Frequently asked questions

How do I join?

Easy. Join in seconds by completing our online application.

How old do I have to be to join?

You need to be at least 19 years of age having held a full driving licence for a minimum of 12 months. There is no upper age limit.

NB. 19 and 20 year old members pay a compulsory £10 per month to contribute towards the considerably larger insurance premium we incur for younger drivers but the good news is this comes with a reduced excess of only £250.

I have a non-UK driving licence, can I still join?

Absolutely. We can accept any nationality of driving licence for the duration that they are valid in the UK. Please be aware that once a non-UK licence has expired, it is your responsibility to let us know, as you will no longer be covered by our insurers.

I have had some driving offences, can I still join?

Depending on the nature of the offences, we can accept up to six points on your licence – sometimes up to nine. This will be checked and confirmed to you during the joining process.

You must have had no major motoring convictions in the last five years and not have more than three “SP” and “CU” code offences in the last three years. If you are unsure, do give us a call to check your individual circumstances.

Do I have to bring the City Car back to the same bay that I picked it up from?

Yes, at the end of your booking you must return the City Car to the same bay that you picked it up from.

What types of car are available?

We categorise our cars into two types, ‘smaller cars’ and ‘larger cars’. Smaller cars are all regular sized hatchbacks and our larger cars include estates, Toyota hybrids and the more spacious hatchbacks.

Take a look at our ‘what it costs’ page to see the current range of cars we have.

Is insurance included?

Yes. Fully comprehensive insurance is included with a standard excess of £500. All the statutory requirements are covered, on a comprehensive basis, including unlimited third party injury and passenger liability cover.

If you’d like to reduce your excess to £100 you can do so by paying £5 per month. Hopefully you will never have a bump but if you do, you only have to pay the excess if our insurers deem the accident to be your fault (or the third party can not be traced).

If you are 19 or 20 years of age, there is a compulsory charge of £10 per month – which comes with a reduced excess of £250.

Will a car be available when I need it?

This is extremely important to us – in our last annual survey over 90% of members told us that their first choice of car is ‘always’ or ‘almost always’ available.

And our on-going surveys show that on the rare occasion that our members’ first choice of car isn’t available, 99% of members are able to book an alternative car close by for the time they wanted.

Ensuring that members can book a car whenever they need one, be it right at the last minute or in advance, is something we monitor on a very regular basis. If demand picks up in one area, we simply add more cars!

What happens when I need to fill the car with fuel?

All of our cars are equipped with a fuel card. Members simply fill up the car as normal (check whether the car takes petrol or diesel!) and hand the fuel card over to the cashier along with the current mileage of the car.

This way, members never have to hand over their own money for fuel as the bill gets paid directly by City Car Club. The in-car computers calculate exactly how many miles have been driven during the booking so we can calculate the relevant mileage charge.

We ask our members to return the cars with at least a quarter tank of fuel for the convenience of the next member.

What if I’m running a bit late?

We understand that this happens to us all, and that’s why we make it as easy as possible to extend your booking.

Most of our cars allow bookings to be extended directly from the cars themselves and can be extended in 15 minute increments. Alternatively members can extend their booking by calling our Clubhouse.

If another member is affected by this, then we will try to move them to another car. You may have to pay some of the costs incurred here, but we try our hardest to avoid that. That’s why we always ask to be informed as far in advance as possible if members know they’re going to be late returning the car.

However, if members are late and do not let us know they’ll be charged a £20 late fee and 1.5 times the hourly rate for duration over their original booking. Additionally, any costs accrued by any member who is kept waiting may be passed on.

Can I cancel a booking?

Certainly. If members cancel a booking giving 5 or more hours notice, there is nothing to pay (but as much notice as possible is appreciated so other members can book the car). If a booking is cancelled with less than 5 hours notice, members will be charged 60% of the cost of the booking – up to a maximum of £25.

How can I get into the car – don’t I need keys?

All our cars are accessed with a smart-enabled membership card. You simply place it over the card reader on the windscreen and the car doors will unlock. Once inside the car, members tap their PIN into the in-car computer and grab the keys from the designated key storage area.

Can I use a car for business?

Yes. Our insurance covers you for personal and business usage. Take a look at our ‘car clubs for business’ page to see how City Car Club could suit your business travel requirements.

Discount Card – what is this?

Our Discount Card is an optional membership plan which allows members to receive a 20% discount off hourly and daily rental rates for a cost of just £12.50 per month. This brings the hourly rate down to just £3.96 for our standard cars!

The Discount Card can be selected when you sign up to City Car Club, or at any stage during your membership. Existing members wishing to take up this option simply need to email confirmation to membership@citycarclub.co.uk. You won’t need to be issued with a new membership card.

If you wish to change back to the regular pay-as-you-go tariff (with no monthly fees) just let us know. You can do this at any time after three months of being on the Discount Card tariff.

Can I access all your cars across the UK?

Yes you can. And this is a major benefit of being a member of City Car Club as we have the largest network of club cars across the UK. Members can access every single one of our cars in any city in which we operate. Off on business? Travelling to see family and friends? Book your City Car Club car and pick it up at your destination.

As a default members will only see cars in their home city when they log into the booking site. To view and book cars in any other city, simply call us and we can do this immediately.

Do your cars have breakdown cover?

As our cars are all new, reliable and serviced on a regular basis, this is unlikely. However, all cars are covered for breakdown and recovery assistance. Our 24/7 Clubhouse line on 0845 330 1234 (option 2) is there to help in this scenario.

There isn’t a car near to me – can I request one?

We’re always expanding our network of cars, so do keep checking our website for the latest news. To let us know that you would like a car near you please take a minute to tell us (click here). The more people requesting a car near them, the sooner we will try to get one in place.

And if you have an off-road parking space that you’d like to offer as a home for a City Car, please let us know by emailing home@citycarclub.co.uk

London Congestion Charging – do I have to pay this?

Unfortunately, Transport for London does not yet exempt car club cars – but we are working on it!

However, if you use one of our City Cars whose home is inside the zone, we will bear the full cost of the Congestion Charge.

If the City Car lives outside the zone and you drive into the charging zone, we will pass on the cost at the normal rate of £8.00. In this situation, you don’t need to pay the charge yourself. Provided the City Car was based in London, we do this on your behalf and add it to your monthly bill.

Don’t forget, the Congestion Charge is only applicable Monday to Friday between 07:00 and 18:00.

If you enter the charging zone in a City Car from one of our Clubs outside London, you are required to pay the charge directly yourself, as non-London cars are not registered with Transport for London. Failure to do so will incur additional penalties levied by TfL for late payment and an administration charge of £25.

Where are your full Terms and Conditions?

You will find a link to our Terms and Conditions on the footer of each page on our website .This also outlines our penalty charges and we strongly recommend reading this before joining. As much as we hate ‘rules’ too, we have to enforce them to ensure the smooth running of the club and for the benefit of all members.