Zipcar to cease UK operations
Discussion
Just got the following email. This is a shame as I have used them a few times in the past, and whenever I see they have a new car I always hire it for an hour to see what it is like.
Zipcar proposes to cease its UK operations
I’m writing to let you know that we are proposing to cease the UK operations of Zipcar and have today started formal consultation with our UK employees.
We will temporarily suspend bookings, pending the outcome of this consultation. This means it will not be possible to make any new bookings beyond 31st December 2025, pending the outcome of the consultation.
Although we propose to cease operations in the UK, your account will remain open until the final decision is made following the consultation process.
This means you’re still able to use Zipcars until 31st December 2025. If you would like to see what other car sharing options there are in your area, please visit the national charity for shared transport, CoMoUK’s website.
If you have any questions, please visit our Help Centre.
Yours sincerely,
James Taylor
General Manager, Zipcar UK
Zipcar proposes to cease its UK operations
I’m writing to let you know that we are proposing to cease the UK operations of Zipcar and have today started formal consultation with our UK employees.
We will temporarily suspend bookings, pending the outcome of this consultation. This means it will not be possible to make any new bookings beyond 31st December 2025, pending the outcome of the consultation.
Although we propose to cease operations in the UK, your account will remain open until the final decision is made following the consultation process.
This means you’re still able to use Zipcars until 31st December 2025. If you would like to see what other car sharing options there are in your area, please visit the national charity for shared transport, CoMoUK’s website.
If you have any questions, please visit our Help Centre.
Yours sincerely,
James Taylor
General Manager, Zipcar UK
I was once in the target market - Zone 2/3 London, professional, only had 2 seater and needed a practical car. Still, didn't really get the value proposition - pricing worked out as high as Uber. A couple of times I had to walk upwards of 10-15 minutes to get to one, only to discover it had a ruptured tyre.
In the end bought a VW Up.
In the end bought a VW Up.
Also a user of the service since the ULEZ expanded and I sold my 60+ MPG Euro 5 only diesel car (annoyingly, if it had been a few months newer it would have been a Euro 6 model year, not something I realised when I bought it years before the first ULEZ was introduced).
I found getting by without a car easier than I expected, and Zipcar helped for a couple of situations.
What did annoy me was while I paid by the hour, the millage allowance was per day. When hiring for one hour I never came close to the 60 mile limit, but if I hired for three hours (still cheaper and easier than hiring a car for the day) I easily exceeded the 60 mile allowance.
I've also noticed the closest car (just 150 metres away) had been gone for a few months, and once I have to get the bus to get to the next nearest car it quickly starts to lose its appeal.
I found getting by without a car easier than I expected, and Zipcar helped for a couple of situations.
What did annoy me was while I paid by the hour, the millage allowance was per day. When hiring for one hour I never came close to the 60 mile limit, but if I hired for three hours (still cheaper and easier than hiring a car for the day) I easily exceeded the 60 mile allowance.
I've also noticed the closest car (just 150 metres away) had been gone for a few months, and once I have to get the bus to get to the next nearest car it quickly starts to lose its appeal.
Apparently they have a fleet of 1000 electric cars and this may be related to the congestion charge including electric cars on 2nd January 2026.
Have to say, on the few occasions I have hired them for a few hours it has been way more convenient to walk 5 minutes up the road to collect it and drop it off in the same place. Also £9 an hour with fuel included (60 miles worth anyway) is excellent value.
But I also own a car and only hire them to drive new cars and the very occasional van, so definitely not their target audience. I have also noticed that the one closest to me is often free for days at a time.
Have to say, on the few occasions I have hired them for a few hours it has been way more convenient to walk 5 minutes up the road to collect it and drop it off in the same place. Also £9 an hour with fuel included (60 miles worth anyway) is excellent value.
But I also own a car and only hire them to drive new cars and the very occasional van, so definitely not their target audience. I have also noticed that the one closest to me is often free for days at a time.
mgtony said:
Have they already got rid of their vans? Was just saying to someone the other day that a couple of bays which used to hold 2 vans each hadn't had any for a few weeks. They were always popular and used regularly.
And don't have a straight panel on them by the time they have 3000 miles on the clock. It is pretty clear that the average person who doesn't regularly drive is not competent to drive a van.I would imagine the repair costs were more than the profit they made per van?
ThingsBehindTheSun said:
Zipcar proposes to cease its UK operations...we are proposing to cease the UK operations...We will temporarily suspend bookings, pending the outcome of this consultation...pending the outcome of the consultation...we propose to cease operations...until the final decision is made...
What a strange announcement, or rather a box-ticking one to go through the motions.soad said:
It's unfortunate that a car sharing scheme that was set up to reduce the number of vehicles on the road (and with goals aimed at helping the environment via electric vehicles) helps to get killed off by the introduction of a congestion charge inclusive of car share electric vehicles... ThingsBehindTheSun said:
And don't have a straight panel on them by the time they have 3000 miles on the clock. It is pretty clear that the average person who doesn't regularly drive is not competent to drive a van.
I would imagine the repair costs were more than the profit they made per van?
Does a van need repairs beyond bashing it back to approximate shape and paint to prevent rust? Roadworthiness is more important to me, whenever I've rented a van it's had scrapes and bashes and I've not cared about it as long as it started and stopped.I would imagine the repair costs were more than the profit they made per van?
ThingsBehindTheSun said:
And don't have a straight panel on them by the time they have 3000 miles on the clock. It is pretty clear that the average person who doesn't regularly drive is not competent to drive a van.
I would imagine the repair costs were more than the profit they made per van?
Amazon Prime van drivers are out in them every day yet its rare to find one without multiple panels damaged. Don't think regularity is a good predictor of competency.I would imagine the repair costs were more than the profit they made per van?
SJfW said:
ThingsBehindTheSun said:
And don't have a straight panel on them by the time they have 3000 miles on the clock. It is pretty clear that the average person who doesn't regularly drive is not competent to drive a van.
I would imagine the repair costs were more than the profit they made per van?
Amazon Prime van drivers are out in them every day yet its rare to find one without multiple panels damaged. Don't think regularity is a good predictor of competency.I would imagine the repair costs were more than the profit they made per van?
Shame this. I used it a fair bit, specifically zipcar flex which was a game changer in London for those awkward journeys where parking your own car is near impossible, flex being able to be dumped in residents parking CPZ was awesome.
Also used zipvans a fair bit over the years, now will be much more annoying to hire one than it was.
Also used zipvans a fair bit over the years, now will be much more annoying to hire one than it was.
Edited by okgo on Tuesday 2nd December 11:48
AC43 said:
The Zipvans do a tiny mileage compared to Amazon vans. It's just that every second driver drags bollards along the NS flank.
As I said earlier, I borrowed one with 3000 miles on the clock and there was not a straight panel on it, even the cil was dented in. You didn't have to take photos originally when you dropped off the cars, so most people wouldn't own up and hope that the next person would get the blame, or they would say it happened when it was parked up.Now you have to take photos of the vehicle before and after you drop it off.
Looks like it was the increase in the congestion charge and its extension to EVs was the final nail in the coffin.
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/dec/01/z...
That said I think the overriding issue is that even before that is it just not a profitable business model in the UK.
"Zipcar was founded in 2000 by two entrepreneurs in Cambridge, Massachusetts, before being bought by Avis Budget in 2013 for $491m (£371m). It continues to operate in 25 US states, and in three cities in Canada, according to its website. However, the proposed UK closure would come after Zipcar (UK) reported an £11.7m loss for 2024"
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/dec/01/z...
That said I think the overriding issue is that even before that is it just not a profitable business model in the UK.
"Zipcar was founded in 2000 by two entrepreneurs in Cambridge, Massachusetts, before being bought by Avis Budget in 2013 for $491m (£371m). It continues to operate in 25 US states, and in three cities in Canada, according to its website. However, the proposed UK closure would come after Zipcar (UK) reported an £11.7m loss for 2024"
Edited by Shooter McGavin on Tuesday 2nd December 13:53
hidetheelephants said:
Does a van need repairs beyond bashing it back to approximate shape and paint to prevent rust? Roadworthiness is more important to me, whenever I've rented a van it's had scrapes and bashes and I've not cared about it as long as it started and stopped.
By extension, the same also applies to cars. Fundamentally they are just a means of transporting people from one place to the other and a few dents aren't going to make it break down.There's a big difference though between a hire vehicle and your own/your business's vehicle. Owning something covered in dents and scrapes gives an impression of not being competent, not caring or both.
If a builders van is trashed on the outside, there's a good chance they won't be bothered about doing a decent job when working on your house either. Obviously nobody's expecting concours condition on a working vehicle, but it doesn't take much effort to drive around without running into things.
There's a small independent window company near us who have a very good reputation for doing work to a high standard. It's noticeable that although some of their vans are ancient and covered in rust, none have any dents or significant scratches.
Going back to the Amazon vans, I've noticed the ones driving around near me are no longer anywhere near as dented as they were a year or so ago. I wonder if they are having a bit of a crackdown on making drivers take responsibility as it didn't give a good impression on a sign written van.
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