Car club membership growing at 70 per cent

Research showing that 30 per cent of car club users put off buying a vehicle as a result of their car club membership, supports the estimate that each car of this kind can potentially replace more than 20 privately-owned vehicles.

Transport charity Carplus found that car club membership is growing by an average of 70 per cent each year. Over 160,000 members currently use a pool of over 3,000 car club vehicles.

A spokesperson for the Environmental Transport Association (ETA) said: “Car Clubs can be an environmentally-friendly alternative to car ownership for some, and with running costs running to thousands of pounds a year it makes financial sense for existing owners, too.”

WhipCar acts as a mediator between car owners wanting to reduce their running costs and people who want to borrow a car for hours or days at a time.Traditional car clubs work by leaving vehicles parked in designated parking bays around towns and cities, which can be booked online or over the phone for as little as an hour at a time, but car clubs such as Streetcar, Connect , and City Car Club have recently been joined by a neighbour-to-neighbour car rental service, has launched in London.

Need a car? Rent the one next door

The WhipCar model bears a similarity to eBay; those wishing to offer their car for rent set the price themselves and advertise it online, leaving and receiving feedback at the end of the transaction.

WhipCar screens all cars and drivers and provides a fully-comprehensive insurance policy that protects both the owner and the hirer’s no-claims discount in the event of a crash. It makes its money by taking a 15% commission from the rental price.

How does WhipCar work?

WhipCar is free to register. The service notifies owners by text and email when there is an approved driver in their area who wants to use their car. All cars and drivers are screened by WhipCar before a booking is completed, and each journey is fully insured through a comprehensive insurance package that temporarily replaces the owner’s existing insurance for the duration of hire.

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