Zipcar: A new car for £60 a year

Over 800,000 drivers have discovered a way to get their hands on a new car for less than £60 per year. Zipcar is an international car sharing scheme that allows motorists to use a new car for as little as £6 per hour, a cost that includes insurance and fuel.

A cheaper, greener way to drive

The way we use personal transport is changing: car-sharing giant Zipcar expects one in ten of us to forgo the expense and hassle of personal adopt car clubs as our primary mode of transport.

There are environmental benefits to sharing cars. The vehicles are newer and thereby cleaner, and research shows we use them less. Furthermore, if this shift in behaviour happens as expected, it’s a massive change in the cultural significance of the car. For decades, cars have been an expression of wealth and lifestyle. Shared cars challenge this status.

The Zipcar fleet comprises vehicles that are new and smart, but driving a car for an hour to do an errand and then returning it is a practical rather than emotional experience. A widespread change in the perception so that cars are considered little more than tools is a major change and paves the way for autonomous, driver-less cars of the future that might not be owned by individuals, but rather hailed like cabs.