What if I need to charge during my trip?

Sometimes you may need to charge the vehicle yourself, for example if you’re taking it on a longer trip, or for a day or two. If you’ve not charged an electric car before, we’ve got you: here’s some handy hints, and you can find more information on the QR codes in the car itself.

How do I pay for the charge during my trip?

All Zipcar journeys come with fuel included. For petrol and diesel vehicles we include a fuel card in the car, but that’s not possible at the moment for electric cars. So you’ll need to pay for it yourself, email us a proof (e.g. picture of the charging confirmation) and we will refund you the cost. Plus, if you return your car with over 60% charge at the end of your trip we’ll also refund you £20 off that journey.

Head to a rapid charging point (as opposed to a slow or lamp-post charger) – this is important as our cars do not contain the charging cables, but they’re attached to all rapid chargers. All our cars can use DC CCS charge points. You can find your nearest charging station on the Zap Map. [link to HC page in here as well please]

How long does it take to charge an electric car?

With a rapid charger, which is 50kW and above, a full charge can take around 40 minutes. The higher the kW, the faster the charge! We'd recommend planning your route ahead of time to make sure you aren't stuck without charge. Handy hint: there’s no need to charge beyond 80% - once you hit 80% charge the time it takes to charge the car decreases rapidly.

Are electric vehicles automatic or manual?

All electric vehicles in our fleet are automatic, making them a super easy and smooth drive!

Which electric vehicles are in the Zipcar fleet?

We currently have 4 electric vehicles, the Nissan Leaf, Vauxhall Corsa-e, Hyundai Ioniq and VW e-Golf. Find out more about each vehicle here.

Can I take an electric Zipcar out of London?

Yes, just remember if you take a car further away make sure you plan where to charge on your route if necessary.

How far can I drive an electric Zipcar?

All our electric vehicles have a slightly different range, which can depend on many factors including how you drive. It's important to check the range on the vehicle dashboard before you set off and regularly during your trip, which tells you how far you can go with the current change.

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Electric car hire with Zipcar

Did you know that we have over 1,000 electric cars you can hire? Our vision is simple – to enable simple and responsible urban living. And our mission is bold – to change the way people think about driving in cities around the world. Car sharing with us is already a more sustainable way to travel, but we wanted to take this further. That’s why in 2018 we introduced our first electric cars – and have been adding more and more ever since!

Three handy hints before you hit the road

If you’ve never rented an electric car before, here are some handy hints to get you started.

Check the range

Our app and the dashboard will show you an approximate range. Speed, cold weather, air-conditioning and heating will impact the car’s mileage. You’ll find more tips here.

Plan your route

If you’re taking a longer trip you may need to charge the car. Just make sure you plan where your nearest rapid charging station will be - you’ll find your nearest with the Zapmap.

It’s quiet

Our EV's are super quiet. You’ll know you’re ready to drive when the dashboard screen lights up! You can find out more about each car here.

Meet our electric cars

Access 1,000+ electric cars whenever you need them. We cover the cost of charging, and the price is the same to use an electric car. They’re a cleaner, greener (and pretty fun!) way to travel. Take charge and drive them wherever you need – a day trip to the beach, a weekend away, or just getting across town!

VW eGolf

Vauxhall Corsa-e

Hyundai Ioniq

Nissan Leaf

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Electric Vehicle FAQs

Our vision for 2025

We always encourage our members to go a little greener and our city's air a little cleaner; that's why we’ve had plug-in vehicles in our fleet since 2012. So we’ve always known electric is the future. That’s why we’ve developed a 2025 vision that secures that future. With the current growth we expect 800,000 Londoners will be embracing fully electric car-sharing, delivering huge benefits to the city.

two electrical cars plugged in and charging

9,000 shared electric cars

Serving all the needs for Londoners with zero tail pipe emissions.

woman on cell phone with a Zipcar in the foreground

12,000 fewer private cars

Removed from our roads because car-sharing members are selling or no longer buying their own cars.

smiling man standing behind car with rolling suitcase

821 million fewer miles

Driven every year thanks to private cars removed from the road and car sharers driving fewer miles as they cycle, walk and use public transport more than average Londoners.

woman leaning against the size of a car while using cell phone

160,000 tonnes of CO2

Saved every year thanks to the switch away from 120,000 private to 9,000 shared electric cars.

Ready to drive?

Reclaim the driver’s seat (and the radio). Get from A to B, run errands, have an adventure –whatever you need wheels for, it’s time to get around the smarter way.

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