Amazon wants to get in your car. Unlike the company’s previous in-home delivery service, this move actually makes some sense. If you’re not comfortable letting a stranger into your house, but you also don’t want your packages to get stolen off the porch, then Amazon’s new In-Car deliveries are a decent compromise.
The problem? Amazon can’t just deliver to any car. The company’s trunk-delivery service currently supports any Chevrolet, Buick, GMC or Cadillac from 2015 or later, as long as it has an active OnStar account. The service also works with newer Volvos (2015 or later) that use “Volvo On Call.” That covers roughly 7 million people, and Amazon says it will support even more vehicles going forward.
Amazon Key In-Car Delivery is also only supported in 37 out of 50 states so far, and you can check Amazon’s website to see if you’re eligible for vehicle deliveries.
For Amazon to drop packages in your car, you’ll also need the Amazon Key app for iOS or Android. Once you’ve downloaded it, launch the app and use it to link your Amazon account with your OnStar or On Call account. Finally, register your delivery location, which will probably be your home or your workplace.
The next time you’re shopping on Amazon, you should see an In-Car delivery option at checkout. If you select it, you’ll want to use the app to verify that your car is within two blocks of your delivery location on the day your package is set to arrive. As Amazon notes, your car also needs to be in a publicly accessible area, which might make some deliveries trickier:
“In-car deliveries can only be made to a stationary car parked in an open, street-level, and publicly accessible area. Delivery drivers cannot access vehicles parked in garages with restricted entry. Additionally, vehicles that are parked in multi-level or underground garages do not provide sufficiently reliable GPS information for in-car delivery.”
When Amazon’s delivery person arrives, your car will unlock, your package will go inside, and your car will lock back up automatically. You’ll also get notifications on your phone every step of the way so you can run down to your car and grab your new Instant Pot as soon as it arrives—and triple-check that nobody ran off with your ride.