How Zipcar Works, And Why It’s Still A Good Car Service

Ridesharing apps are having their big moment in the marketplace right now, but Zipcar began providing a unique transportation service before Uber or Lyft started making headlines. Remember Zipcar? It’s a car rental service that allows you to reserve a car for an hourly rate.

You might have seen the green Zipcar parking spaces on college campuses or in downtown areas and forgotten all about it after you started using Uber, but Zipcar is still around and it’s still a great transit option when you need access to a car. And if you’re under 25, it’s one of the only ways the you can rent a car.

Zipcar isn’t as simple as the one-button ridesharing services, so it’s worth taking a minute to fully explain how Zipcar works and when it’s a good idea to use it instead of Uber or Lyft.

How Zipcar works

• Zipcar offers short-term vehicle rentals
• Membership based: Become a Zipcar member here
• Zipcars are parked in designated Zipcar parking spots in many major cities and on many college campuses
• Rent a Zipcar anywhere from 30 minutes to seven days
• Reserve a Zipcar in advance and use a special Zipcard credit card to get inside the car
• Arrive at the Zipcar and use a special card to get inside
• 180 mile limit each day without incurring extra charges
• Most cities require round trips. You must return your Zipcar to the location you got it from
• Some cities allow one-way trips: Baltimore, Boston, Denver, Los Angeles, Seattle, DC
• Gas and insurance are included at no extra charge
• Zipcar is available in the US, France, Canada, the UK, Spain, Germany, Austria, Turkey, Belgium

Zipcar Requirements

Not everyone can join Zipcar. Here are the basic requirements:

• You must be 21+ (18+ in certain markets affiliated with universities)
• You need a valid driver’s license. Non-US licenses are acceptable
• You need a clean driving record

How far can you drive a Zipcar? Zipcar mileage rules

Reservations lasting 24 hours or shorter:

• 180 miles included
• $0.45 for each additional mile (up to $0.55 for premium vehicles and cargo vans)
• The cost is around $8 – $10/hour

Reservations exceeding 24 hours:

• 180 miles included for each 24-hour period
• 20 miles included for each additional hour of your reservation until you reach 180 miles
• $0.45 for each additional mile (up to $0.55 for premium vehicles and cargo vans)
• The cost is around $80/day

How to reserve a Zipcar

Zipcar requires that you reserve the car, so you can’t just jump into your nearest Zipcar and be on your way without first making a reservation on the Zipcar app or website. You can reserve a Zipcar for as little as one hour or as long as seven days.

When you make your reservation, you’ll be asked to choose the time frame, the car, and the pickup location. You can make your reservation online or in the Zipcar app.

Most cities require round trips but a few allow one-way trips

For most trips, you’ll have to return your car to the same spot that you picked it up from. That might be a big restriction for a lot of users, and it’s something that is a big disadvantage compared to regular rental cars or Uber and Lyft.

A few cities allow one-way trips: Baltimore, Boston, Denver, Los Angeles, Seattle, DC. When you book a one-way trip, you’ll be asked to select a drop off location.

Zipcar offers these types of cars

All Zipcars come with an automatic transmission, and most models are compact economy cars like Honda Civic, Mazda3, or Toyota Corolla. There are also larger and more luxurious models available if you search around.

How to use a Zipcar

After you’ve created an account, received your Zipcard, and booked a reservation, it’s time for you to find your Zipcar and go for a drive. Here’s how that’s done:

• Find your Zipcar using the information in your reservation and confirm its “name” in the back window sticker
• Unlock the doors by waving your Zipcard in front of the box stuck to the inside of the windshield
• Find the car keys inside a box on the side of the steering column
• Drive!
• Return the Zipcar to the location you got it from with the gas tank at least 1/4 filled

Zipcar fuel policy: Refill your Zipcar with gas if the tank dips below 1/4 full

Zipcar asks that you leave a quarter tank of gas in the car when you drop it off. The price of gas is included in your rental fee, so Zipcar provides a gas card inside the glove box of each Zipcar for you to use; you don’t use your own money. Use that Zipcar credit card to buy gas and follow the special prompts on the screen.

Late Fee: Zipcar charges a $50 fee if you return the car late. Make sure to return it on time! Returning the car late could cut into someone else’s reservation time.

How insurance works with Zipcar

Zipcar provides insurance, and the cost of insurance is built into each reservation. The coverage levels are: $100,000 bodily injury per person, $300,000 bodily injury maximum, and $25,000 property damage.

The collision deductible is $1,000 if you cause any damage to the car. You can buy an optional $5–$10/month damage waiver that excludes you from the $1,000 deductible, so you can decide what’s right for you.

Benefits of Zipcar

Zipcar has a lot of good things going for it, especially if you’re a college student living near a Zipcar location or traveling to an airport that has Zipcar spots.

• You can rent a car if you’re under 25
• It’s cheaper than a normal rental if you only need the car for an hour or two
• If you live near a Zipcar parking location, it’s way more convenient than normal car rental services

Drawbacks of Zipcar

Zipcar isn’t perfect. There are a few not-so-great things that may make you want to choose an Uber or a regular rental service instead.

• There may be start-up costs — a $25 setup fee — and either a monthly or annual fee depending on the plan you pick, so it’s not always 100% free to try unless Zipcar is running a promotion
• Many cities requires a round trip — you have to end where you start. Sometimes you’ll want to dump the car off at location B, but you’ve got to bring it all the way back to location A
• Daily rates are high, around $80/day — You can get traditional rentals for much less than that
• A traditional rental service will usually be cheaper if you need the Zipcar for longer than a day

When is Zipcar better than Uber? When is Uber better than Zipcar?

Uber is becoming the go-to ride service for many, but sometimes Zipcar is actually the better way to go. Uber is on-demand and you don’t drive. Zipcar needs to be booked in advance and you drive the car yourself. If you can plan ahead and drive yourself, a Zipcar trip might only cost $10 when an Uber trip would be more.

• Zipcar is better when your trip has multiple stops throughout the day — Several Ubers in one day could be more expensive than a Zipcar rental
• Zipcar is good when you’re taking a longer trip — Ubers get very expensive on long trips and Zipcar includes mileage in the hourly price
• Uber is better than Zipcar for one-way trips where it would be very inconvenient to return to the starting point

Related transportation services

• Rideshare apps: Uber and Lyft
• Turo: Affordable peer-to-peer car rentals
• Getaround: Hourly peer-to-peer rentals

Try Zipcar!

Zipcar is another option to throw into the mix of transportation services that don’t require you to own a car or use public transportation. It’s appealing to college students, business travelers, and people who need to take a short round trip.

Join Zipcar for with our referral link and get signup credits! We are affiliated with Zipcar and may receive a commission for referring you.