man booking a zipcar with app

What is car sharing?

Car sharing or car clubs allow individuals and businesses to have access to a vehicle without being tied to ownership. Car clubs are a key component for future sustainable transport solutions across cities all over the world. As travel needs change car sharing provides a mobility solution for short-term car use through the sharing economy. 

Who are the car sharing providers?

Businesses such as Zipcar and Enterprise Car Club provide a fleet-based service, meaning the company owns and maintains the vehicles. Often the company will include things like fuel, tax, insurance (the list goes on) - but it depends on the brand.

Whereas, peer to peer services (Turo, Hiyacar, getaround) are based on car owners adding their cars to the platform and charge a fee for members to rent them.

For more information go to CoMo UK.

 

Can I travel one-way? Do I need to return the car to where I found it?

Most car sharing companies provide round trip services which mean you have to return the vehicle from the same designated bay it was picked up from. In London these bays are marked as “car club” bays which makes them easy to find. At Zipcar we call this service Roundtrip – but we also offer one-way journeys, in Flex. Zipcar Flex is available in London, and it allows members to pick up vehicles on their doorstep and drop them wherever they’re going, providing you’re within a designated borough and approved parking area.

Flex makes it easier for people to make short journeys across town within the safety of a car, use cases include commuting, popping over to a friend's place, avoiding wet weather, getting home after the cinema the possibilities are endless.

zipcar car club bay

What if I own a car already?

Lots of Zipcar members also own their own vehicles and use Zipcar too. What we offer is totally unique and gives members them flexibility should they need an extra pair of wheels. We’re such big fans of car sharing we’ve even done some research that shows it’s cheaper to use Zipcar than own one! Follow this link to find out more

 

How many cars are there?

finding a zipcar

How many cars are there?

Zipcar has thousands of cars and vans available with the majority of them in London. Enterprise Car Club have 1,400 spread across the UK . The availability of peer to peer vehicles is much less reliable with availability dependent on the owner listing their car at any one time.

How do I find the cars?

zipcar app

How do I find the cars?

You will probably have noticed a few of the bays and vehicles when you’re out and about, but the best way of finding the vehicles is all via an app. That way you can use your location to find the vehicles closest to you. Check out the Zipcar app to see cars near you. 

Why Rent a Zipcar?

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Save money

We pay for fuel, parking and insurance – so you get access to a car without the hassle of owning one!

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Rent a car locally

Zipcars live just around the corner. We've got thousands of cars and vans near where you live and work.

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Drive on-demand

Rent by the minute, hour or day when and where you need them. Just book and unlock with the app.

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Live greener

Cheaper and greener than owning your own car, we've also got hundreds of electric cars in our fleet.