Zipcar: cars on-demand

• Free

Last verified 30 Aug 2026

4.5 84042 ratings · App Store

1. 4/5Stranded with Courtesy

   Interesting experience today - the car I was using wouldn’t start in an under ground garage at local mall because there wasn’t a satellite connection. Received suggestions like get someone to help you push it closer to entrance/exit to make connectivity (I’m a small woman - in NY, in Brooklyn, really,?) also, if you pay for help get a receipt...huh? Gee sir thank u for going out of your way, can I give you a few dollars and oh btw I’ll need a receipt even though it’s not my car and I’ve been waiting for over an hour for a call on a tow truck - smh/really deep sigh. The best offer - we’ll credit you and extend your time. Hmmm, credit (not refund) for a car I’m not able to use, extend my time while i stay with unusable vehicle waiting for a tow truck that never came? This was suppose to be a quick dash to the supermarket and Home Depot..2 hours maybe 2.5, not shopping, picking up specific items - in and out, waiting on line would be most of time. And yet everyone at Zip was friendly courteous and unconcerned about me being stranded/inconvenienced if ya know what I mean. Anyway, I finally got vehicle started - and out of the garage with a $5.00 parking charge (usually cost $2-3) not that big a deal/difference just annoying. Guess it’s time to consider getting a vehicle kinda miss having my own.

   NaturalBlkChick · 30 Aug 2026

2. 5/5My zipcard suspended?

   Basically there was no complaint about Zipcar. I've been using my card key since 2008 and it's starting to stop working. So I applied for replacement on March 26th. I waited for it to be delivered in 3-7 days. I haven't received a new card yet, but my membership was suspended on the day I applied. Normally, when you activate a new card, you should not be able to use the old card, but suspend first. I decided to wait. It wasn't delivered after 10 days, so I applied again. The phone didn't connect (maybe the operator office was closed due to emergency?) I exchanged by email, so my 2nd application was on April 12th. Next is the third application. At that time, it was a miracle that the operator responded. That day was April 20th. I was planning to use a car, so I asked if I could activate it temporarily, but he said that I couldn't give the number until the card key arrived. I used Enterprise because it can't be helped. I applied for the fourth time. It was April 29th. He has been suspended for over a month and asked for help (my annual fee and insurance are valid) but his response was the same as anyone else. I heard that I will be suspended until the card key is delivered. Perhaps the new membership card key section is closed? As of now, it is still suspended on May 6th. I will ask if I should stay in Zipcar in the future. I received an email asking me to introduce a friend, but can I really introduce it? Because We have to wait for the new card key for more than a month.

   poyokit · 30 Aug 2026

3. 2/5The app is not working correctly.

   It's too expensive. Customer support isn't very good. If a user has problems with the car or the app, you'll have to wait a long time for help from customer support. The last time I called the support call center, I waited for 40 minutes. I couldn’t start the car because the app was glitching. Meanwhile, the rental time had already started, and I could only wait for a response from support. After 40 minutes, they answered the call and gave me another car from the same parking lot, adjusting the rental time to account for the delay. However, they didn’t refund me for the 40 minutes I had already spent waiting for support, and I was still charged for that time. Essentially, they just moved the rental period later, as if I had started the rental later, but I still paid for those 40 minutes of waiting. Later, when I tried to return the car on time, the app glitched again and wouldn’t let me end the rental, even though I arrived at the return location on time. The app kept tracking time and charged me for the extra minutes while I was trying to contact support again. Despite returning the car on time, they never refunded me for the extra charges for the time I couldn’t end the rental due to the app issues. It seems like this company is irresponsible toward its customers. They should follow basic service standards, like those in European car-sharing services. Despite the highest rental prices, this service is the most frustrating. Every time I used it, something went wrong.

   aGrateful_User · 30 Aug 2026

4. 2/5Disappointed Beyond All Measure

   I’m currently without a car and had been using Zipcar to make a weekly run over several weeks. One week I tried to make a reservation for my weekly run and the card I was using was not being accepted. It turned out that I needed to update something with my bank and I did so. I attempted to make the reservation again and it still didn’t go through. I transferred money to another payment method and made the reservation. I went to double check the reservation and the reservation was canceled. I called ZipCar to find out what was going on and was told my account was suspended pending an investigation and to call back on Monday, April 6,2026. I called back and was told that the account was closed and I was banned from using ZipCar permanently. I asked why and was never given an explanation. I asked to speak to a supervisor and was told there wasn’t any supervisor. I was told if I wanted to appeal the decision I could respond to an email that was to be sent out. I got the email and responded to it only to get an error message saying that the email could not be responded to. I attempted to contact Zipcar through their Facebook account and got the run around. I don’t know what happened and I at least deserved an explanation and didn’t get that much. I’m paying double using Uber and Lyft to make that same run and I just want to say thank you for nothing and I will forever tell people not to bother with Zipcar.

   Ecriear · 30 Aug 2026

5. 1/5Only use as a last resort; even then check ALL other options first.

   The below is from a recent trip end report which is just one among many annoyances using this service. I’ve been using this service on and off for almost two years and it’s always been a pain. Often cars are dirty and smelly also. And more than once l've had to refill nearly flat tires. In between personal cars I have to use it for longer errands but as soon as I have another option best believe this will be cancelled. Also you have to pay the $25 application fee anytime you cancel and reactivate and no options for pausing. Total ripoff and scam!! When checking out the car, I had to do the full inspection 4-5 times because the app would not let me submit. Finally I started going through and choosing the boxes that would let me submit. Only certain combinations of checked box and text in box would let me submit. In the end in fact I don’t think I was even able to leave a text comment. Overall, if I didn’t need this service (and I will unsubscribe as soon as I don’t) I wouldn’t be using it at all. The experience itself plus customer service has been awful. I recently had to carry $1000 of damages on a work trip because the support team would not answer my questions or help out at all even though it was a hit and run at the location the zipcar was always parked. Absolute nightmare. If anything I’ll actively tell people NOT to use zipcar unless their life depended on it.

   EIZreviews · 30 Aug 2026

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