ending your zipcar reservation

Finding and unlocking your nearest Zipcar

With over 3,000 cars and vans in London, it's important to know how to find your nearest vehicle.

ending your zipcar reservation

Finding Zipcar

How to find a Zipcar using the app

How to find a Zipcar using your browser

Unlocking your Zipcar

keys in glove box

What to do if you're running late

Getting out of town in a Zipcar

You can activate SMS notifications via your Member Web section (when you log into the website). You can then choose which alerts you wish to receive. Once set up you can receive reminder messages 36 hours and/or 1 hour before your reservation, and 30 minutes before the booking is due to end. Additionally we will text you if someone makes a reservation directly after yours, meaning you are no longer available to extend. You will need to have two-way texting enabled. Look for the  symbol here to set this up. To extend simply text us how much you'd like to extend by in the format of ext 30m (means 30 minutes) or ext 1h (means 1 hour). For more details please see our Help Centre.

Extend your booking in the Zipcar app

You can extend by selecting the date and time boxes to the right of 'Ends' and selecting a new time (and date if desired) from the scroll wheel.  A new estimated cost will be displayed for your changed reservation.  If you are happy to make these changes, just select 'Change Reservation'. If the extension is successful you will see the new reservation times highlighted in orange, along with a message at the top of the screen saying 'Reservation Updated', as shown in the image above.

If you can't see the new time highlighted in orange there is a good chance the reservation did not extend properly. Try and make the extension again but if you continue to have trouble please use the text extension service or call through to Member Services.

If you are unable to extend your reservation and may be late returning the vehicle, please call us on 0333 240 9000 straight away. Please note that returning the vehicle late will result in late charges being applied.

Late fees - and why we have them

Zipcar Roundtrip in London

When you book your car, make sure you allow enough time for your entire trip. Think about travel time (there and back), potential traffic and the amount of time you'll spend at your destination. Go ahead and book a little extra if you're not sure (before someone else does!).

If at any time during your reservation you realise that you won't be able to get the Zipcar back on time, you can always try to extend your reservation. If no one's waiting for the car, it's all yours (once the extension is confirmed). If someone is waiting for the car, we will need to make other arrangements for them, so the sooner you can let us know, the better.

Zipcar keys in glove box

If you've returned late by a few minutes, don't chance it! Call Member Services straight away, we can check the exact time you finished your reservation and confirm if you're at risk of being fined. Late fees are automatically applied regardless of whether another reservation follows your own, so make sure you extend your reservation if you can.

We'll do everything we can to avoid you being charged. The best action you can take as a member is letting us know with as much notice as possible. The more time we have to notify other members, the happier everyone will be!

Cancelling your Roundtrip booking

Why 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.