I spend £1,500 a year on borrowing cars – and save £5,000 by NOT owning one
DRIVERS fed up with the hassle and cost of owning their own vehicle can instead use a car club and just pay for motoring when they borrow a car.
Carplus, a firm promoting car clubs and car sharing, says membership of these clubs is booming with 222,500 motorists now signed up in the UK.
Most car clubs work in a similar way. Members book a vehicle, usually for between an hour and a weekend.
Among the best known are easyCar Club, Hertz 24/7 and Zipcar. Jonathan Hampson, general manager of Zipcar UK, says: ‘Pay-as-you-go motoring is now in the mainstream and seen as a smart way to use a car.’
Architect practice owner Andrew Phillips, 47, says car clubs have saved him a fortune.
Andrew is married to Paris fashion house executive Melissa and they live in Westminster, Central London. They use Zipcar.
He says: ‘I had a Lotus sports car for fun once but it was not always practical. I joined a car club because it removes all the hassle of owning a car in London – parking, congestion charges, maintenance, even fuel costs.’ Andrew finds cars using an app on his phone. He says: ‘We choose how long we want it for and use our phone to unlock the car.’
The couple have even used Zipcar abroad, including a recent visit to Chicago to see buildings designed by world renowned architect Frank Lloyd Wright. Andrew says: ‘I spend about £1,500 a year using the club but save £5,000 by not having a car.’
Membership of Zipcar costs from about £60 a year and then from £6 an hour, and £54 a day on weekdays.