News

There are now over 104,000 car club members in the UK, using 2,322 car club vehicles.

Carbon Quilt

Make greenhouse gases visible
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NY Times Article

Avego in NY Times -
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Brilliant look at consumer-culture
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Did you Know?

One car club car can
replace up to twenty
privately owned cars!

Frequently Asked Questions

General

What is a car club?

Car clubs give you the opportunity to use a car without the costs and hassles of individual car ownership. You simply pay a membership fee and then an hourly rate to use the cars. Why not join the increasing community of drivers who find pay-as-you-go motoring cheaper, more convenient and less hassle than owning their own car. No need to think about road tax, insurance, parking permits, cleaning and even fuel. You can book a car quickly and conveniently online or by phone: for an hour, a day, for as long as you like.

Will E-cocars.com save me money?

Yes, if you travel less than 6000 miles a year. If you occasionally want a car or use public transport for the commute to work and sometimes need a car to get to appointments, then E-cocars.com will save you money. On average, a car costs £2700 per annum to run and you take on the risk of a breakdown (source: Transport Research Laboratory). According to the RAC a Vauxhall Corsa doing an annual mileage of 4,000 costs just over £2,300 a year. Using a car club vehicle doing the same mileage will cost around £1,065

How is a car club different to car rental?

With a car club you can rent by the hour with cars parked near where you live, rather than in the next town with a minimum daily hire. Car clubs mean self service. Once you are a member you can book at any time online or over the phone. The individual members smartcard also allows you to check if a car is booked and make an instant booking from inside the car.

What kind of cars do you have?

The E-cocars.com cars are very fuel efficient town cars. The latest Toyota Aygos are all new and as they have low fuel consumption this means fewer greenhouse gas emissions which is good for all of us and the planet!

How about insurance?

You are fully insured on a comprehensive basis, we have specialist insurance from the Co-operative Insurance Society. You will be asked to complete an online declaration when you apply. An excess of £250 applies to all members in the case of an accident in which our members are found to be at fault or no-fault could be assigned. It is possible to reduce this excess to £50 by paying a £10 monthly charge.

How do you work out the charges?

There is a very clever little computer inside each car. It is linked via the GPRS phone network to our system. It works out all the mileage, stores the fuel card, controls the doors, reports low fuel etc. It may be high tech but it is very simple to operate. The current mileage charge is 15pence per mile and will change with the prevailing cost of fuel.

How do I find the car I reserved?

When you are booking on line you will have the choice of location and a Google map to help you find the car. Just go to this address and your E-cocars.com car will be there waiting for you.

How will I spot the car?

E-cocars.com cars all have the E-cocars.com logo on them. They are usually in the designated car park spaces with an E-cocars.com sign.

Can I take a one-way trip?

Unfortunately not yet, the car must be returned to the designated parking space at the end of your booking. E-cocars.com is a community car club and is working to relieve the parking congestion from the growing numbers of private cars.

Do you provide car seats for children?

No, sorry we do not - you must bring your own.

Can I take my pet in the E-cocars.com car?

Yes as long as your pet is in a suitable pet carrier. We do have members with asthma problems brought on by animal fur so it is a case of being considerate to the other members.

Can I smoke in the E-cocars.com car?

Similarly we cannot allow anyone to smoke in the cars. A £ £100 fine will be incurred if you do and you may be banned as a member.