Car sharing clubs have wondrous beneficial effects on the environment as the amount of cars on Britain’s roads is slowly but surely decreasing meaning that less car fumes are being dispersed and damaging the Earth’s atmosphere. Although the environmental benefits of car sharing may not be seen, it is a step in the right direction concerning the fight against global warming.

If you fancy joining the newest trend and want to give car sharing a try, take a look below at the top four UK Car sharing clubs:

1. Carplus-  Car plus is a national charity in Britain which promotes responsible car use and is setting up a national network within the UK which will hopefully complement the most sustainable transport modes. Visit the car plus website to browse and select other car sharing clubs near you.

2. Citycarclub- offers car sharing for short durations of time such as for an hour or so whilst you go shopping or for a long weekend break. City car club allows you to rent cars for as little as five pounds an hour.

3. Zipcar- allows you to embark on car sharing by following four easy steps: Becoming a member of Zip car, reserving and selecting a car of your choice, collecting the car and then finally driving away with the car. It really is that easy, Zip car offers car rental from as little as £3.95  an hour. Here is a previouse review of Zipcar.

4. Streetcar- is based in major cities in the south of the United Kingdom such as London, Brighton, Bristol and Surrey.  Streetcar offers a large variety of reliable cars at cheap rates.

Related posts:

1. TGF Rated Review: Zipcar
2. WhipCar – a new way to hire a car
3. TGF Rated Review: Streetcar

What is it?

Zipcar is a car club…for clever people. Is it changing Londoners’ attitude to owning a car?

Who is reviewing it?

Carlo (The Kid) from Mr Organic thinks the answer is “Yes”. Read his full review at the Mr Organic website (www.mr-organic.com) by clicking on the Blog link.

In use

Dead easy to apply and set up an account. Always cars available at a stone’s throw from the office. Cheap as chips compared to buying and running your own car and less of a head ache. No Congestion Charge, 60 miles free petrol…the list goes on.  Brand new cars like the Mini, latest Golf and some funky hybrids. These sorts of car clubs are the future.

Any negatives?

One snag I have encountered is if you have to extend your reservation but someone else has already booked the car directly after your slot. From what I understand, it basically means you can’t.  The traffic in London can be a lottery and late returning fees apply.  In addition, Zipcar isn’t economical for regular long distance journeys (e.g. if you are visiting lots of customers).  To be honest, I don’t think that’s why the car club was invented, but something for Zipcar and the likes to work on.

Price and availability?

Zipcar is £75 per year plus £10 per card.  Once you’re signed up, you can then “rent” the cars out for specified time periods. The “rental” charges for Zipcar are generally lower than the competition and the little extra you spend up front will quickly be recovered if you use Zipcar on a fairly regular basis.

Overall

Zipcar definitely provides a great service to Mr Organic.  We now have an LPG converted VW Beetle for long journeys but Zipcar is perfect for short journeys in and around London, especially when you have to go into the Congestion Zone or carry a heavy load.

Rating

4/5

Related posts:

1. UK Car sharing clubs
2. TGF Rated Review: Streetcar
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