Zipcar UK Reviews 

TL;DR: I was fined £190 after following Zipcar’s customer service instructions. It’s been over 30 days since I submitted a complaint — no reply, no resolution. Feels like a scam.

I’ve used Zipcar vans many times in London to help with house moves and my business. On the 28th of April, I rented a van for a quick job in central London. When I returned, the designated bay was occupied by another vehicle, so I couldn’t park the van back in its spot.

To avoid a late return, I immediately called Zipcar’s support line. The agent answered quickly and instructed me to park across the street. I even read out the parking sign to them, and they clearly confirmed multiple times that it was fine to leave the van there.

A month later, I was charged a £190 parking fine.

I submitted a complaint via Zipcar’s website, but 30 days later — still no response. Not even an acknowledgment.

After three weeks of waiting, I started calling customer support, but they’ve been completely unhelpful. Nobody can escalate my case, and all they say is, “The violations team is handling it — they’ll get back to you.” Spoiler: they haven’t.

Just like many others are saying — they’re lightning-fast when it comes to charging your card, but go radio silent when it’s their turn to take responsibility. Totally unacceptable.

Terrible customer service. Fuel cards never work. Quick to issue you fines but never admit fault or offer compensation for issues they cause. I recommend anyone in south west London to use Kendall cars instead.

In the past month I've made two bookings and both were cancelled a couple of hours before due to faults with the car (same car). Customer Services were able to make new bookings but I had to call them to arrange it and they refunded the Ubers I needed to get to the cars. But when I picked up the new cars, they both also had faults.

The whole experience is stressful and unreliable. I had to miss 40 ish minutes of both events to return the cars to miles away from home (they don't give you extra hours on the car despite it being over 20mins by Uber away). Will never rely on Zipcar again.

Would highly advise skipping on Zipcar and using literally any other company! Faulty damaged cars, hidden fees and genuinely some of the worst customer service I've ever encountered!

I rented a van that topped in the middle of driving (dangerous!!!) Due to an engine fault. I had to leave it where it stopped, o n the side of the road, following instructions from zipcar customer service. They straight away reimbursed the fee for the trip, accepting that there was an issue with the van. 2 months later £190 is taken from my account for a traffic violation. The van was given a parking ticket. Have made numerous calls since 23 june and made a complaint.... nothing back so far and no chance to speak to the relevant team or even a manager! Will I ever get my money back? Who knows....

Vehicles never available in the Cambridge area. High demand, not enough supply - slightly missing a trick here.

Like everyone else, I was given a parking violation for a car I did not drive. Funny enough, this was my first time ever using Zipcar and it'll be my last.

The story is - I unlocked this car thinking I could park it at another location closer to my home. It turned out that I couldn't (which was no big deal) so I cancelled the car and ended up getting a line bike instead. I did not start the engine on this car- I only unlocked it for about 5 minutes. I got a full refund of the "trip" the next day, confirming that I did not drive this vehicle.

2 months later, I get an email about a parking violation from this car and they proudly just took the money out of my account without even investigating the matter. I called up customer service and they agreed it was strange since I have 0 miles on this car on my account so clearly they know I didn't drive this car based on the information on their systems. Yet they still took my money anyway. Zipcar.... you really need to investigate these matters seriously because taking money from people impacts their lives. You can't be lazy and take the first name that comes up, open your records that day, and charge them. I've waited 14 days for a reply (after countless calls and emails), and they haven't gotten back to me! I'm going to take them to court for this. Outrageous company... Sooner I get my money back the sooner I can delete my account.

The sign up process is quick and easy, I was approved within a few hours. Great that you get the sign up fee back as credit once you’re approved, and the eligibility criteria are very clear so there’s no reason not to be successful if you read the information properly to ensure you meet the requirements.

I haven’t tried the flex booking but the regular bookings are very easy to do. Make sure you’re clear on how all the pricing works to get the best price for your needs. You do have to know roughly how much time you need, because you don’t get reimbursed if you book too much. You can however extend the booking as long as the car isn’t already reserved by someone else. I did this and the additional hour cost me the same amount as the rest so there doesn’t appear to be an added cost to extending.

The van I booked was a bit ‘worse for wear’ on the outside, with lots of dents and scratches, but it’s only cosmetic so not a big deal; the inside was pretty tidy other than a few wrappers. You do have to spend a little time at the start of the trip taking photos etc of the condition of the car, since it was quite damaged I wanted to be thorough and I got there a bit late so this then ate into my booking quite a bit - so bear this in mind!

The van drove well, had lovely cool AC which was a lifesaver in the heatwave and was fully fuelled when I arrived which was handy. It had rear parking camera/sensors which was really useful.

All in all I was very satisfied, it was a much cheaper option for a somewhat last minute, short term hire.

Also, rookie error I let my phone run out of battery right as I was ending my trip, which caused a delay/late return as I had to borrow a power bank and recharge it! I called to explain (it was really quick and easy to get through to a real person which is rare these days!) and they were very understanding and waived the fee for me since it was only a few minutes and a first offence. So I’m really pleased with their customer service too.

I had been a member of Zipcar and used the service responsibly. Recently, my account was permanently closed with the reason given as a “security concern.” I fully cooperated and reached out for clarity, but I was met with a generic, copy-paste explanation and told the decision is final.

As a paying customer, I expected transparency and a chance to resolve the issue—especially since I was never informed what the actual concern was.

This experience has left me feeling extremely let down and unfairly treated. I would not recommend Zipcar to others based on this level of customer service and accountability.

I am pursuing a formal complaint through the BVRLA due to the lack of a clear appeals process.

— Samantha J.

I checked online and it made it seem like they had vehicles in my area. However, after paying the fee, I discovered they don’t. I contacted them to get my fee money back and they refused.

Maybe the service is nice but I would never use their services again because of this

Zipcar act with no care or urgency to resolve issues for their users or the neighbours where their cars are parked.

I reported a Zipcar whose alarm horn was honking on and off outside of a block of flats, and more than 12 hours later it was still happening. This is incredibly disruptive for people who live near the car.

I reported this to the council as well who will hopefully take action.

If you're considering Zipcar, use Hiyacar instead and then you give money to real people rather than a company that acts unethically and irresponsibly - and get away with it because there is low competition.

No other company has made me consider private car ownership more strongly than Zipcar, which is highly ironic. Avoid like the plague.

I have been a long term user of Zipcar and have sadly seen the quality of their service and cars decline rapidly.
I rented a van yesterday and when I picked it up, virtually every panel on the car and every wheel was damaged. Inside the van the driving area was disgusting and the interior of the cargo bay was full of dust and rubble. When I came to fill the van up with fuel two garages declined to serve me saying that they have bad experiences with Zipcar fuel cards. The third garage accepted the card and then it was declined and I had to pay for fuel myself!
This company has completely lost their way. The GM of Zipcar UK, JAMES TAYLOR should come and try being a customer of his own company...... Good luck with that experience. A sad decline of a once good company

Very bad company stole 15£ for registration I was on holiday in London and need a car try to set up the account after a week trying to change the phone number because I put a Irish one at first they let out the number even has the option to put it but after they said the app only works with uk number then a try to change for a uk number and nothing so I will lose the money and cancel the account

After 6+ years as a customer and countless reservations they suspended my account at the start of a reservation with no explanation. Customer Service is fine with simple tasks like making a reservation or amending etc. however not one person to speak to during a weekend to resolve more serious matters such as why suddenly suspend an account. I have written to the CEO of Avis group (who owns Zipcar) Brian Choi so let’s see if I receive a response?
Would highly recommend considering other companies before using Zipcar - unreliable and not trustworthy.

Absolutely disgusting customer service! Suspended my account without any reason and then proceeded to ghost me and lie to me on the phone for a whole week and then leave me out in the cold when I needed a van to move with. Unreliable, disgusting customer service & overall horrific experience! I can’t recommend them less if I tried.

My application was rejected without any clarification. With is fine. But the biggest scam happened when I emailed the. Asking for my 15 pounds back and they replied in a harsh text that money is not refundable for administration fees. What a scam.

Disgusting. Just got charged £145 for a flat tyre on a van that I didn’t do. Only used it for 30mins to take elderly neighbours rubbish to the dump. Avoid this company like the plague

Good service

I used Zipcar UK for a reservation in May 2025 and had what should have been a manageable tyre issue turn into a month-long ordeal that exposed serious problems with their customer care, transparency, and ethics.

During my trip, I experienced a tyre failure — likely due to natural road conditions — and was left stranded in a remote area with my 4-year-old child. Zipcar provided no emergency transport, no guidance, and no follow-up to ensure we were safe. I had to rely on a stranger to get us back to our accommodation.

What followed was even more troubling:
• Zipcar charged me over £1,000 for tyre replacement and recovery, despite advertising “24/7 breakdown assistance at no extra cost” — nowhere does it say location matters.
• They accused me of careless and negligent driving without offering any technical evidence.
• Despite repeated requests, they failed to provide a proper, timestamped, itemised invoice justifying the charges.
• I made it very clear the case was under formal dispute, yet they still attempted to take payment from my bank account.
• I have received only generic responses, no meaningful escalation, and no contact from any senior representative, despite numerous formal requests.

This has caused significant emotional stress, time loss, and financial pressure — all worsened by Zipcar’s unwillingness to take accountability or show basic care.

This review isn’t just about money — it’s about how a company treats its customers in moments that matter. Zipcar failed to provide even the most basic standard of support or transparency.

I’ve now had to escalate to the BVRLA, consumer protection authorities, and will pursue a chargeback if necessary.

I urge others to think twice — especially families — before relying on Zipcar for any trip where safety, service, and support could be needed.

They charge you to make the plan “for free” and don’t accept your account and don’t refund. When you reapply they charge you again and refuse again. Ridiculous