The Drive

What The Drive does

The Drive is a vertically focused automotive digital media brand serving car enthusiasts and DIY car owners with breaking automotive news, new car reviews, original cultural features, and practical maintenance/gear content. Founded in 2015 and headquartered in New York, it operates as a wholly-owned media brand within Recurrent Ventures, a Miami-based media conglomerate founded in 2018 by Andrew Perlman that owns 14 creator-focused vertical brands including Donut Media, Popular Science, Outdoor Life, and Task & Purpose. The platform distributes content across a website (thedrive.com), YouTube channel, the Drivecast podcast, a daily email newsletter, and social channels, supported by named sub-brands such as The Garage (gear and maintenance), The Downshift (opinion), The Drive Awards, and The Drive Video.

Name

The Drive

Legal name

Recurrent Ventures

Website

https://thedrive.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Drive is a digital automotive media brand delivering car news, reviews, video, and podcasts to automotive enthusiasts and DIY car owners, operating as part of Recurrent Ventures' portfolio of vertical content brands.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Advertising: Digital advertising revenue from display ads, sponsored content, and affiliate links within articles. The site explicitly mentions affiliate links which enable revenue sharing from purchases made through referrals.
2. RV Rental Marketplace Commission: The Drive partners with Outdoorsy to offer RV rentals, earning referral commissions when users book through the platform.
3. Car Shopping Service: Car buying service powered by TrueCar integration, generating referral revenue when users connect with certified dealers through the platform.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Drive is a digital automotive media brand publishing breaking car news, model reveals, exclusive scoops, in-depth reviews, original features, and car culture content through a website, YouTube channel, and podcast. The platform also offers practical consumer services including a TrueCar-powered car shopping tool and an Outdoorsy-powered RV rental marketplace, plus branded merchandise and a daily email newsletter.

Product overview

The Drive is a creator-focused vertical media brand owned by Recurrent Ventures, operating as a comprehensive automotive media platform delivering content across multiple formats including news articles, video, podcasts, car reviews, and live events. The core offerings consist of the main The Drive Website for editorial content, The Drive Video for YouTube-based visual storytelling, and The Drive Podcast for audio content. Supporting products include The Garage for gear and tools coverage, The Drive Awards for industry recognition, the Car Shopping Service for vehicle purchasing assistance, RV Rentals marketplace powered by Outdoorsy, Newsletters for direct subscriber engagement, Merch for branded merchandise, and Live Events for community experiences. The platform serves car enthusiasts seeking breaking news, model reviews, cultural commentary, and practical automotive advice.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Garage: Practical advice, product reviews, and gear content focused on car maintenance and tools
• The Downshift
• The Drive Awards
• Drivecast
• The Drive Video

Products and services

• The Drive Website (thedrive.com) Flagship digital publication delivering breaking automotive news, model reveals, exclusive scoops, car reviews, original features, and enthusiast commentary on car culture for automotive enthusiasts.
• The Drive Video YouTube-based video channel featuring automotive content including reviews, experiments, documentaries, and storytelling series such as 'The Downshift,' 'Spy Photos,' and 'Watch This' for car enthusiasts.
• Drivecast Podcast Audio podcast covering automotive and car culture topics including episodes like 'License Plate Cameras Are Tracking Your Life Without a Warrant.'
• Car Reviews In-depth new car reviews providing real-world impressions beyond manufacturer marketing, covering models such as McLaren 750S Spider, Mazda CX-90 Plug-In Hybrid, Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray, and Genesis GV80 Coupe.
• The Garage Vertical offering practical advice, product reviews, and gear coverage spanning subcategories including Accessories, Car Care, Car Parts, Cleaning & Detailing, Gas & Oil, Insurance, Maintenance & Repair, Motorcycles, RVs, Tires, and Tools for DIY car owners.
• Car Shopping Service TrueCar-powered car buying service enabling users to select vehicle make and model, view deal ratings, compare pricing, lock in savings including incentives and dealer discounts, and connect with certified dealers for test drives and purchases.
• RV Rentals Outdoorsy-powered RV and trailer rental marketplace offering thousands of RVs from local owners across US states and destinations including California, Texas, Florida, Colorado, and international locations, with nightly rental prices ranging from $65 to $295+.
• The Drive Newsletters Daily email newsletter delivering exclusive news, must-read reviews, spy shots, and deep dives into car culture directly to subscribers.
• The Drive Awards Annual award program recognizing outstanding achievements in automotive design, performance, and innovation.
• The Drive Branded Merch Branded apparel and accessories featuring The Drive branding, sold through a Blipshift-powered online storefront for automotive enthusiasts.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

AI capability1 record

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• OutdoorsycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOutdoorsy is The Drive's RV rental marketplace partner providing thousands of RV rentals across US states and international destinations. The Drive hosts Outdoorsy-powered RV rental listings on its platform, allowing users to search and book RVs by location with rental prices per night ranging from $65 to $295+.
• TrueCarminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTrueCar powers The Drive's car shopping service, enabling users to select vehicle makes and models, view pricing, lock in savings including incentives and dealer discounts, and connect with certified dealers to test drive and purchase vehicles.
• BlipshiftminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBlipshift provides The Drive branded merchandise through its online storefront, offering car-themed apparel and accessories for automotive enthusiasts.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Donut Media: Sister brand under Recurrent Ventures producing automotive YouTube content; competes for video audience in overlapping segments and benefits from the same parent-company AI tooling and event infrastructure.
• Top Gear: BBC-branded global automotive media brand with reviews, features, and video; competes internationally in enthusiast automotive coverage at significantly larger scale.

Direct peers

• Edmunds: Automotive content and car shopping platform combining reviews, pricing tools, and dealer connections; closely comparable to The Drive's car shopping service and editorial offering.
• Jalopnik: G/O Media-owned automotive publication with news, reviews, and opinion content; competes for the same enthusiast audience, particularly the culture and opinion-driven segment The Drive serves via The Downshift.
• Autoblog: Yahoo-operated automotive news and review site covering new vehicles, industry news, and buying advice; overlaps significantly with The Drive's news and reviews coverage.
• Car and Driver: Hearst-owned automotive publication covering reviews, news, and features for enthusiast and mainstream car buyers; one of The Drive's most direct head-to-head competitors for editorial authority and ad revenue.
• Cars.com: Digital automotive marketplace with editorial content, reviews, and dealer connections; competes directly with The Drive's car shopping integration and review content.
• Road & Track: Hearst-published enthusiast automotive magazine with web, video, and podcast presence; competes in the same premium enthusiast segment The Drive targets with reviews and culture coverage.
• MotorTrend: Long-standing automotive media brand delivering car reviews, news, and video content to enthusiasts; directly competes for the same audience and advertiser dollars with deeper Hearst-backed resources.
• Hemmings Motor News: Classic and collector car media brand with editorial content, marketplace listings, and enthusiast events; overlaps with The Drive's enthusiast culture content and gear coverage.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@drive
• Xx.com/thedrive
• Facebookfacebook.com/thedrive
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/brooklinemedia

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Drive