Car clubs

What are they?

Car clubs are short-term car rental services that allow their members access to locally parked cars which can usually be rented by the hour or day. They offer an alternative model to private car ownership for individuals and businesses.

Where are they?

Co-Wheels operates a pilot EV car club in two of our car parks in Abingdon – Cattle Market, OX14 3JT and West St Helens, OX14 5BU. It also has a 24/7 customer service team that are available to help with any queries regarding driving an EV.

Book via Co Wheels website

See Abingdon Liveable Streets’ video which gives a great step-by-step guide. Starting with setting up an account, booking a car, unlocking the car and driving an EV car (really useful for those who haven’t driven an EV before) and then returning the vehicle.

More info on how it works on the Co-Wheels site. These fully battery electric vehicles (with a range of 150-250 miles) are available for residents to use on a pay-per-use basis from an hour up to a few days.

How to videos

• Picking up a MG4
• Dropping off MG4

What are the benefits?

• Saves you money Car clubs allow you to rent and use a car whenever you need one. This reduces the necessity to own one yourself, or to have a second vehicle in your household. A car club avoids the cost of tax, repairs, and other associated car ownership costs.
• Helping the environment There are around 27 per cent fewer CO₂ emissions for a car club car, than the average UK car (source: CoMoUK) the national charity for shared transport). Many car clubs have electric or hybrid vehicles available to hire, further reducing the carbon footprint of your journey.
• Convenience Many car clubs run flexibly and allow you to book with short notice.

Peer-to-Peer car sharing

Peer-to-peer car sharing is where people offer privately-owned vehicles for rent to others via an online platform. This option can provide a solution to car sharing in areas where a car club is not operating. Hiyacar and Getaround are examples of carsharing platforms. 

How to set up a community car club

Collaborative Mobility UK (CoMoUK) (link) is the national charity dedicated to the social, economic and environmental benefits of shared transport. They have developed some guidance and can provide advice, support and share best practice on setting up a community car club.