Car-Sharing and Car Clubs

How Does it Work?

The idea behind car sharing schemes is simple: some people have a car they don’t use all the time, while others only need a car every now and then. Car sharing schemes put these people in touch. It’s a bit like Airbnb, but for cars.

• There are two ways to be involved:
  Register your car as available for hire.
  Or register as a driver.
• To hire a vehicle, simply enter your location on the site and then choose the nearest or most appropriate vehicle to suit your needs.

What are the Benefits?

• Owners earn money from a car that would otherwise be standing idle
• Drivers have the convenience of a car on demand, but without the expense of owning and maintaining a vehicle
• All the legal stuff is taken care of before you drive away; owners and drivers are
  vetted and insurance is arranged as part of registering
• The schemes are quick and simple to use once you’ve registered
• Feedback by both parties ensures standards of vehicle safety and cleanliness are maintained

Points to Consider

• These schemes use apps to operate them, including for actually unlocking the cars; if you have a smartphone there shouldn’t be any problems, but there might be if you live in an area with poor coverage
• Not all the schemes cover rural areas, though many do; coverage varies between companies and some operate beyond the UK
• Costs vary: bigger cars cost more to borrow
• There is no guarantee that the car you want will be available

How Do I Start?

• Go online and search for ‘car sharing’: you might like to start with
  Drivy
  hiyacar
  Zipcar
• Register on the website, download the app and off you go!

Car Clubs

An alternative to this so-called peer-to-peer arrangement between individuals is to join a car club, in which vehicles can be booked from companies in a similar way to conventional car hire schemes