Pay as you go motoring

June 23rd, 2009

With the cost of driving increasing due to petrol prices, car insurance and road taxes, more and more people are looking at alternative modes of transport.

One of the options open to some is the pay-as-you-go car rental schemes which are run throughout the country. These include City Car Club, Streetcar, WhizzGo and Zipcar. Many of these have been around for a good couple of years now and have been growing in popularity and one journalist for The Guardian experienced a saving of between £330 and £530 after giving their car up for a year to try out pay as you go motoring.

Car Clubs allow you to pick up a car from the roadside at a moment’s notice (once booked) and just pay for the time you use it. It is ideal for people who don’t use a car very much and can save two-thirds on the cost of running a car.

How they operate

* Each of the clubs has a joining fee which can be as little as £25 for partners of members, going up to £60.
* You go on to the car club website and book when you would like a car choosing the nearest available place to pick it up
* You then pay for what you use and return the car to a designated car club parking space.
* Prices include basic insurance, breakdown cover and, for those living in London, the congestion charge fee.
* You also get 50 miles free fuel for each 24 hour period and then 24p a mile after.

In order to use these schemes it sounds like you have to be very organised and book them well in advance, particularly around holiday periods as they would get booked up very quickly. They sound very convenient but it may work out more cost effective for journeys over longer periods if you book through a traditional car rental company.

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