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Ending your Zipcar booking

Worried about how to end your Zipcar trip? Have no fear - here we lay out the (easy!) steps to do just that. 

Filling the tank and using the fuel card

Driving in London

Filling the tank and using the fuel card

For Roundtrip journeys don't forget to leave at least 1/4 of a tank in the car or van (if you leave a vehicle with low fuel you may incur fines). When you arrive at the petrol station use your car's fuel card to pay. This can be found in the driver’s side door jamb (between the door frame and the dashboard) - all you need to do is sign it for the cashier! They may ask for the mileage but if you don't have it to hand don't worry. After the transaction is made, you’re good to go. If the fuel card is missing in your Zipcar don't worry - just get an itemised VAT receipt and send it to us for reimbursement. 

The fuel type of the vehicle is displayed in a few different places. Firstly it will be on the fuel card itself, secondly the fuel cap will have a tag that says either petrol or diesel. Plus your confirmation emails will also verify which type of fuel is needed for the car.

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Roundtrip: returning it to its bay

Driving in London

Roundtrip: returning it to its bay

Be sure to return your Roundtrip Zipcar or van to it's home location, where you picked it up from. If it's from a multi-car location then any of the dedicated Zipcar bays will do. If you have any trouble remembering where you picked the car up, or if it lives in a car park with specific entry instructions you can find all the location details on your booking confirmation.

In most cases, if your Zipcar is parked on the street the bay will be marked like so (park the vehicle inside the lines to eliminate the risk of a parking ticket.  Sometimes locations have no markings but are fully described in the reservation confirmation, so try to make a mental note of where to return the car before setting off.
 

What if someone's parked in my bay?

Driving in London

What if someone's parked in my bay?

As soon as you see that someone has parked in our bay, give our Member Services team a call on 0333 240 9000. They will take a note of the vehicle model, its number plate and the location details to pass onto the council in order to get the offending vehicle removed (if you have a camera, take a photo of the offending vehicle and send it to Member Services). We will then give you location specific instructions on where to leave the Zipcar. 

Once you've found a suitable parking space that meets the alternative parking criteria, please give us a quick call back to let us know where it is so we can inform or move the next member booked in. If you don't follow the alternative parking instructions and the car gets a ticket, you may be held responsible. If you can, take a quick photo of where you parked the vehicle just to be on the safe side.

What if I'm running late?

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What if I'm running late?

Members who are late can impact others who have a reservation right after. If you return your vehicle late, you will be charged a late return fee starting at £35 per hour. But, don't worry - you can amend or extend your reservation online and in the app! Or you can even just drop us a text.  If you don't do this please be aware that you might be liable to a late fee.  In a Flex car? There's no such thing as late - just drop it when you're done in the Zipzone! 

Returning a Zipcar early

You are always able to return the Zipcar early. Just leave it at its home location, clean and with at least 1/4 tank of gas, and ready for the next member. Simply use the Zipcar mobile app to lock the doors.

 

Returning a Zipcar Flex

Zipcar Flex in London

Returning a Zipcar Flex

Zipcar Flex is our one-way service. You'll find Flex cars all over London (and can see them with the blue pin in our app!). There's no need to book in advance - just find the car in our app, tap and we'll reserve it for 15 minutes. Drive where you want to go, and when you've finished your trip there's no need to return it to a specific bay, just make sure you leave it in our Zipzone which covers most of London. Easy! 

Returning the keys

Zipcar keys in glove box

Returning the keys

Once you're parked, make sure you've got all your belongings with you (don't forget to leave the car clean too!). At the end of every reservation you will need to return the keys to the holder inside the glove box. Slot the bullet shaped fob on the key ring into the slot.

You'll know when you've returned the keys correctly as the little LED will turn from Red to Green. Once it's green that means we've recorded the time of your return and your reservation has ended. After returning the keys, close the glove box. Don't forget to double check for belongings, turn off the lights, once you're happy you've got everything you can now lock the vehicle. 

Locking the car and ending your trip

Lock and unlock Zipcar

Locking the car and ending your trip

To lock the car simply go into the app: select lock to lock the car, and then 'end trip'.  Don't forget to end your trip! 

 

Got questions?

Check fuel!

Got questions?

If you've got any more questions that's no problem - you can either call our Member Services team on 0333 240 9000 or take a look at our Help Centre. 

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Why Rent a Zipcar?

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Save money

We pay for fuel, parking, Congestion Charge and insurance – so you get access to a car without all the hassle of owning one!

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Rent a car locally

Zipcars live just around the corner. We've got the largest car sharing fleet in the UK (not that we're boasting) and you'll find us in cities across the UK. 

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Drive on-demand

Whatever you need wheels for, we’ve got them. Rent cars and vans by the minute, hour or day when and where you need them.

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Live greener

We’re the perfect addition to buses, trains and bikes for those times when you just need a car. We've also got hundreds of electric cars in our fleet. 

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