Are the days of car ownership over?

I still remember walking into a phone shop for the first time. Shiny handsets lined the walls, each one promising to change my life. But it wasn't the phones that caught my attention - it was the deal. That was the lightbulb moment. I wasn't really buying a phone. I was buying the bundle: packaged, predictable, and easy to upgrade.

Fast forward, and cars - especially electric cars - are heading the same way. What used to be a once-in-a-decade purchase is shifting to subscriptions, leases, and salary sacrifice schemes. In other words, cars are going the way of smartphones.

Remember the joy of walking out with the latest phone without dropping £800 up front? A small deposit - sometimes nothing - and the rest spread out each month. EV leasing is the same. It takes the heavy lift out of new tech and makes it accessible.

Ownership is changing too. Most of us don't keep the same phone for more than a couple of years, we just trade up. EVs work on the same principle. In an era of rapid innovation, permanence feels like a liability, not an asset.

And upgrades matter. Phones evolve fast: better cameras, faster chips, longer battery life. EVs are evolving just as quickly; longer ranges, faster charging, smarter software.

We're already seeing models capable of over 500 miles on a single charge, and ultra-rapid chargers that can add 100 miles while you grab a cup of coffee. The upgrade cycle isn't just about convenience, it's about staying plugged into a wave of innovation that keeps reshaping what's possible on the road.

The explosion of choice has been staggering. Just a few years ago we had only a handful of EVs that could travel more than 100 miles on a single change - today we have more than 130.

Why tie yourself to yesterday's model when tomorrow's is always around the corner?

Leasing keeps you on that upgrade cycle so you're always driving the latest, cleanest version.

Of course, tech can feel overwhelming. Back then we leaned on shop assistants to explain 4G versus 5G. Now, EV specialists help you navigate battery sizes, charging networks, incentives, even driving habits. You're not just buying a car, you're setting up a personal technology plan with experts to guide you through the process.

Then there's depreciation. Phones lose value fast, but contracts solved that with trade-ins.

Second-hand EV prices can also shift. Hand the car back, no haggling, no second-hand stress.

Both the phone and car industries know people don't just want a product. They want access to cutting-edge tech that feels simple, affordable, and flexible. Minutes and data, or kilowatt hours and charging - it's the same principle: bundle it, spread the cost, keep upgrading.Driving away in an EV today feels less like buying a car and more like joining a subscription plan to the latest tech. And if smartphones taught us anything, once you've tried the latest model, there's no going back.

Fiona Howarth is Founder & Director of Octopus Electric Vehicles