Zipcar Reviews 

**⭐☆☆☆☆ (1 Star)**

I had a very disappointing experience with Zipcar. The vehicle I was assigned was dirty inside and clearly had not been cleaned before my reservation. Even more concerning, the car had mechanical issues that made me question whether it had been properly maintained.

On top of that, the pricing is much higher than it appears at first. After paying the reservation fee, being charged additional mileage feels unfair and makes the service far more expensive than expected. I was especially frustrated by the additional fees applied when using a debit card. As a customer, it feels like debit card users are treated unfairly simply because they have fewer options to avoid these charges.

Companies should focus on providing clean, safe, and fairly priced vehicles instead of relying on fees that leave customers feeling taken advantage of. If enough customers lose confidence in the service and choose other rental options, that should be a signal that changes are needed.

I expected a clean, safe, and reasonably priced vehicle, but unfortunately, Zipcar fell short on all three. I won't be using the service again unless significant improvements are made to vehicle maintenance, cleanliness, and transparent pricing.

I booked a Zipcar toyota Camry for a fishing trip I had planned and paid over $500 for plus the car rental. On my way home to get my fishing equipment the tire exploded on the rear right side and almost caused me to collide with the car next to me going 55 mph. Super scary! I had to wait an hour for a tow truck to come put a spare on it. After all that hassle I contacted Zipcar again and told them I missed my $500 fishing trip because the tire exploded because they don't maintain them and asked for half of my money I paid back and they refused to issue me a partial refund even or any driving credit. I'm a very frequent zipcar user and have spent thousands and thousands on renting from them and it's sad to see that they treat their customers (and cars) this way. Will be disputing this Zipcar charge on my account and getting ALL my money back instead of just the half I asked for...........

The absolute worst. They want you to fill out an application, pay a fee, offer additional perks at a cost, and when you pay, your application gets denied with no refund. Please don’t use this company. I’m a new driver, never had an accident or violation, just got my license three days ago, and I was denied, claiming I didn’t meet the criteria but couldn’t tell me what it is. This company is a rip-off.

I am filing a formal complaint regarding my recent Zipcar rental.
During my reservation, the right-side tire continuously lost air, making the vehicle unsafe and unreliable to drive. To try to continue my trip, I spent approximately $60 of my own money to replace the tire. Despite this expense, I was later instructed by Zipcar to return the vehicle.
After returning the car, I was informed that I would only receive a partial refund for the rental. As a result, I lost money in several ways: I paid for a rental vehicle that I could not properly use, I spent $60 out of pocket on the tire, and I lost income because I was unable to drive and complete my work.
I am requesting reimbursement for the $60 I spent on the tire, along with a full refund for the unusable portion of my rental. I believe it is unfair that I should bear the financial burden of a vehicle that had a mechanical issue beyond my control.
I would appreciate a prompt review of my case and a fair resolution.

Watchout they are currently running heavy scamexit in the uk. You will get random charges and no explanation they’ve also cut their landlines and removed many vehicles. They have “officially” ceased all activities accros UK. DO NOT SUBSCRIBE OR ATTEMPT TO RENT !

They often makes changes to your reservation last minute and then make it your problem to pick up a different car in a different location with no compensation. If you cancel the changed reservation, they’ll charge you more for the new one and leave you paying the difference. Don’t count on this service for important travel plans

After 250$ to drive a vehicle for 4 hours, I have determined that Zipcar is just a big scam. Run. And what is this “$25 fee to assess your application” like you pay even if you are denied the privilege of using their service; just for inquiring ~ the first red flag 🚩

I tried to find out what ZIP Carc charges to Rent-A-Car for a day week and so on I was “tricked “into paying a $25 quote member fee“ and when I saw the outrageous prices they were charging I decided not to do business with this company, I informed them that I wanted my $25 quote member fee“ back and they’re saying it’s nonrefundable which in Massachusetts when you cancel a contract within three days you’re you’re entitled to a refund or the cancellation of a Contract stay away!!!

Zipcar is genuinely one of the most embarrassing companies I have ever dealt with.

Their entire business model now seems to revolve around handing customers filthy, smoke-filled cars and then trying to claw money back later through questionable automated charges and contradictory “reports” that don’t even agree with themselves.

Every single car I rented had some issue:

* reeked of cigarettes or marijuana,
* covered in dirt,
* broken glass inside,
* dog hair,
* stains,
* trash,
* and my most recent rental literally had spider webs all over it like it had been abandoned in the woods for six months.

I was actually embarrassed to have family ride with me because the cars smelled so disgusting. I drove one to my niece’s graduation and genuinely didn’t want anyone else in the vehicle because it smelled like an ashtray.

Meanwhile, Zipcar has the audacity to accuse ME of smoking nearly two months later based on some laughable Bosch particulate sensor report that openly admits it cannot identify who caused an event or definitively prove smoking occurred. Even better, the charts and numbers in the report literally contradict themselves.

That’s the evidence? A confused air-quality graph from the same company handing people rolling garbage cans?

What makes this even more ridiculous is that I treated their cars better than they did. I spent my own money taking one through a car wash because apparently basic vehicle upkeep is too much to ask from Zipcar. They barely budged reimbursing me the $12, which is honestly pathetic considering the condition of the cars they hand people every day.

Honestly, maybe I should invoice THEM $150 cleaning fees for every disgusting vehicle they gave me.

Then after I questioned a promised driving credit that mysteriously disappeared, suddenly a $150 smoking charge magically appears on my account. Totally not suspicious at all.

I do not smoke. I have asthma and grew up on inhalers and nebulizers, but apparently Zipcar thinks the guy repeatedly complaining about smoke-filled vehicles randomly decided to light up in one.

The company feels completely broken:

* terrible customer service,
* disgusting vehicles,
* endless fees,
* contradictory reports,
* and corporate behavior that feels more focused on manufacturing revenue than providing an actual service.

Sorry it’s not 15 years ago when people actually cared about your company, because whatever this is now feels like a collapsing business trying to squeeze money out of customers through automated nonsense instead of fixing its fleet.

Honestly, I would trust a shopping cart with one wheel more than I would trust Zipcar at this point.

Canceling my membership was the easiest decision I made all year.

This company works like a professional scam.
If you make any claims even if they agree with you they will suspend your account.
They also take your money, aprove your account then block
it when you are going to use it.
It seems convenient but really better use Uber, Lyft or conventional rental companies who at least will not take your money then not give the service.

just spoke to a chat agent named Amelia who unfortunately was of no help not sure if they were Al but I've been using the services frequently despite having trouble with location, parking, smell of the car, extraneous pricing. Any ways long stair short had a random charge 50 late fee despite it being invalid Armelia or Amelia not sure was unhelpful. I've had family members and friends say this is not a good alternative lI'm saving money and the environment and I'm starting to believe them

Zipcar took my money and then declined my application without giving me a fair explanation. It feels very misleading to charge people before approval and then refuse the service. I expected a professional and transparent process, but instead I was left frustrated and out of pocket. Based on my experience, I would not recommend Zipcar unless they fix how they handle applications, payments, and refunds. Customers should not be charged for a service they are not allowed to use.

Worst rental car company. Trust the reviews...

Scam they stole 27 dollars from me I didn't even use their service

App allowed me to joining even though the company I’ve just found out has stopped trading in London. Scamming American company collecting signing on fees for a defunct service.

This is the worth place to rent a vehicle please stay away from them. They charged me more than $200 extra for one day. They are horrible.

I reserved a Zipcar in Sacramento from March 26, 11:00 AM to March 27, 12:00 PM for $193.08, which I paid. On March 27, I used the app to extend my reservation until 8:30 PM. The app showed an additional cost of $67, which I accepted.

After the transaction, I was charged $156 instead of $67. At no point was I notified that the charge would be this high. I contacted Zipcar customer support multiple times, including a supervisor. They said that extensions beyond 8 hours could trigger a full daily rate plus taxes and young driver fees, but none of this was displayed in the app. Even after adjusting my reservation to match the 8-hour window, the $156 charge remained.

The supervisor said they were the highest point of contact, yet they refused to help, did not try to understand my perspective, and offered no real solutions or explanations. They repeatedly told me to “put myself in their shoes,” and when I did, I explained I would try to help if I were in their position, but they ignored my point and continued to repeat that nothing could be done.

I was never shown a total of $156 before confirming the extension. I believe this is an unfair billing practice. I am requesting a refund of $89, the difference between the amount I agreed to pay ($67) and the amount charged ($156), and I hope this matter can be reviewed and resolved fairly.

I am very unhappy with my experience with Zipcar.

The car was not where the app said it would be, which meant wasting time searching and having to contact support. When I finally found it, the fuel level was already low. At the end of the trip, there was no available parking in the designated area, and I had to spend a long time driving around and calling support again just to figure out where to leave the car.

On top of that, the vehicle was dirty and poorly maintained.

Overall, the experience was frustrating, time-consuming, and not what I expected. I would not recommend Zipcar based on this experience.

Absolutely horrendous experience I hope and pray this company gets better or closes! I paid $243 out of desperation because I live in a city that had no rental cars available and I needed one for a work trip. The agreement that I signed up for allotted me for 200 miles per day. I returned the vehicle on time and cleaner than it was when I picked it up because it was disgusting and the right tire felt like it was gonna fall off to which I also reported it and they left me on hold anyways I returned it on time and they immediately hit my card for another $122 and they’re refusing to return it. They’re stating that I went over my allotted mileage when I clearly did not when I was supposed to have 200 miles per day.

Be very careful when hiring a Zipcar vehicle.

I hired a van for a house move and discovered at pickup that the sliding side door would not lock because of a hole that had been drilled into the door. This ultimately damaged the locking mechanism meaning I could not safely secure my personal belongings during my transport.

I reported the issue on the day, but the only solution offered was to return the van and travel miles to collect another one, which was not realistic in the middle of a house move.

Zipcar later refused a proper refund despite the vehicle not being safe to drive and not being provided with the service I paid for.

The most concerning part is that a vehicle with a broken locking mechanism and a warning light was even available for hire in the first place.

Based on this experience, I strongly advise anyone thinking of hiring a car/van for moves to find another service. I will not be using Zipcar again.