How to join City Car Club

If you don't drive very often, you could make big savings by joining a car club. And, as the Which? guide to car clubs explains, they're an increasingly popular – and green – alternative to buying a car.

The UK’s first major car club, City Car Club, has hundreds of cars across major cities such as London, Bath, Manchester and Birmingham.

Here, we’ll show you how to join City Car Club and tell you everything you need to know about the cars you can drive as a City Car Club member.

How does City Car Club work?

City Car Club lets you drive the new Ford Fiesta

Like other car clubs, City Car Club maintains a fleet of modern cars that are always parked in the same, designated bays across town. Members simply book a car that’s near to them, drive it and return it to its parking space when they are finished.

City Car Club pays for the car insurance, car tax and servicing, and drivers are charged per hour for the hire based on the size of the car they choose – £4.95 per hour (£49.50 per day) for a five-door hatchback, or £5.95 an hour (£59.50 a day) for a larger car. 

There is an annual membership fee of £50.

The mileage is unlimited, but there is a charge of 16p per mile to cover the cost of fuel.

Can I find a City Car Club car in my area?

Car club vehicles are parked in designated bays

So far, City Car Club operates in Edinburgh, Bradford, Huddersfield, Leeds, Manchester, Sheffield, York, Birmingham, London, Bath, Brighton, Bristol and Southampton, and new locations are being added all the time.

You can see a full list of City Car Club cars – including the names of the streets they are parked in – on the City Car Club website. If there isn't a car near to where you live or work, it's worth requesting that one is made available.

And if City Car Club doesn't operate in your town, use this car clubs website to find a company that does. Simply type in your postcode and the map will display all of the car club cars available in your area.

Who can join City Car Club?

Add your partner to your City Car Club membership

To join City Car Club you must be at least 19 years old and must have held a driving licence for at least 12 months. There is no upper age limit. City Car club also accepts non-UK driving licence holders.

Members who are 19 and 20 years old are required to pay £10 a month to contribute towards young driver insurance premiums.

Driving offences can affect your eligibility to join City Car Club, so call ahead to see if you can still join.

If you'd like to share a City Car Club membership with your partner, it’s possible to add them for £25 a year.

Signing up to City Car Club

It’s easiest to join City Car Club online. Just fill in your details on the application form and wait for a City Car Club representative to phone you.

If you have problems signing up in this way, contact City Car Club directly on 0845 330 1234 or 01484 818 465.

Which cars are available from City Car Club?

Avoid the congestion charge with a Honda Civic Hybrid

The cars offered by City Car Club fit into two main brackets:

• Standard cars include the Vauxhall Corsa, Ford Fiesta and Kia Cee'd.
• Larger, more expensive cars include the Citroen Berlingo and Vauxhall Astra.

Honda’s Civic Hybrid, which has low enough CO2 emissions to make it exempt from the London congestion charge, is also available in some locations.

Estate cars are being added to the City Car Club fleet, too, and MPVs and vans are expected to be made available soon.

What other charges will I have to pay as a City Car Club member?

Fully comprehensive car insurance is included in the hire cost, but the excess is £500. 

You can choose to pay £5 per month to reduce this to just £100, but you will only be asked to pay the excess if City Car Club’s insurance company deems you liable for the accident (or if no liable third party can be found).

If you’re driving through central London, you’ll have to pay the congestion charge, unless the bar you are driving is based inside the zone, in which case City Car pays the charge. Your City Car Club bill will be automatically charged the normal rate of £8 per day.