[Reducing motoring costs] Anyone rent their car out to car sharing services like Hiya?

damo101

Hi everyone,

Has anyone rented their car out using things like Hiya (sort of airbnb for cars i guess)? We're thinking about it but did have some questions. Does it affect your insurance? Is it as hassle free as they'd like you to believe? Would you recommend it (if they have referral codes, pop it up and I'll use it!)? Is it actually worth doing for the time, money and hassle?

we don't use our car much so it's just sitting there - we only have it as the car clubs don't allow dogs and also sometimes go on longer trips (2 or 3 weeks) so car hire would be too expensive. There is some cars near us on Hiya funnily enough that do allow dogs though. We are trying to see if we can do without a car but do need it for the next 6 months due to different things we've got going on, but are keen to eventually get rid of it.

Thanks in advance!
damo101

jimjames

Last time I looked my cars were too old to be of interest to them which was a shame

damo101

jimjames said:

Last time I looked my cars were too old to be of interest to them which was a shame

ah, didn't realise there was an age limit - our car is about 10 years old but in decent shape. I think we'll be ruled out.

poppy12345

damo101 said:

jimjames said:

Last time I looked my cars were too old to be of interest to them which was a shame

ah, didn't realise there was an age limit - our car is about 10 years old but in decent shape. I think we'll be ruled out.

Criteria for hiring your car is here. https://help.hiyacar.co.uk/en/articles/89665-car-criteria

Grumpy_chap

I don't really understand these HIYAcar type services from the point of view of the renter.

If I want to hire a car for the coming weekend, Friday to Sunday, I can go to a national hire firm and book a Focus or equivalent for £141.51.  For that price I will get a new / nearly new modern, fully maintained car and proper business / professional service, breakdown cover, etc.

Alternatively, I can use HIYAcar to borrow a 10 yo Golf with a small dent in the rear wheel arch, unknown service history and a daily mileage limit, all for the princely sum of £209.11.

HIYAcar does not seem to make any sense.  Plus, in the event of damaging the vehicle, I know I'd much rather return to a car hire depot where it will be dealt with entirely impassionate manner rather than risk the wrath of an individual ranting over their pride-and-joy.

Stubod

..the fastest cars in the world.....hired ones ...

BOWFER

Grumpy_chap said:

I don't really understand these HIYAcar type services from the point of view of the renter.

If I want to hire a car for the coming weekend, Friday to Sunday, I can go to a national hire firm and book a Focus or equivalent for £141.51.  For that price I will get a new / nearly new modern, fully maintained car and proper business / professional service, breakdown cover, etc.

Alternatively, I can use HIYAcar to borrow a 10 yo Golf with a small dent in the rear wheel arch, unknown service history and a daily mileage limit, all for the princely sum of £209.11.

HIYAcar does not seem to make any sense.  Plus, in the event of damaging the vehicle, I know I'd much rather return to a car hire depot where it will be dealt with entirely impassionate manner rather than risk the wrath of an individual ranting over their pride-and-joy.

I think it's more aimed at people wanting to hire by the hour.
When I type my postcode in, there are 2 x cars listed and the pricing defaults to 'per hour'.
I don't think it's aimed at anyone wanting a car for days.
Seems like a good idea to me, in theory anyway.

Grey_Critic

Your own insurance would not be valid. Renting your car out is classed as Hire & Reward and totally different insurance. Hiring out and earning a few quid might seem like a good idea but you would need to declare any income and separating out the private use against hiring will be a fun exercise. What do you do in the event the vehicle is in an accident? Can you manage without it? And then of course there is the maintenance, who is going to clean it, check levels etc?

jimjames

poppy12345 said:

damo101 said:

jimjames said:

Last time I looked my cars were too old to be of interest to them which was a shame

ah, didn't realise there was an age limit - our car is about 10 years old but in decent shape. I think we'll be ruled out.

Criteria for hiring your car is here. https://help.hiyacar.co.uk/en/articles/89665-car-criteria

Thanks, that seems more flexible than the one I looked at before

jimjames

Grey_Critic said:

Your own insurance would not be valid. Renting your car out is classed as Hire & Reward and totally different insurance. Hiring out and earning a few quid might seem like a good idea but you would need to declare any income and separating out the private use against hiring will be a fun exercise. What do you do in the event the vehicle is in an accident? Can you manage without it? And then of course there is the maintenance, who is going to clean it, check levels etc?

It wouldn't be insured through your policy, it would be through the company so that's not really relevant. It's only applicable if you are running a taxi service yourself. In terms of maintenance then yes that's clearly your responsibility as it's your car you are providing as a service.

Herzlos

The use through this system would be it's own policy so your insurance wouldn't need to cover it. I don't know if they'd want to know and adjust the risk anyway?

It looks like a great deal on an hourly basis (there's a Peugeot  208 near me for £2/hour) before booking fees and insurance. Though I don't know how practical it is for me to go and get it without a car.