The Nairobi question — how much does this actually cost?
If you have been thinking about a car in Nairobi, you have probably looked at the numbers and flinched. The purchase price is high. The insurance is expensive. The maintenance is unpredictable. And then depreciation eats away at the whole thing every month you own it.
A subscription replaces most of that stack with one monthly fee. But the fee is not the whole budget, and anyone who tells you otherwise is selling you something. This page is the honest version: the subscription fee, the fuel you still pay, the parking that does not change, the two optional extras that actually matter, and the number you need in mind before you commit.
The plan mechanics are covered elsewhere — the definitional guide explains how the model works, and the cost math page handles the head-to-head against ownership. This page is specifically about the Nairobi budget.
The three plans — at a glance
FlexMove runs three subscription tiers. Which one fits depends on what you actually need to move, and how far.
City commuting, delivery, quick errands.
- All bike models, including electric
- Comprehensive insurance
- All scheduled maintenance
- 24/7 roadside support
- Free replacement on fault
Daily commuting, family use, business travel.
- 10+ car models available
- Comprehensive insurance
- All scheduled maintenance
- 24/7 roadside support
- Free replacement on fault
- Multi-city drop-off included
SMEs, corporate fleets, delivery operations.
- 3 vehicles included
- Dedicated account manager
- Priority support for business
- Comprehensive insurance
- Custom fleet scoping available
What is included in the monthly fee
The bundled items are the reason the subscription fee is competitive with — and often cheaper than — the equivalent stack of separate payments. Seven items are covered on every plan.
- The vehicle itself — no purchase, loan, or logbook
- Comprehensive insurance — theft, accident, damage
- All scheduled servicing and mechanical repairs
- 24/7 roadside support across 14 cities
- Free replacement on malfunction
- Multi-city drop-off across the network
- Monthly kilometre allowance per plan
- Fuel — you pay at the pump
- Extra kilometres beyond your allowance
- Optional chauffeur hours (KES 500/hr)
- Traffic fines and penalties
- Parking fees and car washes
Fuel is the one line item that varies enormously between drivers, and bundling it would force low-mileage subscribers to subsidise high-mileage ones. Keeping fuel separate keeps the subscription fee predictable and keeps your fuel spend under your own control. For a Nairobi driver averaging 1,000 km per month at 2026 pump prices, fuel runs roughly KES 17,000.
What is not included — and what each one costs
Being honest about the boundaries matters more than listing the inclusions. Four items sit outside the subscription, and each has a real number attached to it.
Fuel — KES 17,000 per month
A typical Nairobi driver covers 1,000 km per month. At 12 km/L and 2026 Nairobi pump prices of about KES 214/L, that is roughly KES 17,000 in fuel. Bike riders at 40 km/L spend roughly KES 5,350. The full fuel maths is on the fuel cost anatomy page.
Extra kilometres — variable, transparent per-km rate
The Car Plan includes 1,000 km and the Bike Plan includes 500 km. Extra kilometres are billed at a transparent per-km rate. If you regularly exceed the allowance, the fleet desk can scope a higher-mileage plan for a fixed monthly upgrade — which is usually cheaper than paying overage month by month.
Chauffeur hours — KES 500 per hour
Optional and genuinely useful for business travel, weddings, or airport runs. Most subscribers never touch it; the ones who do average two to six hours a month. See the chauffeur service guide for what each occasion costs.
Fines and penalties — your responsibility
Traffic fines incurred during your subscription are passed through to you at cost. This is standard for any vehicle you are driving, whether you own it or not.
The full monthly budget — Nairobi
Here is what a Nairobi subscriber actually needs to budget each month, with the Car Plan as the reference. The subscription fee is a floor, not a ceiling — fuel, parking, and small miscellaneous items sit on top of it.
| Monthly budget line | Car Plan | Bike Plan |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription fee | 45,000 | 15,000 |
| Fuel — 1,000 km/month (car) or city distance (bike) | 17,000 | 5,350 |
| Parking — city centre or paid parking | 4,000 | 500 |
| Miscellaneous — car washes, small supplies | 2,000 | 1,000 |
| Realistic monthly budget | KES 68,000 | KES 21,850 |
Two things to read carefully. First, parking for a bike is a fraction of parking for a car — bikes park nearly anywhere, which is one of the quiet advantages of the Bike Plan in Nairobi. Second, the bike budget is roughly one-third of the car budget, for a rider whose daily needs are within the city.
Subscription vs. owning — the monthly stack
The comparison most readers come here for. Same driver, same 1,000 km/month pattern, same parking and miscellaneous. Only the ownership structure changes.
| Monthly line item | Own a car (KES 1.2M) | FlexMove Car Plan |
|---|---|---|
| Loan repayment (14%, 5 years) | 28,000 | Included |
| Comprehensive insurance | 8,000 | Included |
| Maintenance & servicing | 15,000 | Included |
| Fuel | 17,000 | 17,000 |
| Parking & miscellaneous | 5,000 | 5,000 |
| Realistic monthly cost | KES 73,000 | KES 68,000 |
On the clean monthly numbers, the subscription is about KES 5,000 cheaper — and that gap does not include the ownership costs that never show up on a spreadsheet: depreciation of roughly KES 13,000 per month on a KES 1.2M car, the resale process at the end of ownership, and the risk of a single major repair. The full arithmetic on the ownership side is on the cost math page.
The bike budget — for the rider who does not need a car
If your daily pattern is city-only — commute, errands, the occasional delivery — the Bike Plan is by far the cheapest way to move on four or two wheels in Nairobi. Here is the honest monthly budget next to a rider who financed a KES 200,000 petrol bike.
| Monthly line item | Own a petrol bike | FlexMove Bike Plan |
|---|---|---|
| Loan repayment (15%+, 3 years) | 8,000 | Included |
| Comprehensive insurance | 2,000 | Included |
| Maintenance & servicing | 5,000 | Included |
| Fuel or charging | 10,000 | ≈ 2,000 if electric |
| Realistic monthly cost | KES 25,000 | KES 17,000 |
On a petrol-vs-petrol comparison, the numbers are close. On a petrol-vs-electric comparison — which the FlexMove fleet increasingly supports — the subscription wins by roughly KES 8,000 per month, mostly on the fuel line. See the electric bike guide for the full cost-per-kilometre argument.
The business case — three vehicles vs the Business Plan
For a small business running a fleet, the comparison is stark, and it is covered in detail on the fleet management page. Short version: three mid-range vehicles on loans cost roughly KES 153,000 per month in direct costs, before fuel, admin, or depreciation. The Business Plan at KES 120,000 replaces that stack with one line item, a dedicated account manager, and no fleet admin on your ops team.
The question is not whether one option is cheaper on paper. It is which option you can budget against without surprises, month after month, for the years you actually need a vehicle.
How to get started — five steps
Bike, Car, or Business. Match the plan to the road you actually drive, not the road you imagine driving.
Today, tomorrow, or a custom date. Any of the 14 FlexMove cities as your pickup point.
From your dashboard — browse the fleet in your city and reserve instantly, up to two hours in advance.
M-Pesa, credit card, or debit card. No deposit, no guarantor, no credit check.
Pick up, drive, and swap or return whenever your needs change. Cancel with 7 days' notice when you are done.
From decision to driving is typically under a week — usually under two days. For anything specific to your situation, the fleet desk is on WhatsApp and by phone at 0115 006 628.
The number that surprises new Nairobi subscribers most is not the subscription fee. It is the parking number. A KES 45,000 subscription looks affordable until you add KES 4,000 for parking and KES 2,000 for the weekly car wash. That is the real monthly budget — roughly KES 68,000 with fuel — and we say so upfront, because nobody wants to discover it in month two.
The second number that surprises people is the fuel line on the bike plan. It is a fifth of the car's fuel bill, and on an electric bike it drops to almost nothing. If you are budget-constrained and mostly drive within the city, the arithmetic on the bike plan is not close.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a car subscription cost in Nairobi?
FlexMove's Car Plan starts at KES 45,000 per month and includes 1,000 km, comprehensive insurance, all maintenance, 24/7 roadside support, and free replacement on fault. A realistic total monthly budget for a Nairobi driver — including fuel, parking, and miscellaneous — is roughly KES 68,000. The Bike Plan starts at KES 15,000 and works out to roughly KES 22,000 all-in.
What is included in the FlexMove monthly fee?
Every FlexMove plan includes the vehicle, comprehensive insurance, all scheduled maintenance and repairs, 24/7 roadside support, a monthly kilometre allowance, free replacement on fault, and free multi-city drop-off across 14 Kenyan cities. Fuel, additional kilometres beyond your allowance, optional chauffeur hours, and traffic fines are the rider's responsibility.
Is a subscription cheaper than owning a car in Nairobi?
For most Nairobi drivers covering under 2,000 km per month, yes. Owning a KES 1.2M car on a five-year loan costs roughly KES 73,000 per month including loan repayment, insurance, maintenance, fuel, and parking. The FlexMove Car Plan works out to roughly KES 68,000 per month including fuel and parking — about KES 5,000 cheaper per month, before accounting for depreciation.
What happens if I exceed my monthly kilometres?
Additional kilometres are billed at a transparent per-km rate. The Car Plan includes 1,000 km and the Bike Plan includes 500 km. If you consistently drive more than your plan allows, the fleet desk can scope a higher-mileage plan. For a Nairobi commuter, 1,000 km per month is more than sufficient — the average city driver covers 800–1,200 km.
Is fuel included in a car subscription?
No. Fuel is paid by the subscriber at the pump. This is deliberate: it keeps the subscription fee predictable and lets you control your own fuel spend. A Nairobi driver averaging 1,000 km per month at 12 km/L, at 2026 pump prices of about KES 214/L, spends approximately KES 17,000 on fuel.
How does the Business Plan compare to owning three vehicles?
The FlexMove Business Plan at KES 120,000 per month includes three vehicles, 3,000 combined km, a dedicated account manager, and priority support. Owning three comparable vehicles on loans costs roughly KES 153,000 per month in direct costs — loan repayments, insurance, and maintenance — before fuel, admin, or depreciation. The Business Plan is typically about KES 33,000 cheaper per month, or roughly KES 396,000 per year.