Streetcar or Citycar car club rentals - anyone used?

usignuolo

We share a family car and recently my husband has needed it a lot for work. I still need a car for local trips so have been thinking of subscribing to one of these car clubs, where you pay an annual subscription and hourly rental.

CityCar has a car parked near us and StreetCar has another not far away (I live in London). The CityCar car is parked on a busy main road, near a pub car park and where it is likely to get scratched or pranged while standing empty (been there, done that).

Has anyone used one of these car clubs and what happens if you leave the car in good condition and the next renter arrives to find it has been dented or damaged? Are you held liable?

dacouch

Any minute now there will be a spamyish message from the person that works for the one of the car clubs, I won't do them the favour of mentioning their name.

Hintza

These clubs surely work on trust and goodwill and those are in damn short supply these days?

daveyjp

Read the small print of the companies providing the cars. They are all different. I would always advise a quick walk round of the car prior to driving it so you are aware of any damage.

usignuolo

What I am nervous about, is that the car is parked in a bar in a busy road when cars often get scratched by lorries and buses squeezing past each other (it has happened to me overnight, in fact my last car but one was parked not far from there and written off by a water board van while it was parked overnight).

What happens if the car is fine when I drop it off and then gets scratched or dented in the time before the next renter picks it up. I can say I left it in good condition but I would, wouldn't I?

fixx

I've been a member of Streetcar for about 2 and half years, and really like it - though i haven't used in about 1 year now! I'm about to use it a little in the upcomign weeks, as i'm moving house, and the streetvan rental will be useful.

It has a really good network over london, generally good availability, and offers discounts on hourly prices at some off peak times.

Re damage, i've always checked the car over quite thoroughly at the start and end of each rental period. The car will have a log in the glovebox showing what damage is already reported. I've only had to phone up once to report new damage (a deep gash in the paint on a door). When i phoned they told me to double check to be really sure, as it meant the last person before me would be charged, so they're pretty thorough at making sure damage is done before charging anyone.

If damage has been done between you leaving it, and the next person pickign it up, i'm not really sure what happens. I knwo the cars are serviced quite regularly by vists from the company, so if there was a service visit after you dropping it off, and they didn't note any new damage, you might be ok. Other than that, I guess you might be charged - I don't know how you could prove it wasn't you.

Anyway, Streetcar online booking system is good, contact centre is really helpful - but I haven't used another car club, so not sure if others are better.

Hope that helps.

fixx

usignuolo wrote: »

What I am nervous about, is that the car is parked in a bar in a busy road when cars often get scratched by lorries and buses squeezing past each other (it has happened to me overnight, in fact my last car but one was parked not far from there and written off by a water board van while it was parked overnight).

What happens if the car is fine when I drop it off and then gets scratched or dented in the time before the next renter picks it up. I can say I left it in good condition but I would, wouldn't I?

If this is the city car one you are talking about, i would phone the company before signing up, and explain your concerns, and ask for advice/procedure if the car was damaged in this instance. If you're not satisified with their answer, then for peace of mind maybe you should sign up for streetcar or another provider if that is parked better?