a devil-may-care attitude, or months later if you like to plan ahead.
When the day of my rental came around I received a text from The Out that said what time to expect the car and a link that allowed me to track its location in real-time.
When the car arrived, the friendly delivery driver showed me around the vehicle, pointing out any damage and answering any questions I had about the car.
Then the vehicle is yours for the rental period. The mileage is unlimited and the insurance includes European coverage, so you can really go wherever you want.
I'd been lucky enough to drive the Range Rover P400e before and found it just as impressive the second time around. The hybrid powertrain is perfect for driving in cities and the commanding driving position really does make you feel like King of the Road.
When the rental is over, someone from The Out will meet you, look around the vehicle again for damage, and then drive the car away. You don't even need to fill the fuel tank before it gets collected, The Out will do this for you and charge the pump price.
It really is a seamless, luxury car rental experience unlike any other I've experienced. If you can afford the rental cost (which I'll get onto next) then I'd wholeheartedly recommend The Out.
The Out: Price
Now onto the price, which, as you probably expect, is not exactly cheap.
Obviously, the price of a rental varies on how long you're going to borrow the car for, and which vehicle you choose. You can expect to pay between £550 and £1,000 for a weekend rental (Friday evening to Monday morning).
The more premium the vehicle, the more expensive the rental will be, so the Discovery Sport will cost £550 while a Range Rover will be closer to £1,000.
Of course, just like an Airbnb, you can split the cost between a group of friends, at which point it becomes a little more reasonable.
One thing to note is that an insurance deposit of between £2,000 and £4,000 is held at the time of booking – this is released when the vehicle is returned (in one piece).
