Advertisement

Sick of Subscriptions? Ford's BlueCruise Now Available for One-Time Fee

ford blue cruise
Ford BlueCruise Now Available for PurchaseFord

Asking buyers to subscribe to features already baked into a vehicle can cause for great consternation. (Just ask BMW.) Since Ford first launched its hands-free BlueCruise driver assistance system, it's only ever offered it as a subscription service for cars with the required hardware pre-installed — but now, the Blue Oval is changing its tune by introducing a one-time purchase option for select 2025 model year vehicles. Going forward, people will be able to own BlueCruise outright from the start as a $2,495 option.

If you liked the idea of being able to subscribe to BlueCruise, however, you can still do that — and the deal is even sweeter at a substantially reduced rate now. Previously, the monthly cost (if you subscribed on that basis) was $75, but now it’s moved down to $49.99. The yearly subscription is down substantially, too, going from $800 to $495 per year.

Knowing those numbers, you’ll need to own your particular Ford or Lincoln for at least five years for the one-time purchase strategy to make financial sense. So for those leasing their vehicle, or for anyone who changes cars often, the smarter move is to stick with the monthly subscription.

ADVERTISEMENT

But what about resale value? That’s a fair consideration, as Ford says the one-time purchase is truly a one-time charge; if you pay it then sold the car to a new owner, that car retains its license to use BlueCruise. For those trying to buy a used Ford in a few years, that’s one of the questions you’ll need to ask, as it should increase the value of that car.

There’s some fine print at the bottom of the announcement, though. Ford guarantees BlueCruise service will “be active for a minimum of seven years” with the one-time purchase. That seemed a rather odd way of putting it, so we asked Ford for further clarification.

“For the one-time purchase, BlueCruise access will be provided as long as the service is available,” a Ford spokesperson told Road & Track. “We are able to support BlueCruise for at least seven years, and if the service is technically available beyond this, no additional subscription costs will be required. Availability beyond seven years is based on a number of technical factors, such as the state of connectivity and mapping.”

Essentially, it seems as though Ford is trying to hedge here, just in case some technical reason makes it impossible to support BlueCruise down the road. You’re guaranteed seven years of support, but Ford reserves the right to no longer provide service once that time is up, even if you paid the $2,495 up front.

You Might Also Like