Zipcar
Is This Your Business?2.0
2.8
Overall Score
Author: Kaitlyn Short
LAST UPDATED: April 10th, 2022
Zipcar began providing rental cars with hourly and daily rates in Boston, Massachusetts in 2000. Zipcars are now available at hundreds of US locations in 43 states and Washington DC. As an alternative to owning a car, a sharing program is a step up for those who want more autonomy than provided by ride-shares like Uber and Lyft, and the ability to keep to their own schedule and avoid the crowds on public transit.
To join, each Zipcar member must pay a one-time application fee and choose between the option of a per month or per year membership fee. Drivers must be 21 or older unless joining a university-affiliated program at one of 570+ US campuses where college students age 18-20 will also be accepted. A valid driver's license and approved driving record are also needed.
Once you receive your Zipcard in the mail (in 3-7 days), you can start reserving and renting vehicles. Hourly and daily vehicle rates are available and vary per vehicle. Occasional trip and commuter options, as well as one-way rentals, are offered.
Keep reading for pros and cons, plus Zipcar reviews from real customers.
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The Good
- Availability
- Reservations
- Insurance
- Features and Fees
Availability
Zipcar is one of the largest car-sharing companies in the world. Zipcar currently operates in ten countries and 43 U.S. states. Within the United States, they have vehicles available in 350+ cities and on 570+ college campuses, making it easy to rent a car for an appointment, trip, or errands. You just pick it up and drop it off in a specially marked Zipcar parking spot at an appointed lot location. This service is convenient for college students and those who are looking to avoid the costs of car ownership, whether for financial or environmental reasons.
For example, in Los Angeles alone, there are approximately 18 Zipcar rental locations. In each of these locations, there are 1-25 cars in the lot available for use.
View Car Sharing Providers By Location
Reservations
Drivers can reserve Zipcars for a minimum of 1 hour and a maximum of 14 days. Customers can drive Zipcars for a max of 180 miles for every 24-hour period you have the car. For any miles traveled over the 180-mile cap, there is a $.45 per mile charge.
With this sharing service, it's easy to reserve a car when you need it in advance or at the last minute. Book online through your account or via the free iPhone or Android apps. Once you go to find your rental car in one of the designated parking spots, you simply use your Zipcard to unlock the vehicle by holding it to the card reader on the car's windshield.
Insurance
Members receive insurance coverage as a part of their membership and fees. The coverage is a little different, depending on your age and when you joined.
All members under age 21 are covered by the minimum financial responsibility limits for the jurisdiction where an accident occurs.
For members age 21 and up:
- Members who joined August 1, 2018, or later will receive liability coverage up to the minimum financial limits in the state where an accident occurs.
- For members who joined March 1, 2015, through July 31, 2018, a 100/300/25 plan is in place. Members will pay $1,000 deductible fee in damages per incident. The main insurance coverage Zipcar provides is (100/300/25) third-party auto liability coverage:
- $100,000 in bodily injury per person
- $300,000 bodily injury maximum coverage
- $25,000 for property damage
- Members who joined prior to March 1, 2015, receive $300,000 combined single limit coverage per accident.
Features & Fees
Zipcar is part of the new "sharing economy" that is becoming widely popular and looked at by the media. Zipcar's fleet is available for use 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Users, if located in a service area, will be able to receive help and make reservations at any point in time. When you become a Zipcar member, the fees cover gas (via a gas card), insurance, and 24/7 roadside assistance at 1-866-4ZIPCAR for customer service if you have a problem.
Zipcar also offers a 30-day trial for new customers. If you decide the service is not for you, they refund the membership fee (but not the application fee).
The approximate price for service in participating locations breaks down as follows:
- A one-time application fee of $25
- A membership fee of
- $7+ monthly fee for the aptly named Monthly Plan, or
- $70 annual fee for the Occasional Driving Plan, or
- A special pre-paid Extra Value Plan is available in certain cities, offering a prepaid amount each month towards your membership and vehicle rental fees.
- Vehicles cost about $9+ per hour or $73+ per day to rent. (You can reserve for as little as 1 hour or up to 14 days.)
- Late fees start at $50, plus another $50 for every hour you are late.
- If you drive more than 180 miles during a 24 hour period, you will be charged $0.45 each for additional vehicle miles traveled.
The Zipcar mobile app was named one of the 50 best iPhone apps for 2011 by Time Magazine. Today, many people find the app easy-to-use, but a little plain.
The Bad
- Additional Fees
- Limitations
Additional Fees
As a non-traditional car rental service, if members need to use a Zipcar frequently for entire days, the price can get expensive. Additionally, if you go over 180 miles in one day, they start to add on charges by the mile. The overall costs have kept some from using Zipcar.
If you are planning on renting a car for a full day or an extended trip, the rates may exceed standard car rental rates available from a daily rate rent-a-car company like Avis Budget, Enterprise or Hertz.
A Zipcar membership allows you an easy rental process and way to unlock the car that traditional rental companies don't have. So, you will have to decide whether the ease and familiarity with your Zipcar carshare are more important than the full-day prices available at other companies specializing in full-day rather than hourly rate plans. You may just want to double-check before leaving on a week-long trip.
Limitations
When you use Zipcar, the only features available include:
- Gas
- Roadside Assistance
Zipcar offers a variety of brands and models to drive, but that doesn't mean a customer will be able to rent them. The styles they offer include convertibles, cargo vans, hatchbacks, compact, minivans, suburbans, hybrids, luxury cars, and other premium vehicles. For instance, in L.A. there are 34 models that you can choose from whereas other cities have fewer options. If you want to drive a specific make or model, you can use the site or the Android or iPhone app to browse by model or style.
The Bottom Line
With Zipcar's wide reach in the US and easy vehicle accessibility with the Zipcard membership card, allowing you to skip the rental counter, purchasing a membership is a good investment if it is available in your area.
As well, if you are able to commit to an annual membership payment plan, you save about 15 percent by paying up front.
Locals who occasionally need to drive for errands or a commute will definitely benefit from using the Zipcar app. If you are interested in car sharing, we definitely recommend Zipcar.
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Thomas Gee Chicago, IL
When I first started to use Zipcar in 2016, I thought it was great. Their was a car location right near my home and the rates were reasonable. There were cars for below $10/hr and a per mile rate option as well. Since I only needed a car once every few weeks to run local errands, these were great options for me. However, the below $10/hr cars and per mile options seem to have gone away and it's more expensive now for me to use Zipcar. I still thought it was a good option though until I found out today the locations near my home will no longer have cars available. I'm guessing it has to do with the cost and feasibility of renting parking space and with how much demand there is for cars in a given location, but bottom line, it looks like I won't be using Zipcar anymore.
7 years ago
Review Source
Derrian Tallahassee, FL
Zipcar has saved my life as a college student! It is expensive to have a car, pay a car note, ar insurance and keep up with gas. It is cheap to rent for a few hours to run errands and get things done! You can pay by the day or pay for just a few hours, depending on what you need. I will continue to to use zipcar until I am able to afford a car of my own.
6 years ago
Paige Spokane, WA
I have used Zipcar many times in the past and enjoyed the service, even though the prices were sometimes steep and the quality of cars was declining.
However, I had a bad experience this past year which has prompted me to cancel my membership. I took out a car in June 2020 to drive around town, no problem (or so I thought). In late August 2020 I receive a bill for over $300 from Zipcar and an email explaining I received a moving violation. Digging into this, it seems I was charged for a photo enforced moving violation which was incorrect (the school zone speed limit was not in effect at the time). Zipcar received the violation in June, paid the fee without consulting me, and then waited over TWO MONTHS to charge me. At this point I was no longer able to contest the incorrect ticket with my local government (I tried). When I contacted Zipcar's customer service representative, they were overall confused and offered no idea what I could do, as my credit card had already been charged. I was told they would escalate and get back to me, but I never heard anything again. I contacted Zipcar again, and got no response.
First, this is against their stated policy. They need to notify customers of these violations when they receive them (as their online policy says they will) so that the customer can contest and/or handle the fee directly. Second, this situation is absurd. Why did it take over two months to notify and charge me? Third, their customer service is non-existent. Why tell me you will escalate and then not do it? Why not respond to customers reaching out? Why not even offer an apology or understanding, let alone try to make this situation right?
I feel that Zipcar has completely disrespected me. They took my $300 already, so they have no incentive to listen to me or to try to understand what I am saying. Without any leverage, they don't care about their customers at all.
4 years ago
Dave Borj Melrose, MA
They have a brilliant business plan where convenience gets top marks and, I think is part of they're mission statement (along with the whole green community spiel that was so fashionable some years ago).
However, things change. Be wary of making day plans with were you need to rely on your confirmed booking: they'll cancel your original booking and reassign another car at a location of they're choosing.
The customer service is certainly not what it used to be. You see the picture.
5 years ago
Conciergement Dallas, TX
I initially signed up with ZipCar back in 2015, with the Dallas, TX pick up location closest to me being at a train station, easily accessible. Since then the quality of cars, availability and customer service has declined drastically the past four years. My original pick up location has gone months without cars and then when there was a (one) lone vehicle to reservice, it was damaged and dirty. The next closest location (not as easily accessible and further away) the cars are ALWAYS filthy! I've taken pictures of everything from masks, food, grime, trash, dirt and more left in the vehicle. I've repeatedly for the past 3-4 years asked for someone to contact me regarding service and have yet to hear back from a Dallas representative. Nowadays, I refuse to refer anyone to ZipCar due to extremely poor service and low quality vehicles. I use ZipCar for the convenience and if I'm lucky enough to get a vehicle when needed, I spend the first 10 minutes of the reservation sanitizing the vehicle because based on the vehicles in this part of the Dallas market - sanitation is not being done!
I'm writing today because I'm at my wit's end after receiving notice my reservation location has been moved! No prior notice to ask, just that the reservation has changed and if I have an issue, call in. WTH??? If you know in advance, then ZipCar, where are you market representatives who should be re-routing vehicles when necessary or at least contacting customers prior to changing a reservation location? Why would you assume the location would be accessible to the customer? Why would you assume the customer would want THAT particular location?
The two stars only come because the customer service reps (poor souls) who have had to answer the calls from my being upset and explaining to them it's not their fault don't deserve to have to deal with situations that should be handled from another department such as an escalation team. Even UBER has a dedicated team that handles customer loyalty based on the number of trips you take. Why won't ZipCar offer better customer service to long-time customers and work on improving the customer experience?
5 years ago
Justin Grasse Boardman, OR
I signed up for ZipCar a while ago and I've never used the service. The times in which I needed to rent a car, they are not available. It's likely I could have gotten these with a reservation weeks ahead of schedule, but I don't often need a car and when I do I don't have days to plan the trip.
I would not recommend ZipCar in Seattle (at least not in Queen Anne/Belltown); cars are only available when no one needs 'em.
Also, I was never given a warning that I was paying for this service for 2 years that I've never used. A company of this size should be a bit more customer focused. I get that there's a financial incentive to having inactive customers pay annual fees, but that's a poor way to treat customers.
5 years ago
Kaysha Love Las Vegas, NV
Zipcar is a great car company that allows you to rent cars 24/7 during any time of the day. The company is very safe and really handy for times you cant make it to a car rental. The only downfall of this company is that they are just building and aren't in every city.
6 years ago
Scott Los Angeles, CA
Where do I start? I’ve taken some punches from Zipcar in the past - dinged up cars I’ve spent 10 minutes documenting before leaving the lot so they don’t pin it on me, dirty cars, very low gas, paid for gas because there is no gas card and then not reimbursed. List goes on. But this one takes the cake.
I have about 4 hrs between checking out of my hotel and jumping on a flight home from LAX. Happens to be my Step-Mom’s 80th bday and I’m in town so I call the night before to say I’d love to take her to lunch while I’m in limbo waiting for my flight. She says that would make her day and I book my Zipcar near LAX.
Get to Avis rental lot where Zipcar says Ira (my car) would be parked and there is no car where the pindrop indicates. Actually, there is no Zipcar lot - just a twisted area of linked fences, concrete barricades and apparently it’s an Avis employee lot of cars. Had to ask an Avis guy where’s the Zipcars. He says they moved lots and points 300 yards across the Avis lot. Would have been nice to have the right location but I pushed honk on my app at this point just to be sure he’s not wrong. A message popped up saying the previous driver had not yet returned the car. No worries - will take me some time to navigate a labyrinth of bumper to bumper parked rentals, bustling Avis shuttles and abandoned construction areas as I’m walking in the indicated direction. I was alerted that I shouldn’t be walking in this area by a nice Avis guy who gives me a lift in the Avis car he’s taking to the wash. I tip him $5 when he gets me to a Zipcar looking lot (barely) and I jump out. Side note - he says no one ever tips him. He deserved it for at least making that portion of my story the most customer service I received all day.
During my commute I called Zipcar and was placed on hold for 15 mins. Once I’m at the correct lot I honk again and try the unlock button on the app. Nothing - same message. Finally a Zipcar agent answers my call. She says nothing can be done but the driver says he’ll be back soon. At this point it’s been 1/2 hr and I tell my Step-Mom I might not make it. 10 minutes go by. No car.
I get on the Avis shuttle and decide I’ll just head to the airport. About a minute on the shuttle and I’m notified that my reservation has started and can’t be cancelled. I ask the shuttle driver if I can get off, which is ironically right where I was first directed by Zipcar where my car would be. I walk the 300 yards back again. This time there is no nice Avis guy around to give me another ride. Finally get to the car at 50 minutes after the reservation start time. Hustle to my Step-Mom’s to have a quick 30 minute “bite” instead of a long lunch to catch up. Return the car on time and get to the airport where I settle in and check my Zipcar account. Here is the kicker. . .
Zipcar charged me for my original pick up time and says I returned it 2 hours late. Charged me those 2 hrs and a $100 late fee. I almost had to laugh because I did try to extend my ride a 1/2 hr to have a little more time at lunch but they said someone else had booked it. No one got in the 15 minutes I was waiting near by at the shuttle stop so things went wrong on many levels. Wish my customer rep was more on it and empathetic. Wish Zipcar would update location lots when they move then 300 yards away from the spot they mark on the reservation. Wish I had a 64 Impala.
6 years ago
Akshaya Ames, IA
I had ones of the worst customer service. My initial booking was at one location, But the car wasn't in the location when I reached there. I waited for a while before calling up the customer care center to give the person some time to return their car. The customer care person I spoke to after having waited in line for 15 mins offered to change our reservation since the car hadn't arrived. But since no one could confirm the arrival of the car , the Zipcar representative offered to change the reservation to another location. All this happened , and it was none of my fault but I was ended up charged a non-refundable 1 hour charge because of this mix up and the reservation was postponed 1 hour.
I called up the customer care as soon as I received the invoice asking about this and the rued representative told me that she will open a ticket/ complaint regarding this issue and that I would be contacted shortly. But I was not contacted regarding this till now , even though I called twice and spoke to the rudest of them after my initial complaint and every single time I was told a new ticket has been opened. Its been 1 month since this incident and I haven't received any response their side. This is the worst customer service I have ever witnessed and for something that was 100% out of my control especially after what they have put me through to demand for the money that belongs to me.
6 years ago
Lesa Burgess Pleasant Grove, UT
I was visiting San Francisco when i used zipcar for the first one. Being in a big tech-y city like SF, it was easy to find an available car and ride around the city. Had no issues and thoroughly enjoyed this easy service. I have not used his service being in a smaller city, so I’m not sure about their services.
8 years ago
Review Source
Destini Ferguson Tallahassee, FL
Zipcars are conveniently located on my college campus, and you only need to be 18 to operate them. If you need to rent a car for a quick trip around town, Zipcar is the option for you. I don't recommend long-distances because it gets pricy after a certain mile count.
4 years ago
Review Source
Jodianna Tallahassee, FL
I love how reliable zip car is especially for college students! Before I purchased my first car I only did zip car and it was extremely convenient because there was a zip car located right outside of my apartment. The process to receive your car in the mail does not take long either!
4 years ago
Review Source
Karen Torino Tallahassee, FL
These cars are available around my campus and they are a great way to go around. There are times where I have to run multiple errands and it is not worth it getting ride-share after ride-share. Gas is on them and its super easy to use!
6 years ago
Review Source
Alyssa Hansel Tallahassee, FL
Zipcar is great! Customer service did a little slow, but they are super helpful after the wait! Would definitely recommend this app for all college students who don’t drive and are looking for affordable personal transportation!
6 years ago
Mariana Linares Charlotte, NC
I used to use Zipcar in college when my friends and I didn't have cars on campus, and before there was Uber. It is a very quick, easy, and efficient way to get access to a car - especially if you're not the age of 25 yet. The only downside being that you cannot be late to check in the Zipcar, or else you will be charge a large fee. This means the car needs to be locked at the time the rental is over.
6 years ago
Review Source
Ramone Raiford Tallahassee, FL
This is great for students who don’t Have a car on campus. It was helpful when you needed to run errands and the prices were very affordable! This allowed you to feel independent so you aren’t constantly asking friends for rides.
6 years ago
Review Source
Sarah Marfo Tallahassee, FL
Zipcar is the best thing made for anyone who does not own a car, car trouble, or using it in a different city. It is affordable and the car is clean to my liking. Be careful with timing and pick up because you must arrive on time when getting your vehicle.
6 years ago
Review Source
Destini Ferguson
Zipcar is perfect for anyone 18 and up who needs to get around! Its cheap, and the cars are reliable. Whenever I've had a question customer service has been easy to reach. I definitely recommended Zipcar as a first choice when transportation is limited.
6 years ago
Review Source
Bianka Pierre Tallahassee, FL
As a college student without a car, whenever I need to make my way off campus for any reason Zipcar is always my first choice. They are not too expensive and the cost per hour is like using a ride share vehicle but in this case you can go where ever you want with no restrictions and any concern about safety.
6 years ago
Elana Blum Brooklyn, NY
ZIPCAR IS THE WORST. I remember when it was a great company... But now, service is HORRIFIC, the software DOESN'T WORK, tech support is by email only (no more help by phone), and if you have a technical support issue, nobody gets back to you for WEEKS. The latest example: We had an incident in a car (scraped some paint). Zipcar SUSPENDED our membership and said we had to file an incident report. But the incident report system is BROKEN. After a week, a tech replied to my call for help by saying 'we're aware of the issue'. Meanwhile, I'm told the incident can take 2 months to resolve -- but only after I submit the report, which I can't submit because the website is broken. Meanwhile, all my family members have been removed from my account. We're kind of desperate now, and there's no help in sight...
4 years ago
Kamilla Y New York, NY
I arrived at the garage to pick up the ZipCar, the staff at the garage kept saying the car was't working and insisted that I called ZipCar to change the car. I asked him what's wrong with the car but he refused to tell me, just kept saying that the car didn't work. He started helping other customers and ignored me. I called ZipCar and put on hold for 10min before I could talk to a representative. While I was waiting, I asked the staff if he could just switch the location instead of having me called because I had an appointment to go to. He said no and I had to talk to ZipCar.
After he finished helping all other customers, he said he's going to check on the car. When I finally got on the line with a ZipCar representative, he brought the car out and said the car was actually working. Because I was in a hurry, I just hung up the phone. It was 20min late from my original pickup time.
I ended up extended my trip for 30min on the App to 4:30pm. I returned to the garage, there's a line. I waited in line until a lady came over. She kept yelling and asked me to open the trunk. I didn't know how to. She walked around the car a few times then left. I waited in the car until a guy gestured that I could leave the car. I left the car and forgot the end the trip on the ZipCar app until 5 min later.
ZipCar charged me for the extra time and a $50 late fee. I called to explain the situation, the lady said I should've called ZipCar right away when situations happened, so they would refund me the time I lost while waiting to pick up the car. Well, it's my first time using the service. They refused to refund the $50 late fee. I didn't even bother to ask for the refund of the wasted time at pickup! Terrible customer service, unreliable pickup, a lot of fees and surcharges. cars are super dirty!
4 years ago
Mark Frazier Baltimore, MD
I started using Zipcar as a temporary solution to my personal car breaking down. With me being a single parent and working full time, i needed transportation; for my childs daycare and for me to get to work and back, so i usually have a full day rental, if not extended longer. On 3 occasions zipcar has charged me for tolls that i was nowhere near at the time. When i call to dispute, all they have done is take a claim and tell me to wait 3-5 business days for a resolution. Today 11/01/2021 is business day number 6, I called, and they told me to wait 3-5 additional days. There is nobody i can speak to about the matter and its frustrating because Im in a bind where using their service is the best and cheapest option I have.
4 years ago
Tori Hidalgo New York, NY
Zipcar moved my reservation from a location I chose because it's 6 blocks away from me to a location over 30 blocks away. I didn't see the email notification (that was sent at 1AM) until I was walking out the door to pick up my car. I was over 30 minutes late to the race I rented the car to run. Had to pay $50 to change my race time.
And to top it off, the new car was absolutely filthy with trash, cigarette ash, and CLOTHES left behind. The INSIDE of the windshield was so dirty, it was blurry to look out of. There was also no washer fluid. I've been a Zipcar member for many years now and have noticed a significant decline in vehicle quality. I just cancelled my membership after an equally disappointing customer service experience.
Don't waste your money. The monthly fee is clearly not going to vehicle maintenance. Ever notice how there's no reviews on their website? There's a reason for that! If you ask to leave a review, they tell you to reply with a pdf of your review - which I'm sure goes straight into the garbage.
5 years ago
Elizabeth Bishop Cambridge, MA
I have moved houses with zipcar successfully one time in the past, so I tried to book with them again. Unfortunately, this time around, they reassigned my vehicle (I originally booked a 3 row minivan and they re-assigned me to a 2 row crossover) and did not inform me. 6 days before my move, I checked my account and found out about this. I called the company, and they were not able to find me a comparable 3 row car and told me they would refund me so I could book somewhere else. However, they are now refusing to refund my application fee (after two calls and over 1 hour of my time on the phone with customer service), even though I never would have applied to use their services if I knew they did not have a suitable car available! I would not recommend this company to anyone.
5 years ago
MC315 Brooklyn, NY
This service is mediocre, but convenient if you need a car with any frequency. That's the best I can say about it. My first issue is with the 'Download and Drive' marketing that makes it seem like you just need a license and boom, you can rent a car the same day you need one. False. You need to wait 3-5 business days before your account is approved. My second issue is the first time I rented a Zipcar, it was not at all clean and when I was late (my bad) THEY TURNED OFF THE VEHICLE. I was a 10 minute drive from the return site, on my way to return the car, and the vehicle would not start because they had remotely disabled it. I had to call AND be charged an extra half hour on top of the late fee just to drive it a mile to its lot. My third issue I have with it is that the second time I rented a Zipcar, there was no gas card. So either I couldn't use it for the full time I needed it or trust them (no way) to reimburse my gas I put into it. Customer service is a joke; the people are friendly enough but you can tell they are forced to regurgitate the same BS without actually helping you. Don't trust it, just get a rental elsewhere.
5 years ago
Quentin Alexandre New York, NY
This is a dishonest company. Stay away.
I hold a Driver License from both New York State and my home country in France. Accordingly I meet the requirements for membership with Zipcar. (I've rented car with regular car rental company and never encountered an issue). Yet, Zipcar denied my application for membership and told me I could not reapply - even though they said I meet the requirement with my non-us driver license. I asked to cure the problem by resubmitting my non-us driver license and they refuse. More, they refused to issue a refund for the membership fees. This is nothing else than a consumer fraud and their customer service just awful. Stay away from this company, very dishonest company.
5 years ago
Review Source
vicky Chantivong Wichita, KS
if I can give this place no stars I would. I do not write bad reviews but this one really needed it. I'm from Kansas and my destination is Oregon. I have two dogs in the car with me. I stop at a rest area and as I'm about to leave my car does not turn back on, come to find out my battery is dead. I had to wait over night to call this place to get a jump or a tow from them. once it hit morning they said they would send someone out, I waited 6 HOURS in 90+ degree heat with my pets in my car. window would not roll down and car would not start. I had to ask someone else to help out instead because I just couldn't wait on them anymore. DO NOT GET SERVICE FROM THIS PLACE. Zipcar you are a disappointment.
5 years ago
Nico Notting Hill Gate, KEC
I have been a Zipcar user for over 6 years now. Their website is constantly broken and their customer service is more than pathetic. They have recently notified me of a penalty charge notice, except they provided the council parking service with my previous address on their system. Despite the council confirming that Zipcar can indeed update them with the correct address, no, Zipcar customer support either does not reply or says it cant do anything. How am I suppose to pay a ticket that I have not received? They dont care. Zipcar is a tech disaster and they have lost a customer.
NEVER RENT from this company
5 years ago
Geoffrey Paterson Denver, CO
One of the worst customer service experiences of my life. NEVER RENT FROM THIS COMPANY. I booked a rental at Denver airport two months ahead of time. Two days before I was to leave I checked their app and my reservation was gone. I called them to ask about it and was told the car was no longer there, and they had no car available. I asked them when were they going to tell me, and that this really ruined my schedule, and was unacceptable, to which I was given a $12 credit for my troubles. So then I booked a ZipCar out of downtown Denver and caught a ride from the airport to pick it up there. The car was filthy. Trash all over the floor, seats horribly stained. Nonetheless I drove it for 3 hours and returned it, getting all but one item out of the car. When I looked inside and saw that I had left a dash clip for my cell phone in it I called them up asking them if they could open the door (they can do this remotely) just for a second to retrieve the item. As I waited 15 minutes in pouring rain I was told they couldn't open it as someone else had booked it for this time. As they were 20 minutes late I asked why they couldn't just open it for all of ten seconds to allow me to retrieve the item and I was again told they could not.
I never, ever plan to use this awful company again and I strongly urge others to do likewise.
5 years ago
scott poticha New York, NY
I was deeply disappointed after I reinstated my membership following 2 years of a hiatus. After renting a car that was filthy (cigarette ash everywhere inside the car) and smelled like marijuana, I reported the incident. The customer service rep on the phone was very sympathetic and given there was not another car available he offered to credit me the vehicle. Also worth noting the car was only filled half way with fuel and there was no gas card in the vehicle. After spending 25 minutes detailing the car myself I had to drive my family 2 hours in this vehicle. The following days afterwards I found out I was charged for the vehicle 3 times. There clearly was a mistake. When I inquired I was told that I was given credit and had to pay one of the charges, over two hundred dollars. Despite explaining the promise I received that the car would be credited and pointing out the mistake the company made in over charging me they would not budge. They happily charged me and also did hesitate to cancel my membership when I shared my disappointment and intention to cancel my membership. It was so very unprofessional and saddened me to think that this company would not do the right thing but instead seemed okay losing a customer, and worse, over a mistake they made.
5 years ago
M. M. De Los Olivos Salinas, CA
Used zipcar freshman year of college, as I did not have a car at the time. I am writing this as a senior and college and have have problems with the past few months due to billing. I haven't used zipcar for three years yet all of a sudden they hit me with a past due on a membership fee?? I tried to close my account (like I thought I had) and pay the balance, but just to get into my account they wanted me to renew and pay at minimum $75. I called and asked for the charge, that was seemingly out of no where, to be nulled. The person who helped said that he would get rid of the charge. I asked for a email conformation that stated that the past due notice had been waived, but he said that he couldn't do that because they didn't have my email (bs, and I even gave em mine and they refused to send me a email). The next morning after calling about the charge they send me a email (ironic, huh) saying that I still owe them money. Terribly shady company that seeks to milk every dime out of their customers. Seek out other alternatives. This has been a headache and at this point I'm afraid that due to this stupid charge, they will hurt my credit score.
5 years ago
tyler matts Boulder, CO
0 STARS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WORST SERVICE EVER. I had a reservation at 2pm and when I arrived at the location, the car was nowhere to be found. I then received an email right before my pick up time, notifying me that my reservation was cancelled at the last minute for an unspecified reason. I called them and there was no other cars available. This incompetent company had no solution to a problem they created and now the customer is the only one to suffer. They then offered a refund and a pathetic amount of credit after voicing my frustrations. Thanks to Zipcar I missed an important event. Simply walking to your destination is better than having to go through zip car. Zip car is as reliable as the boy who cried wolf.
5 years ago
ND Croydon, CRY
Disgraceful company - beware of fraudulent charging!
First experience and truly woeful.
Parking bays not marked as zipcar use only so eventually found the vehicle a long way away - wasted time.
Returned and just managed to park in bay app suggested by convincing a kind person to move their car (again - only because unmarked).
Despite leaving the vehicle 5 mins before session end, was given a late penalty charge!! Now arguing (luckily have proof in form of uber receipt showing I left scene before session end - imagine if I didn't) but customer services are refusing to compensate.
Unethical and simply fraudulent. Would give zero stars if I could...
5 years ago
Markhv Alexandria, VA
Every experience with this company has either been frustrating, costly, or insulting.
Despite repeated calls to customer service to get the app functioning (i.e., being able to login), it was unusable. My membership card never arrived. When I asked to cancel and receive a refund, I was denied said refund. Their argument was that I did not contact them in sufficient time in order for them to address this properly. Well, I had to deal with my mother's death and father's ailing health. Do not make your technical, logistical, and customer service failures your customers' responsibility. They missed an opportunity to cultivate and keep a loyal customer. I will Zip on over to one
5 years ago
Hannah Sag Harbor, NY
I've been a member for 13 years and the customer service and condition of the cars has definitely deteriorated! When I picked up the car on Saturday at 1:30pm, it was filthy and smelled strongly of marijuana smoke. The left backseat appeared to be covered in mud that was hastily wiped up and had dried. The windshield was so filthy that I could not see properly. There was no windshield fluid to clean it. Despite the dirty condition, I kept my rental and drove 2 hours outside of NYC. One day later at 10:30am I went outside to drive the car. The car would not start. I immediately called zipcar and was put in touch with roadside assistance. They told me that she would send a technician to jumpstart the car after accusing me of doing something to the car which must have caused the problem. I requested that a new car be sent to me and was told that this was not possible. I finally got a call back from roadside assistance after being put on hold for an hour. They are supposed to arrive in an hour but I am not holding my breath. I am appalled by the customer service and lack of help while I am on the road! No refund - no back-up plan if the car does the same thing again - no sympathy or apologies! Zipcar has definitely gone down hill and I will be looking around for other options so I can cancel my membership!
5 years ago
Rob Brooklyn, NY
I've been a member for years and have seen a tremendous degradation in service. My last five rentals: 2 were changed by Zipcar the day before to locations that were very far from where I live so I had to cancel and couldn't go to the places I needed to go those two days. One the car wasn't returned by the previous renters and there was no other car in the neighborhood so I couldn't pick up my wife at the airport. 2 were fine - but with the same car - a dirty shirt on the back seat both times (one week apart) and no window washer fluid, which created dangerous driving in NY in the snow. Also - one of those times the car was buried under the snow and there's not even a brush or anything in the car that can be used to push off the snow, which I had to do by hand. I've finished with Zipcar. After years - I will not renew my membership.
5 years ago
Teddy Wong Columbus, OH
Poorly Maintained. No reimbursement of out of pocket expenses. Hidden fees.
Never use this service. There are better car share options, such as gigcar. If not, a commercial car rental is a better deal, and less hassle. I used this service once, but never again. On top of a monthly "membership fee" Zip car charges about $.50/minute, so overall a two hour trip cost me almost $100. It was difficult to find the car. Once I found the car, it was difficult to find the keys within the car (Finally I found them buried in a pocket of the middle console). Zipcar cuts corners by having the "members" do all of the maintenance on the cars, while they are paying for rental time, and will charge you a fee if the gas tank is under a certain amount.. So, I had to fill the tank while I was paying a by-the-minute rental fee. There is supposed to be a gas card in the visor. It was missing, so I paid out of pocket. Zipcar never reimbursed me for the gas I filled the tank with before returning the car. The inside of the car was gross. Someone left combs in the glovebox and garbage in the middle console. I called customer service to complain and close my account, and was told I would be reimbursed for gas and extra time used to fill the tank, clean the car, and find the keys. However I was ever reimbursed. Even worse, my account was never closed, and I have been billed $16 monthly ever since. This is a horrible service. Do not be fooled.
5 years ago
Chelsea Ziobro Astoria, NY
I was hoping to use zipcar to pick-up food on Christmas Eve. Everything I had read on the website said that I would be approved either immediately or in a few days. So I applied on December 14 without any worry that it would all work out.
When I hadn't heard back by December 18 I started to get concerned and called zipcar. The customer service representative told me that my application was pending but she didn't have any further information. I asked what the longest amount of time it could take was, and she said a few days or several weeks. I confused and not pleased by this answer. I also wanted to make sure that should I be approved I wouldn't have to wait for a physical zipcard to come but would be able to make a reservation through the app immediately. She said that I wasn't approved yet. I said that I understood that, but assuming that I were approved, could she answer my question. She said that she could not let me know that until I was approved. This was the end of the first call.
Having not received an email I called back on December 21. The woman on the other side of the phone told me that my status was still pending. I explained my situation and she said she would expedite my application.
Having still not received an email on December 23 I called again. The woman who assisted me said that I should be receiving an approval email with further instructions that evening and that I could reserve immediately through the app upon approval. I did not receive an email on December 23. I had to make last minute, expensive, stressful alternative arrangements for picking up my Christmas meal.
On December 28 I called again to request that my application be cancelled and my application fee be refunded to me. The man I spoke to said that my application needed additional information, namely a photo of my drivers license. Since I submitted a photo of the front and back of my license during the application process and NONE of the other three representatives I spoke to had mentioned that anything additional was need, I was incensed. He then proceeded to tell me that my application fee could not be refunded, but that he could send me an email that would help me continue the application process, which was a ridiculous thing to say considering that I went through my entire history with zipcar with him and expressed my extreme frustration and mistrust. I said again that I did not want to continue my application process and I would like my application fee refunded. He said that he put in the request for my refund and cancelled my application. But could not tell me when I would be hear from zipcar about the refund or how much they had charged me thus far (I wanted to make sure that the yearly fee had not yet been charged).
Three days after this call (December 31) I received an email apologizing that my application had taken so long. So CLEARLY the representative I had spoken to had not cancelled my application and had also not submitted for my refund. When I again asked for my application to be cancelled and for the refund of my application fee through email, my request was seen to and I received my refund. But the misinformation and lies I was fed were ridiculous.
5 years ago
Ryan Weiss Seattle, WA
Absolutely awful do not use this service at all. You need to unlock the car via an app but the car, not the app needs connection to the internet. Rented the car, picked it up no problem went about my trip and sure enough couldn't unlock the car via the app. Then when I called customer service they sent a truck out unlock the car so I could get my things but the car wouldn't start since it had no connection. Had to wait another 3 hours for a different tow truck to pick up the car only to be dropped off at a zip car depot 20 miles from my pickup location. Long story short a few hour car rental turned into an all night ordeal. Oh and to cap it all off they charged me for the entire time I was with the vehicle and will not refund me. DO NOT USE THIS SERVICE!!
5 years ago
Shanelle N Ottawa, ON
Great marketing to pull people right in - If there was a rating in the negatives, I would give zipcar that rating. They had a "commuter/dedicated" membership option which for a monthly charge zipcar booked the cars automatically Monday through Friday for you, advertised well, I was on the plan for 2 years (they have now cancelled this plan). From the very start, I was over charged the first month and conveniently could not get a hold of the agent that set me up and made the mistake. They don't equip the cars for colder climates, no snow brush, no anti freeze windshield washer fluid (which freezes right on the windshield while driving) and tell you to buy the items and they'll reimburse you...and then reject the reimbursement request. They told me their cars have snow tires - They don't. On multiple occasions, they forgot to book a car for me altogether leaving me without a car for work even though I had already paid my monthly fee or I'd go to pick up my reservation that the app/email confirmed to find that there was no car parked at the pick up spot and no other cars available. They should just scrap advertising "gas is on us" because most times there is no gas card at all and gas is ON YOU. Submitting a reimbursement request with them is not fun and their app/website constantly has glitches.
Customer service - the worst I've ever experienced. No one at their call centres ever knows what's going on and their agents have no interest in listening to full sentences before beginning to speak over you. Zipcar decided to tack charges on me ( I guess I was the luck winner randomly selected ) for provincial parking permit tickets issued to THEM for their designated zipcar parking spot. When I called to tell them it's not my car or my parking spot, they said they are "looking into it"...it has taken the entire month of November 2020 to "review" the tickets for a parking spot that belongs to them and I still have not received not even a response for getting my refund of over $300 CAD. I spoke to about 5 agents over the month and 3 of them told me my refund was processed and later on, 2 of them said it's still under review - So they literally just lie to get you off the phone. You can't speak to supervisors, there's no follow up when they make a mistake. They are not customer focussed at all with zero active listening skills and offer no customer incentives for being a long time member. DO not give them any of your business. Hope this helps someone!
5 years ago
Lindsey L Bend, OR
There is a balance remaining on my account from a toll, which hadn't processed when I canceled my account. I had to cancel the card on my account several months later, and THEN they got around to charging the balance, which obviously didn't go through since the card had been canceled.
The only way to change the card on file is to reactivate my account, for which I have to pay. So they require me to pay them $10 so I can pay them $1.50. Or maybe $2.10, though they can't explain why it's $2.10 when the email said $1.50.
When I said I wasn't going to do that, they threatened me with a collection agency. A COLLECTION AGENCY. For $2.10.
5 years ago
Ken Bergmann Seattle, WA
I tried to rent the vehicle TipToe on Friday 23 Oct. I received a notice that it was ready to be picked up so I took an rideshare to the vehicle location. It was not present. I immediately called help and was on hold for 19 minutes. During this time I walked the entire parking lot to ensure it wasn't improperly parked. When my call was finally answered, the agent left me on hold for another 7 minutes. When they returned they said the car was at another location and there was nothing they could do. I asked that this trip be refunded and they said they couldn't do that. I informed them I had movers waiting and an elevator reservation, that this trip had already cost me and now I would have to rideshare further and I expected to be compensated for my costs since the vehicle wasn't available as agreed. I was told there was nothing that could be done. I asked to speak to a supervisor and the agent hung up on me. I called back and was on hold a further 12 minutes before being disconnected again. As a further indignity, I received an email the next day saying that I was being charged for the missed trip. Since I was unable to use the movers during the time scheduled I was charge the cancellation fee $120 and had to rebook everything. All together this cost me $25 in rideshares and $120 in mover cancellation fees, plus the $43 I was charged for the trip. The emails from support simply stated that they were sorry the situation wasn't better but there was nothing they could do. Be wary when using this service.
5 years ago
ELaw Briarcliff Manor, NY
Single worst customer experience I have ever had.
If you are going to sign up for ZipCar you need to be aware of the following:
1) false advertising that is practiced (particularly in relation to the ability to start booking “instantly”). We signed up because we were told we would be able to sign up and begin booking quickly. This is NOT the case. You have to wait for them to mail you a Zipcard which for us took multiple weeks. We never even received the first one and they had to resend it.
2) egregiously long wait times for customer service (never less than 50 minutes)
3) technological issues experienced with their app. This resulted in us traveling to pick up the car, the technology failing and not letting us in, and then us having to cancel our whole day's plans and instead spend over an hour on customer service hold.
4) Lack of honesty in regards to customer service (informing me they will overnight my Zipcard which then arrived over 5 days later). This really happened.
6 years ago
Alla Mesh Speonk, NY
Original review: July 18, 2020
I reserved a car for hot summer weekend in advance. I got to the place where car was supposed to be parked, it was not there. 40 minutes later (was on hold for all this time and disconnected several times), find out that my car was parked 2 miles away. Had to take an Uber. I could not find the car, one hour later after multiple phone calls to Zipcar (representatives just hung up on you and then need to dial back and wait on a line for at least 15 min for the next representative) I find out that place where car parked locked till next morning.
Zipcar representative was trying to help and booked the other car, after we hung up, it turned out that my zip car was booked only for a night (from 10 pm Friday till 9 am Saturday), my original reservation was till Sunday night. I had to call back to zip car, after another half an hour I learned that no zip car available for weekend (it was already late Friday night). All my plans are ruined and zip car staff can’t help. This is a nightmare. Zip car customer service is terrible and I would not wish anyone to be in this situation.
6 years ago
Lowell Baltimore, MD
I have been a Zipcar member since Oct 2009. During the first almost ten years that I used it it was dependable and a reasonable value. Sometime in 2019 they changed their website, their billing and their policies. I assumed they were being incorporated into the operations of Avis, their parent company but that is only speculation on my part. It immediately went downhill. Customer service was horrible, the number of available cars decreased, car selection decreased, reserved and paid for cars were not available, billing was inaccurate, etc.
Today, Tracey Zehn, Zipcar president, sent out an email to users which essentially blamed their poor service on COVID-19. Zipcar performance went downhill long before COVID-19 was a problem. If the company's leadership cannot acknowledge the source of their problems they will have a very hard time correcting them. I have lost patience with Zipcar and will no longer be using them. Zipcar does not deserve my business.
6 years ago
Jasmin Serrano New York, NY
Zipcar do not deserve a star!!!
Do not become members of this car share rental. Zipcar should be completely shut down. I've been a member for a few years. Twice they screwed me on the 4th of July weekend. 1st time they inform me the day before of my rental not being available. They manage to get me a car only because I was highly pissed off and was literally screaming and cursing through the phone. Today June 28 2020 six day before my family gathering I was forced to cancel my car rental and on top of all that I have rented a house for over $2000 which I may not be able to go if I don't find a car in time. If I don't go to my family gathering I will not get my house rental funds back. NO REFUNDS ALL BECAUSE OF ZIPCAR! Zicar did not notify me about my car not being available. No email, phone not even a text. When asked why was I not notified I was told a bogus excuse which really pissed me off. Zipcar literally forced me to cancel my rental. I terminated my membership with them right there and then never will used them ever again.
6 years ago
Richardinthecitu Owings Mills, MD
Zip car will rip you off
#1 I’ve been paying for over a year and never received my zip card.
When I called them on Monday to get it fixed I was told my card would be mailed to me by Wednesday. And that they would give me a credit $50 credit. I’ve been paying $9 a month for over year to keep the service in case of an emergency. I was like “that sounds great, thank you so much.”
Wednesday come by and now care... so I wait till Friday to call back and see what’s up.
On the Friday calm I was told that it would be 5-7 business days before I got the card. 7 business days later would have been May 29.
Now it’s June 4th and I still haven’t received my card, and now when I call no one answers even after I spend 2-3 hours on hold. And nobody calls back after I request a callback.
#2 In the month of May I was charged twice.... really!?! Yes... really...
The same month that I’ve been asking them to resolve a separate issue!
And going back to one of my issues from #1, no one answers when I call!?!?
#3 I can’t even get a hold of anyone to request a refund for my year of wasted money, for a service that I couldn’t even use!
#4 you can rent a car on Turo for far cheaper and less hassle
#5 their rates aren’t competitive with other services.
I will be reporting them to the better business bureau as I have literally tried everything else to get this resolved.
If you have zip car and have an issue with them, I suggest you do the same because they will not
6 years ago
Chiz Oki Bryn Mawr, PA
If I could give zip car a zero I would. its an unreliable service that aims to make money even in situations that are their fault. On the night of March 6th, I rented a car for a couple of hours. I had no trouble driving it to the store where id did a little shopping. After I came out the car wouldn't start, I tried for about 20 minutes to start the car but still, it wouldn't work. I looked on the website and call the customer service line many times before I just had to call my school to dispatch campus safety to pick me and my friend up. Since the car was the problem and not me I assumed Zipcar would be understanding about the issue. I called the next day to report to them what happened and was told that if any damage happened to the car that I'd be charged for the damage. While I thought that was ridiculous I didn't pay attention, because I was not at fault for a vehicle that was broken. Unfortunately, that was not the case, and they proceeded to charge me a $150 fee. Fortunately, my card had already been canceled so they couldn't charge me anyways. Over the past month, I've been calling and emailing them to figure out what was wrong, however, they've just been telling me the same story and giving me the same run-around. I've just decided to cancel the whole account and not deal with them again. Not only would I not recommend this service, but I would also generally advise everybody not to use it. It may be useful for a little while but overall its a scam and not customer-friendly. I have to say I'm disappointed.
6 years ago
john smith New York, NY
Using zipcar over the course of the last month has been a nightmarish, kafkaesque farce.
I used zipcar prior to the acquisition in 2013 and found it use easy to use and convenient. Remembering that experience, I recently re-activated and thought I'd give it another try. My mistake. I have rented two cars from zipcar since then, or rather tried to rent two cars. Zipcar saw to it that I didn't actually get either of them.
For the first rental, I had somewhere to be early Saturday morning. As I was heading out the door at 7:30 a.m., I got a call from zipcar informing me that my car that I had reserved weeks in advance was, in fact, not available. There were no cars available in Manhattan, but I was free to pick up an alternative car in Staten Island, two hours away. Thankfully, a professional car rental service (i.e., not zipcar) had plenty of cars available, and I was able to complete my trip. Thanks, Dollar Car Rental.
At this point, I foolishly decided to give zipcar one last try. I think you know where this is going. I went to my scheduled pickup location at 6 p.m. last Friday, which took an hour to get to. My zipcar was not in the assigned spot. In fact, it was not anywhere in the parking lot. Weird! I called zipcar, who seemed slightly confused why I was calling. Their attitude seemed to suggest that it was my problem, not theirs, if the car that I had paid hundreds of dollars to rent was not (technically speaking) available to drive. They offered to call the current renter of the car to figure out where it was and get back to me within 15 minutes. I don't think I need to tell you that I never got a call back or heard anything further about where this car was despite multiple follow-up calls. I hope they've located it, and the drivers did not use it for some sort of "Thelma and Louise" type scenario.
Although several hours late at this point, I finally agreed to backtrack an hour into Manhattan to pick up an alternate zipcar. When I arrived in Manhattan, my card did not unlock my replacement car. I spent 30 minutes on the phone with various representatives who -- if this is possible -- were even sassier and less helpful than the representatives I spoke to before. Finally, we were able to get this car unlocked. I was repeatedly promised that this car would be billed to me at the price of the original car, not the replacement. I think you will be unsurprised to learn that when I looked at the bill this morning, it was at the (much higher) price for the replacement car. It took two weeks of calls threatening to file fraud charges to get this overcharge reversed. As soon as it did, I immediately canceled. I have never been happier about never having to use such a worthless, fraudulent service again.
6 years ago
Shaquana Pressley The Bronx, NY
I rented a mercedes-Benz from Zipcar gets to the location where the car is at the doors won’t open customer service at Zipcar send a signal to the car still not open mind you it’s freezing in New York and now I have to go to another location if I want a different car mind you the rate for the Mercedes-Benz is $170 a day with tax I rented a few car from Zipcar and the cars be dirty lights on dashboard or got dents in the car or mechanical issues, this is really unfair to us customers and I’m still waiting on my refund by the way
6 years ago
