News & Politics

Which DC Car-Sharing Company is the Best Deal?

We take a look at what sets local car-sharing companies apart.

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Car2go has become the second company this year to challenge Zipcar locally. Zipcar has been top dog since its 2007 merger with Flexcar, but its stock has trended downward after its IPO last year. Here’s a look at what sets the car-sharing companies apart.

 

Zipcar

Hertz on Demand

Car2go

Membership fee $25 application fee plus a $60 annual fee for occasional
drivers		 None One-time $35 start-up fee
Rates $8 per hour; $74 per day for occasional drivers Starts at $6.50 per hour, $76 per day 38 cents per minute, $13.99 per hour, $72.99 per day
Insurance deductible $750 (you can buy a waiver for an extra $8 per month) $250 $1,000
Number of cars in area 823 100 200
Where the cars are 350 locations in 47 DC, Maryland, and Virginia neighborhoods 30 area locations, including on-street parking spots, parking
garages, and Hertz facilities		 Any legal street parking spots in the “home” area, which covers
most of DC
Best car to impress a date BMW 328xi Mercedes C300 Smart Fortwo
US membership 500,000 90,000 27,000
Best driver perk Surprises waiting in the car such as granola, Valentine’s candy,
or tickets to a comedy show		 The luxury cars aren’t branded with the Hertz logo, so you can
pretend it’s your Mercedes for the day		 The company has an agreement with DC so you can park free in most
of the city

This article appears in the June 2012 issue of The Washingtonian.

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Ali Eaves
Ali Eaves

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