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How old do I have to be to join?
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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 and we can accept both UK and non UK driving licence holders.
* 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 the excess is only £250 in the event of an accident (only payable if our insurers deem that the accident was at your fault). |
How do I join?
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Easy; click and complete our City Car Club Joining Form |
How much does it cost?
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Compared to the cost of running your own car we can save you thousands of pounds each year. For more details on our prices, click through to our What it costs |
Can my partner drive as well?
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Yes but he or she will have to become a member first. If you’re both living at the same address, and share the same bill, your partner pays a one time joining fee of just £25 and gets all your benefits at no extra cost. This means if you take out an insurance excess reduction payment and/or rate reduction tariff, your partner has the same benefits for zero monthly charge. |
Can I join City Car Club for a short trial period?
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Your membership can be as brief as three months. So you can take a good look at how your new driving plan fits into your lifestyle. If it doesn’t quite work for you, once the three months are up, just return your membership card and we’ll give you back £50. But we reckon that once you’ve seen how affordable, economical, environmentally responsible, flexible and liberating your life is with City Car Club, we’ll be together for some time to come. |
How do I book a car?
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Click Here to book a car online. Or, for a small charge, give us a call on 0845 330 1234 (select option 2) and we’ll do it for you. Book your car for as little as an hour or for several weeks; at a moment’s notice, or up to a year in advance. |
What type of insurance do you offer and is it included in the cost?
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Fully comprehensive insurance is included*. 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 from £500 to £100 you simply pay a small extra premium and we take care of the rest. 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.
* If you are 19 or 20 years of age, there is a fixed charge of £10 per month to contribute towards the very large premium insurers add to the cost of insuring younger drivers. The good news is that the insurance excess is reduce to just £250 in the event of an accident (only payable if deemed by our insurers to be at your fault). |
Can I book a car in a different part of the UK to where I live or work?
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No problem. City Car Club members have the privilege of being able to book a car anywhere we have cars. Off on business? Travelling to see family and friends? Simply book your City Car Club car, pick it up at your destination and enjoy. Please phone us to allow you the facility to book a car in another city other than your home city. |
How can I get into the car? Don’t I need keys?
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All our cars are easily accessed with your membership card. You simply place it over the card reader on the windscreen and the car doors will open. Once you’ve tapped in your PIN to the on-board computer to release the engine immobiliser, grab the keys from the designated key storage area in the car. |
I have had some driving offences, can I still join?
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Depending on the nature of the offences, we can accept up to 6 points on your licence - sometimes up to 9. This will be checked and confirmed to you in the joining process or do contact us first of all to check.
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. |
Where are your cars located?
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In parts of the UK’s most congested towns and cities, as well as in a number of housing developments.
Need detail? Use our Location Map or Postcode Finder to locate a car. You’ll find them parked in dedicated bays, so you’ll have no parking problems at the end of your booking. |
What types of car are available?
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We have 5 door small hatchbacks and larger family or ‘business trip’ sized saloons and 5 door hatchbacks. Most of our cars take petrol but in some places we have diesel cars – please put in the correct fuel! Our cars prefer that. In London (and some other cities) we also have a fleet of petrol/electric hybrid cars. |
Will a car be available when I need it?
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Our members tell us they’re able to access the car they want 98% of the time. And if their precise choice isn’t available at the time they need it, there’s usually a suitable alternative nearby. But typically, they find that their preferred choice is usually available some time soon. |
Can I use a car for business?
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Yes you can. You can even offset your City Car Club membership and drive charges against tax as a legitimate business expense. We can even help you with separate invoices for business and private use. Another time saving feature of City Car Club.“Click on City Car for business for more detailed information. |
Who pays for the fuel?
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It’s all covered in your hourly rate. So if the tank’s running low, simply refill using the car’s fuel card. We pay for the first 50 miles per day (150 miles maximum per booking) then we’ll add 22p for every extra mile you drive to your monthly invoice if you happen to go over this allowance.
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What if I’m late back?
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Extend your booking using the on-board computer, or by calling our 24/7 helpline. We’ll do everything we can to accommodate you. If someone else has booked the car immediately after you we will try to move them to another car. You may have to pay some of their costs, but we try to avoid that situation ever happening. We will not pass on any of our costs if you let us know in advance that you are running late - we know it can happen and appreciate you letting us know.
However, if you’re late and do not let us know you’ll be charged £20 late fee and every hour or part of an hour over your original booking time the hourly rate will be increased by 1.5. In addition you have to cover any inconvenience costs accrued by any member who’s been kept waiting. |
What if a car isn’t there when I go to collect it?
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This very rarely happens but if it does call our helpline immediately on 0845 330 1234 (press option 2). We’ll provide you with another vehicle, or get you another means of transport. It is our mission to get you to your destination and back. |
How do I pay for the on-going use of the car?
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To make life as simple as possible, our members pay for using our City Cars via Direct Debit. You will be asked to complete, sign and return a Direct Debit mandate when you join. We then send a monthly statement detailing the time and mileage you have driven and payment is taken around 10 days after this. All this information is cleverly provided to us via the on-board computer in each car so there is no need for you to keep a manual record.
If you need to make a payment via internet banking, our bank details are: Sort code 08-90-72, account number 70017036 (please use your membership number or surname as the reference). |
What if the car breaks down?
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| It’s unlikely, as our cars are modern, reliable and serviced on a regular basis. But if it should happen, you’re covered for breakdown and recovery assistance in all of our cars. Again, call our 24-hour helpline on 0845 330 1234 (press option 2) if you have any problems. |
Will I be insured to carry passengers?
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Yes you are. City Car Club insurance meets all the statutory requirements on a comprehensive basis, including unlimited third party injury and passenger liability cover (except if you are charging your passengers which would invalidate your insurance cover – not that this would be likely!). |
Do I need to make a note of the mileage I’ve done?
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No. Our on-board computer takes care of that for you and we’ll send you an itemised bill each month showing the exact miles you’ve driven each trip. |
Can I carry a pet in the car?
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| No, sorry. Pet hair can cause real problems for the next driver. Smoking’s banned for the same reason, too. |
What if I get a parking ticket or I’m flashed by a speed camera?
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It is the responsibility of the driver to pay any parking tickets issued. If they go unpaid, the issuing authority will send them to the registered owner of the cars, they will pass them to us with their admin fee of £20. We will pay the parking fines and you will be billed for the fine plus £20 fee. Caught speeding? Sorry, but by law we must give your name to the police. We are not allowed to pay them for you. So please behave yourself and stick to the speed limits and park properly. |
What kind of fuel do your City Cars use?
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Almost all of our cars run on unleaded petrol. But we do have some bio diesel cars (in Norwich), which take diesel. In London (and some other cities) we have introduced petrol/electric hybrids (don’t worry about the electrics, just fill it up with petrol when it goes under a quarter tank). |
Why is City Car Club good for the environment and communities?
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Research indicates that each City Car removes the need for between five and eight privately owned vehicles. This helps to reduce congestion and relieve the pressure on parking spaces in urban areas. Having fewer cars means less cluttered streets, fewer front gardens being used as driveways and more plants!
City Car Club drivers are smart and integrate other modes of transport into their lifestyles. Some are more social, like public transport, others are healthier, like bike riding. Both these choices add something to our communities’ quality of life. Our 2006 member survey reveals all the facts and figures. |
What kind of people join City Car Club?
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- People fed up with the costs and hassle of running, maintaining, insuring or parking a car.
- People who don’t currently own a car, but need one occasionally
- People who use a car only a few times a week for social or business trips
- People with two cars who hardly use that second one – sitting on the driveway gathering paw prints
- Mostly people like you and me.
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There isn’t a car near to me – can I request one?
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Sorry if we don’t have one convenient enough to you but we are expanding our locations all the time, so do keep checking our website. Give us your details and this will speed up the process – the more people requesting a car near them, the sooner we will try to get one in place! And if you have off-road parking you’d like to offer as a home for a City Car please get in touch – we’ll make it worth your while! |
Can you let me know when City Car Club will be coming to my area?
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If I’m disabled, can I join?
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Certainly. If you are registered disabled and can't drive non-adapted cars, you can nominate up to two people to drive for you, for the price of one, subject to insurance approval. |
Is there an upper age limit for joining?
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No. We believe there should be no upper age limit for our members. You just need to be holding a valid driving licence. |
What are you bank details for internet banking?
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If you wish to pay your joining fee or pay an outstanding invoice via the internet or BACS, our bank details are as follows:
Sort code: 08-90-72
Account number: 70017036
If you are already a member, please quote your membership number as a reference. If you are a company, please use your company name as the reference. If you are paying your joining fee, please quote your name. |
Do you provide child booster seats?
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We’re sorry but we don’t provide baby or child seats for the simple reason that there are too many different types (newborn, rear facing, forward facing, booster etc) and we don’t have anywhere to store them. You are obviously welcome to use your own car seats in our cars though. If any of you can think of a clever way of us providing them, short of filling each car’s boot with a plethora of seats and boosters, we’d love to hear from you. |
What happens about Central London Congestion Charging?
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Unfortunately, Transport for London does not exempt car club cars – but we are working on it! Until then, I am afraid we have to pass on the cost to you every time you enter or exit the Congestion Charge zone but at a reduced rate of £7.00 (normally £8.00).
Most of our City Cars that have homes within the Congestion Charge zone have been replaced by environmentally friendly Honda Civic Hybrid (petrol/electric) cars. These cars have total exemption from the Congestion Charge due to their low CO2 emissions.
If you are using one of our non hybrid City Cars that has a home inside the Congestion Charge zone, we pass on a charge of only £3.50 hoping other members may use the car in the day to share the cost! And there is no need for you to directly pay the charge yourself – we do this on your behalf. Another time-saving benefit of City Car Club. |
Where are your full Terms and Conditions?
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You will find the link to our Terms and Conditions at the foot of each page on our website headed Club Rules .This also outlines our penalty charges and we strongly recommend you read this before joining so you know the full ins and outs. As we are a members club, we have to have rules so members are not inconvenienced by the action of others (although this rarely happens). |
How easy is it to access a car?
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Accessing a City Car is simple. Just click on How It Works to see how easy it is.
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I live in London and you sent me an Oyster card – what is this all about?
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| Uniquely, all London City Car Club members are issued with an Oyster card as their membership card – access to our cars and the London public transport network in one single card. You do not pay for any of our services via the Oyster card – it is used for access to our cars only. But you can use it on London’s public transport network. Just put some money onto it and use as your pay as you go card. If you already have an Oyster card, why not transfer your current cash or travel card onto this and reclaim your £3.00 deposit on your existing card! If you want, we can transfer information from one card to another if you post your existing card into us or come into our London office by Caledonian Road tube @ The Busworks, 39-41 North Road, London N7 9DP (a prior appointment is advisable so please call 0845 330 1234 and press option 1 to arrange this). Your Oyster card can also be used to access any of our cars in the UK. |
Can I alter the rate plan I am currently on?
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You certainly can. If you find you are using the cars more frequently than you had originally thought, you can elect to take up one of our rate reduction fees at any time. If you are using the cars less frequently, you can stop paying a monthly rate reduction fee at any time after 3 months of being on the current rate plan. |
I see you also have larger cars. What types of cars are these?
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| Our larger cars include the Honda Civic Hybrid, Ford Focus, Vauxhall Astra and Kia c'eed. The Honda is a very spacious saloon car and the others are practical 5 door hatchbacks. All comfortably seat 5 adults and have good sized luggage space. The Hondas are petrol/electric engine cars and those situated in London are totally exempt from the London Congestion Charge due to their low CO2 emissions. |
What happens if I find someone's personal property in the car?
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Please contact the 24 hour helpline 0845 330 1234 (Select option 2 from the menu) and let us know. We can then begin to trace the owner.
The same applies if you discover you have left something in the car.
All lost property is kept by us for 3 months and then donated to charity if not claimed.
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