Zipcar offers city-dwellers a viable alternative to traditional car ownership. Its hundreds of hubs around the globe make it one of the world's largest carsharing companies, and once you have a membership you can use its vehicles anywhere – including Europe. Like fellow carsharing service Car2Go , and the locally based nonprofits it competes with, Zipcar is great for folks who don't drive frequently. It's also useful for travelers who want the peace of mind that comes with having on-demand access to a personal vehicle, but who don 't want to pay for – and park – a rental car.
Using Zipcar is a lot like renting a car. With your membership card, you reserve a vehicle and drive it for a predetermined period of time, eventually returning it to its original location. This is different from other ridesharing services such as Uber and Lyft . These require you to use a mobile app to hail nearby drivers, who pick you up in their personal cars and take you to your destination – similar to how taxi companies operate.
How It Works
Like Car2Go, its principal competitor, Zipcar offers membership plans through which you find, reserve, and drive its vehicles. Every Zipcar has a dedicated home location where you pick it up and return it after use. These are typically in parking lots near major business districts, hospitals, and universities. All told, Zipcar operates in about five dozen global cities and has separate partnerships with more than 100 North American universities.
Eligibility
To be eligible for a Zipcar membership, you must satisfy the following requirements:
Be 21 years old, or 18 if you're a student at a partner university
Have had a valid, unrestricted driver's license for at least 12 months
Have no more than two combined moving violations and accidents within the past three years
Have no more than one moving violation or accident within the past 18 months
Have no major violations – reckless driving, speeding in excess of 20 miles per hour over the limit, leaving the scene of an accident, driving with a suspended license, or speeding in a school zone – within the past three years
Have no alcohol or drug-related driving offenses within the past seven years
These rules may be different in Europe, so it's best to check with your country-specific Zipcar site to confirm your eligibility.
Application
To apply for a Zipcar membership , you need to provide some basic contact information, have a driver's license and a credit card, and pay a $25 application fee. If you're a US or Canadian driver, the process typically takes just a few hours . Once approved, you receive your membership card (Zipcard) within a week and can begin driving immediately thereafter. You can add co-drivers, such as family members, to your account at any time – they must also pass the driver background check, and pay the application fee and ongoing membership fees.
Reserving and Using a Car
You can rent a Zipcar on an hourly or daily basis. Through the company's website or mobile app, you specify a start and end time for your reservation (you can begin your trip early if the car isn't in use by another driver). If availability allows, you can reserve a car up to half an hour before your desired start time – and you can reserve up to a year in advance.
For reservations less than 8 hours, you can shorten or cancel up to 3 hours before the trip starts. For longer trips, you need to give 24 hours' notice. If you fail to do so, you're charged the full amount of the original reservation. You can extend your reservation at any time with no penalty, provided you don't overlap with someone else's booking.
To unlock the vehicle, tap your Zipcard to the windshield reader. Your trip's meter starts running whenever you unlock the car, or at your reservation's start time, whichever is earlier. Start the car with a regular key (usually hanging from the steering column) or a push-button starter, depending on the model. You can make as many stops as you like on your trip, but you continue to be charged until your reservation's end time, even if you return the vehicle early.
When your trip is over, the company automatically charges your stored credit card. If you drive more than 180 miles in a given trip, you're charged 45 cents for each additional mile. Zipcar pays for fuel and insurance on the vehicle, though you may be hit with a fee if you get a ticket, have an accident, or fail to refill a low tank. If you return the vehicle late, you're fined anywhere from $50 to $150, depending on how late you are.
Membership Plans
Zipcar offers five membership plans. All offer the same basic features, but their cost varies based on how much you drive and your status as an individual, business, or student.
Occasional Driving Plan: $60 annual fee, prorated and refunded if you cancel before a year passes. Each co-driver costs an additional $30 per year. Weekday hourly rates for basic cars (non-luxury sedans and hatchbacks) typically range from $7 to $10 , depending on the city. Weekend rates range from $8 to $11. Daily rates range from $60 to $90, depending on the city and time of week. For instance, the regular rate in Houston is $9 per weekday hour or $10 per weekend hour, compared to $73 per full weekday or $80 per full weekend day. Prices may be higher for a nicer or larger car, such as a Ford Escape SUV or a BMW 3-series sedan ($10 or $11 per weekday hour, respectively, in Houston) .
Monthly Driving Plan: $6 monthly fee, which is not refunded if you cancel before the month is up. Each co-driver costs $3 extra per month. This makes for an annual fee of $72 for a single driver. Rates are identical to the Occasional Driving Plan.
Extra Value Plans (EVPs): Zipcar's extra value plans require you to make a commitment to drive a certain amount each month. You prepay for that amount, then pay as you go for anything beyond it. All driving is discounted 10% relative to the regular rates in your location. EVPs currently come in $50, $75, $125, and $250 increments. With the $50 plan, you lose any unused prepaid time at the end of the month. The $75 plan currently lets you roll over unused time for a single month. For instance, if you only use $50 worth of drive time one month, you get $100 in prepaid driving the following month – but, if you still don't use the $25 that rolled over, you forfeit it at the end of the month. The $125 and $250 plans let you roll over unused time for two months. Co-drivers don't cost extra (except the one-time application fee), and you share the monthly commitment with them.
Business Plan: Business plans cost $75 to set up and $25 per driver, per year. On weekdays, hourly and daily rates are discounted slightly (roughly 5%, depending on location). Weekend rates aren't discounted at all. There's also a special 7am to 7pm business rate that's 10% to 20% lower than the full daily rate, depending on the city. You can use a single credit card for the whole account or bill each driver separately.
Student/Faculty Plan: Students and faculty may get special pricing, sign-up credits, and other perks for joining Zipcar if there's a lot at their university. For instance, Zipcar's University of Alabama hub offers a $35 driving credit to all new members. Rates vary by place, but tend to be on the low end of the Occasional and Monthly Driving Plan rates.
Key Features
Zipcard . You need your Zipcard to open your reserved vehicle. If you lose it, you get one free replacement per year. It's $15 for replacements after that.
Vehicle Selection . Zipcar's vehicles range from subcompacts to SUVs. Typical models include the MINI Cooper subcompact, Toyota Prius hatchback, Nissan Frontier pickup, and Ford Escape SUV, but selection may vary by area. You can choose a particular model when you reserve the car . Keep in mind that luxury models and SUVs may cost more.
Vehicles With Hand Controls . For disabled members, Zipcar offers cars with hand controls. These vehicles aren't available everywhere, and you do have to reserve them at least 24 hours in advance. In areas that don't normally have hand-controlled vehicles , Zipcar asks for seven days' notice.
Zipcar Hotline . Zipcar maintains dedicated, country-specific hotlines for membership questions, accident and ticket reporting, and reservations.
Zipcar App and Reservation System . You can use the Zipcar app to manage your account's billing information, find your nearest home location, and reserve a vehicle. You can also call Zipcar's hotline to make a reservation, but this costs $3.95 per use.
Home Location . Every Zipcar lives in a specific parking area, such as a parking garage, surface lot, or street with parallel parking spots. Zipcar marks its reserved spaces with green signs or green paint on the curb or asphalt. To complete your reservation, you must return your vehicle to the area you picked it up. If there's more than one Zipcar-marked space in the home area, you can park it in any one. If you don't return the car to the proper home area, you 're charged a hefty fine of $150.
Insurance . Every Zipcar is covered by an insurance policy that includes liability coverage of $300,000 per accident, and personal injury protection (PIP) in the minimum amount mandated by the car's home jurisdiction. If you're involved in an accident, you're automatically charged a $750 damage fee, which functions as the policy's deductible.
Fuel Card . Every Zipcar has its own prepaid fuel card that you can use to fuel up – you're obligated to do so if the tank drops below 25% capacity on your trip. If the card doesn't have enough money on it, Zipcar credits your account.
Additional Fees . Under certain circumstances, Zipcar may bill you for fees unrelated to driving. In addition to fines for getting into an accident and parking in a non-approved parking area, you can be charged for not refueling ($30), losing the ignition key ($75), returning the car after your reservation ends ($50 to $150, depending on how late), and smoking or having a non-kenneled pet in the vehicle ($50, plus cleaning costs). If you cancel a reservation after the designated window closes, you're charged the full cost of your reservation.
Other Drivers . If you're riding with another Zipcar member, you can share driving responsibilities with no restrictions. If the vehicle is involved in an accident or moving violation, the person driving at the time is liable.
Hourly-Only Vehicles . A limited number of Zipcars are only available for hourly use (at the same hourly rate as other Zipcars). These are designed for short trips, such as grocery runs, and can't be reserved for longer than a full day. The Zipcar app indicates which cars are available for this purpose.
Advantages
1. Affordable for Many Trips
Zipcar is often more affordable than its competition. Though prices vary slightly by location, a typical weekday reservation costs between $7 and $10 per hour, or between $60 and $90 per day. Car2Go's per-minute rates range between 35 and 45 cents, with hourly rates between $12 and $15, meaning it's only cheaper for brief trips. With base fees, per-mile, and per-minute charges, Uber and Lyft are more expensive than Zipcar for trips of any length.
2. Wide Variety of Available Vehicles
Zipcar has a much wider selection of vehicles than Car2Go and many neighborhood carsharing services. Where you can reserve an SUV with room for six through Zipcar, Car2Go has nothing but two-person Smart cars. Local carsharing services, such as Minneapolis-St. Paul's Hourcar , are often nonprofits that place a premium on efficiency – specializing in Prius hatchbacks and gas-powered subcompacts – and thus choose not to offer larger vehicles.
3. Some Zipcars Have Hand Controls
Zipcar's selection of vehicles with hand controls makes it friendly for members who can't drive a regular car. Car2Go doesn't offer this option, and it's rare to find an Uber or Lyft driver who has a handicapped-accessible vehicle.
4. The App Functions as an Extra Pair of Keys
Zipcar's app functions as a second set of car keys. If you're logged into the app, you can unlock the vehicle from anywhere without returning to it – and you can leave the keys in the car without worrying about locking them in. By contrast, Car2Go requires you to take the keys out of the car and lock it if you stop during a trip. If you forget, you may be hit with a $100 fine.
5. More Widely Available Than Other Carsharing Options
Zipcar is more widely available than many of its competitors. In particular, its university-centric network brings the company to cities that might not normally be able to support a carsharing service, such as Moscow, Idaho (University of Idaho) and Iowa City ( University of Iowa). Uber, Lyft, and Car2Go do not operate in small population centers like this. Many small university towns, which have relatively high populations of car-less students, don't even have a nonprofit carsharing alternative.
6. You Can Drive in Any Country Where Zipcar Operates
If you travel to another country, and you're legally allowed to drive there, you can use its Zipcar network. That's not an option with Car2Go, which restricts your driving privileges to your home country.
7. The Reservation System Reduces Uncertainty and Extra Costs
Since you can reserve your Zipcar for a set period of time, you don't have to worry about a vehicle being unavailable when you need it – either before or during your trip. You don't pay extra for this privilege – the car is simply yours. If you want a Car2Go to be off-limits to other users when you're not physically inside it, you need to pay for each minute you're away. If you don't want to pay for this non- driving time and choose to terminate the trip instead, another member can get into it and drive it off, potentially stranding you.
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05/31/2024 1F
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