Zipcar Reviews 

The worst service ever! The cars are always dirty and dusty inside and out. They charge a fortune for nothing. Not recommended!

I would give a 0 if I could. Felt like a total scam. I used Zipcar for several years until 2022. Now (2026), it's like a totally different company with predatory tactics. I paid for a full day to rent a car. The miles (which have never been limited before as far as I know) were limited to 200 without it being clearly stated. They charged me $109 for the extra prices, almost $30 more than the actual rental price. Absolutely insane prices for any rental car company. Talking to customer service was terrible.

If I could rate 0 stars I would this company is a scam and they don’t deserve your money they add there own fees when they feel like it I paid almost $500 to drive a car for a day it’s not worth it go to a regular rental company!!!!

Would give 0 if possible.
Horrible experience, the car we wanted wasn’t starting, we called customer service and they said the battery is dying. The agent was unfriendly and even told us to stop talking….

Never submitted my application, but was charged an application fee anyway. Now they’re refusing to refund me my money for the unauthorized charge.

They are thieves. Do NOT sign up for this service. They take money out of your account for an “application fee” without your authorization.

Brilliant service in Gran Canaria - the driver was exceptionally helpful in locating our missing accommodation host. Have always found Zipcars in GC excellent and great value.

It took THREE tries to get my car.
Customer service is outsourced so it's very difficult to understand the operators. Discounts are not offered when Zipcar screws up, which is often.

Continued down hill slide. The customer service is terrible.
They also tend to nickel and dime you around little things. They come off as cheap. It's not that easy to pause or cancel the recurring charge. It feels deliberate.

I would not likely do business with them again because of the customer service. I tried to cancel my membership online and it didn't go through. They wouldn't accommodate the mistake. Sad.

Absolutely disgusting, first they scam you , overcharge with the highest price , never return your deposit , after 1 week of renting they will issue you penalty without you getting in , and they will sell all you information details to big international scammers,so don’t rent from them absolutely shocking how government lets them to run business like that

Zipcar informed me about the parking penalties almost one month later.
By the time I was notified, Zipcar had already paid the fines early and closed the cases, without giving me any chance to pay them myself at a discounted rate.
I already paid the £40 towing charge, yet I was still billed £160 + £30 twice.
Even though I ended my trip properly, Zipcar refused to take responsibility.
This practice feels unfair and misleading, and results in unnecessary financial loss for customers.
I strongly recommend checking all charges carefully when using ZipCar

I’ve been a Zipcar member for a few months now, and the whole “share the road” promise quickly turned into a nightmare of rogue parking. The biggest gripe? Zipcar lets its cars be left in private parking spots, and there’s virtually no enforcement.

From the moment I booked a vehicle, I was told I could park in any “public” space, but the app never clarifies what counts as public. As a result, I’ve come back to find a Zipcar blocking my private parking space. Each time I’ve called customer service, the response is the same bland script: “We’ll look into it, but it may take up to 48 hours.” By the time they get back, the car is long gone and the damage—my inconvenience, my wasted time—remains.

What makes it worse is the lack of any real penalty for the driver who parks illegally. Zipcar’s terms of service say you’re responsible for any fines, yet the company does nothing to track or prevent repeat offenders. It feels like they’re happy to collect membership fees while turning a blind eye to the chaos their cars create on private property.

If you value your parking space, your peace of mind, and your time, think twice before signing up. Zipcar’s laissez‑faire approach to where its fleet ends up is a glaring flaw that makes the service more of a liability than a convenience.

Never approved your application for no reason and stealing application fees

The van I booked started profusly smoking 25 minutes into the journey, in the middle of Hammersmith roundabout. The gear pedal got stuck and I just about managed to pull the car to the side to safety through the thick smoke before it completely stopped moving. Had to wait over 2 hours for a rescue vechicle to show up to tow the car away. This was obviously dangerous an unconvenient. But Zipcar, instead of apologising and refunding me the journey or compensating me for my trouble CHARGED ME £50 FOR 'SMOKING IN THE CAR'. I wish this was a joke.

Signed up to Zipcar only to find out they dont operate in my area (which you cant check before you sign up). Asked for a refund but was told because its a subscription that it cant be refunded. Total scam.

There are multiple reasons you don't want to rent at all with Zipcar despite being available next door:
- Small prints, minutes lates, and other tricks will make you be charged fees very often,
- Prices are far over the market,
- Km charged over the distance allowance is far too expensive compared to rental/fuel price,
- Cars are always dirty and smelly - not because of people, but because Zipcar do not maintain/clean their car often enough,
- The app keeps failing at locking, unlocking the car, also for ending the trip, stressful and annoying,
- You have to take photos from outside and inside the car do document, that does not make sense at night or when it rains,
- Your phone runs out of battery, and you are lost..

on a single positive note in my experience, the chat is responsive, and you can talk to a real person if you ask (often useless but at least responsive).
My experiences with zip car ranges from June to October 2025 through 4 rentals.

I have rented zipcars for both personal use and for use with Uber. The cars are always dirty and require a car wash and an internal detail before use. The fuel or electric charge for these vehicles are often low. When you experience a difficulty or problem with the vehicle their customer service team will do little to help. I once rented a vehicle from them to do Uber as they have a program specifically for Uber drivers. I discovered that the car I originally rented was switched to a different car this car that I was switched to had an expired registration on it. When I called about the problem they instructed me to return the car, but the lot was closed. There wasn't free parking available for 24 hours near the parking lot and I was instructed to take it to a paid lot and pay for a 24-hour parking and they will refund $30. The average 24-hour parking lots in this city cost over $60. Another time I rented a vehicle and went to pick it up but the vehicle wasn't there because the previous renter still had the vehicle. They were unable to put me in another vehicle resulting in them providing me a refund which takes days to receive. They don't compensate you for the inconvenience of any time lost or any money spent on car fare to pick up the vehicle or cleaning the often dirty cars. I've rented the vehicle for personal use one day and the price for two and a half hours was one price and then when I try to use the same car for the next day the price was double. My advice is don't waste your time or your money if you don't have to.

DO NOT EVER USE ZIPCAR. I have been a loyal customer for years. Never had an issue. Then I pick up a car with a flat tyre. I didn't notice it. I pulled over after 5 minutes and had to stop my trip. I then got charged £165. Don't don't use them. Unless you are prepared to spend 45minutes inspecting the car before any journey and get charged for anything at all that has nothing to do with you. They will cost you a fortune. PLEASE TAKE NOTE OF THIS. IT REALLY ISN'T WORTH IT.

Zipcar is a scam. The membership details initially shown to me were “wrong”. I was told I’d get 180 miles free per day but they snuck in the real details in the trip confirmation email (only 180km per day).

I was charged $90 in extra mileage and they refused to provide a refund despite it being their fault.

The customer service call was all over the place. I was told I drove 498KM which was wildly incorrect. It took 30 minutes for them to figure out the correct details. The whole situation was just fishy and I wish I read online reviews sooner.

I signed up for Zipcar, paid the membership fee, and my account was never even approved. Despite that, I was still charged. I can’t access the app because the verification messages never arrive (neither by phone nor email), and I can’t cancel my account through the website because it shows an error.

I tried contacting customer support multiple times, but no one resolved my issue or even responded properly. It’s unacceptable to charge customers for a service they can’t use, and can't even cancel. I’ll be disputing the charge with my bank and reporting this situation to the appropriate authorities.

Avoid this company at all costs, it’s unreliable and offers zero support.