Zipcar Reviews

If I could give this shitscape a negative five-star rating, I would. Call to extend my rental because we were in the emergency room. Their system kept having an error and wouldn’t extend, but was authorizing my credit card over and over again. Call their customer service, let them know. Their ** or ** customer service, instead of just fixing the problem for me, decided to argue with me and still try to pop me for a $60 late fee. Didn’t reopen the rental four hours later, our car broke down. And then they tried to charge us for the whole day still, and then at $160 past due balance on my credit card that they had authorized so many times, it literally canceled my card at the bank and forced their security system to send me a new one.

At one time ZipCar was legitimate from my experience. Going forward I've paid for a membership with no customer service afterwards. Could not rent nor speak to a live person for months. When I finally spoke to two live agents at different times after voicing my concerns and request, I was put on hold, and the agents never returned. This business is fraudulent, using a legitimate past to rob in the future.

I started to fill in the online "application" and when I got to the part where they want to charge almost $30 for an application FEE, with no guarantee that they would accept, I declined. Backed out of all pages, and exited the website. Was surprised to find that they CHARGED my credit card almost thirty dollars. Tried to sign in to the zipcar website and got an error message, application is incomplete. So I called them. Got some pleasantries, and the charge is still on my credit card. And I do not have access to anything on the website. I will be sharing this review on Google as well.

This is the absolute worst travel experience I have ever had. I rented a Zipcar to go to my brother's wedding and rehearsal, and it reeked of cigarettes so much it made me cough and feel sick. There was almost an inch of liquid in the cupholder that I had to clean out, and the paper towels came away black because there was so much filth in the bottom. There was also a lot of dirt on the floor. I immediately reported it on the app. I would have tried to find another option to get home, but I had no time because I needed to make it to my brother's wedding rehearsal. Because I am a college student, Zipcar is the only car rental service available to me as I am under 21, and they charge you significantly more because of this.

Just booked a Zipcar in Brooklyn. When I got to the location, the car was locked behind a gate. There were instructions for opening the lock which did not work. I called zipcar which told me that while the car is available, the location is not. Guess what — if you can’t get to the car, it isn’t available. Zipcar canceled the ride and offered me a credit for 1 hour of ride time, but refused to compensate me for the extra Uber I needed. Why would a car be shown to be available when it isn’t? Wasted an hour of time on this.

When I picked up the vehicle, a Toyota Prius, on 10/03, the interior was in an unacceptable condition. The front seats and floor were covered in potato chip crumbs and debris. I was forced to spend time vacuuming the area and cleaning the seats myself before I could safely begin my trip. More alarmingly, I encountered a major safety hazard while driving. The configuration of the steering wheel completely blocks the instrument control panel from view. Because I was unable to see the car's speedometer, driving the vehicle felt incredibly dangerous.

I have been a customer for over a decade in NYC. This summer I repaid my annual membership of $90. Grabbed a car in August for a trip and upon returning they had charged me $31.84 for an extension. My membership was cancelled in September for non payment. No call. All emails went to spam! I paid the $32.84 and now they want me to pay another $90. It's only October!! They suck vampires.

Total scam. They say it's within their policy to charge you even if the car isn't where it is supposed to be and then they layer on all these extra fees. Save yourself the headache and rent from a reputable place!

Absolutely trash! Used them one time, by the next time I went to rent my account was deactivated and I was literally given no straight answer but told they sent an email. The email doesn’t say anything specific just sent a section of the membership policy, doesn’t even says what I did to violate the policy. Staff is complete trash, no answers, no support, and absolutely rude. Hung up on because they don’t have answers when they should have access to these accounts. DO NOT GET A MEMBERSHIT WITH ZIPCAR!

I was late by a hour they locked the car charged my card $575 without my permission. They never picked up the car my purse ended up getting stolen because I was locked out the car left stranded. I couldn’t even get my kids from school.

I have been with ZIP for almost 10 yrs, never had a problem until now. In July 2026, I recieved an email stating I was charged a smoking fee, 2 months later then in July, I was hit with a May smoking fee, and in July another smoking fee. Mind you, I don't smoke, so that's $150.00 plus tax $163.26 twice. I submitted my doctor's letter stating I have asthma and copd where I can't smoke.

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.

I have been using Zipcar for a few years and I have had no issues other there are small charges that I have no explanation of when I go back in to book another car. Never had any car issues, customer service the couple times I have had to use them have been fine.

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.

Awful customer service. I arrived at the return parking space on time, but was 9 minutes late because there was an unauthorized vehicle parked in the spot. I had to park elsewhere, find the other guy and get him to move, all of which took about 8 minutes. Zipcar told me I should have called first, but by the time was I able to call, it was already too late. They charged me $50. The customer service rep was obstinate, unhelpful and a total cold fish. I won't be using Zipcar again and I recommend you do not either, they will hose you.

Zipcar takes your money. Took money out of my account even though my application was not approved. Zipcar steals your money!!!

Zipcar locked me out of my account without resolution and would not let me update my payment method in the app, and I couldn’t log in on the website because they had cancelled my account somehow. Mind you I’ve been a member for years and it’s just that my card on file expired (then I couldn’t update it no matter where I tried). The customer service representative then berated me over the phone for missed emails and demanded that I pay for a fresh membership (that I already paid for a few months back). Completely unreasonable company and service. Avoid at all cost.

My experience with Zipcar was extremely disappointing. After providing my personal information—driver’s license, credit card, and all—I felt they shared it with third parties. Their customer service was rude and evasive, never explaining why they closed my account despite my valid license. I called multiple times, yet never got real answers. This felt like a fraudulent experience, and I wouldn’t trust them again

Zipcar regularly cancels reservations due to "maintenance" and either does not rebook the reservation, or does rebook you in a different car (usually smaller and cheaper with no refund) and often it can be miles away. As someone *without* a car, I don't understand why they think a new car over a mile away is a suitable solution and they do not compensate for transportation to this new car. It can often result in 30-45 minutes at the front and back end, just getting the car eating into the paid reservation time. At the very least, if there is no nearby car of comprable size they should call to figure out the best solution. They never do. And often ask why the smaller car isn't a good replacement and not that it is their business, but 3-4 adults with luggage in an SUV is a different situation that 3-4 adults in a smaller sedan plus luggage. Half the weekend trips I take with Zipcar start off awful because of the mood their service puts me in and the obstacles they create.

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, and extraneous pricing. Anyway, long stair short had a random charge of 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, I'm NOT saving money and the environment, and I'm starting to believe them.

Zipcar is the absolute worst rental car service I have ever used. Their vehicles are substandard, their customer service is rude, disrespectful and combative, and these criminals tried to charge me six hundred dollars to move a vehicle from one Zipcar location to another Zipcar stall which was approximately six blocks away. They also charged me additional late fees after I returned the vehicle a half hour early. This is after they requested me to return the vehicle to the original Zipcar stall. Their managers and supervisors refused to return my call despite numerous requests.

This certainly is one of the worst car rental experiences I’ve ever experienced. I tried to rent a car for a couple of days which was very expensive than regular rental, and so I cancelled the membership which states that they would not refund me the fees within 48 hours only to be told that it is none refundable. Not only are they the alerts but a ripoff!!!

I rented a car for 3 days at $440 and I once I returned the car, refueled with no damage, they said I actually owed over 1100 more dollars and claimed I went 2000 miles over? I’ve contacted customer service multiple times and even tried through Instagram and instead of handling my issue or trying to help they spam messaged me back - and it’s a third party that is absolutely abhorrent. This definitely feels like a scam company. I should have read reviews first.

Zipcar, to me seems like a phishing app. Once you enter your credit card information, you're rejected. They are just trying to get personal information to share with third parties. They ask for full name, address, DOB and don't reject you. Then they ask for credit card information. Once you enter it, you're rejected. Be careful of Zipcar.

What an absolutely horrendous experience! In a panic because there was no other reputable companies with rental cars available in Gainesville, Florida and I needed a car for an emergency work trip. I rented a vehicle from this company. They charged me $243 for two days with a piece of crap Toyota Corolla that drove like the right tire was going to fall off the front seats didn’t match and there was Zipcar labeling all over the vehicle, which was embarrassing. Nonetheless I had the vehicle and I was thankful I was able to do what I needed to do. I returned the vehicle on time in better condition than it was when I picked it up because it was disgustingly dirty and smelled horribly to which they decided they were going to charge my credit card an additional $122 stating that I went over the mileage that I was allotted.

Zipcar convinced me to renew my membership by offering a $30 promo that they won’t honor. I have spent over an hour talking to customer service reps who won’t help, won’t transfer to a supervisor or literally hang up on me.

Worst customer service, they told me that my first month would be free, and I would only be charged the application fees. I even called to confirm, and I was told that if I get charged, I will be refunded. But after paying the application fees, they charged me for the monthly membership as well, which was supposed to be free for the first month. When I called the customer service people, they were so rude, and they didn't even try to help. I told them that I told them I would be refunded, but they didn't even listen.

Absolutely ridiculous. I was charged an application fee which I did not finalize or submit, and they are basically telling me it's impossible. And I asked to cancel the account but they've been charging me for months, and now they only want to refund this past month. I've been duped for sure. I don't care about your non-refundable application fee policy if the system glitched into charging me before I could give consent. I even called them to tell them the system was loading over and over, kind of in like a frozen state, and they said they didn't see a charge. But sure enough, the charge showed up in my bank account, and then every month after that, the monthly charge.

Continual pattern of unsafe, dirty cars. Just drove one where one tire had 12 psi in it and the tire had no cap on the air pressure pump tube. Alignment was completely out of whack. Customer service agents were unconcerned by this, and offered no recourse for saddling me with an unsafe car.

Terrible and misleading. I was charged a 27.00 membership fee and was denied car rental by my surprise. In info they said I could get it back. Then when called for refund I was denied again. And no help at Customer Service.

I have been a Zipcar member since the beginning when this company started and they deleted my account because I got into an accident. This unfair...I have been a loyal member since the beginning. The accident was not my fault. The driver of the other vehicle ran the red light...the state trooper took the information and he saw the whole thing. This company doesn't care for their loyal members.

I rented a car to do Uber for two days. They have me the wrong car. After picking them up and driving off and charged they tell me to bring it back because I couldn't do Uber, it was raining. I had to catch another Uber ride to the next pick up, then I pick that car up and the same thing happened. Had to catch another Uber. All expenses on me, get the 3rd car and I had to walk for about 45 minutes to get it because I ran out of money, I had a long Uber ride so I was late on returning the vehicle. I sent messages stating I wanted to extend, I pull over to finally buy me some food, I get back in. Car out. Wouldn't turn on. They cut it off while I'm on phone with customer service telling them the so wouldn't let me extend. It kept freezing, they come your the car when I wanted to extend and left me stranded, the car was dirty when I got it.

I had rented several times from Zipcar when my car was stolen. At first the company was great, now it is absolutely horrible. The app will charge you and not reserve the car, and forbid you have to speak to a CS representative. They are horrible, rude, will hang up and have the time, they are mumbling on the phone, saying a supervisor will call you back, which never, ever happens.

Zipcar is an absolute joke! Renters must use their phone to lock and unlock the vehicle! Last night I needed to call the police because I had no way to unlock the car in a remote area without internet access!

This morning I arrived five minutes early for my Zipcar reservation only to find another Zipcar blocking mine in the garage. The attendant couldn’t move it because he didn’t have the access card. I called Zipcar immediately and spoke with Pamela, who flatly said there was nothing she could do. Really? They can unlock cars remotely — the attendant could have moved it in seconds — but she simply refused to help. When I asked for a supervisor, none was available (of course). Zipcar is extremely strict when it comes to charging me for a late return — $100 for being five minutes late — yet takes zero responsibility when the problem is their fault. Absolutely unacceptable and despicable customer service. If you value reliability and accountability, stay far away from Zipcar.

I was experimenting with not owning a car and had used Zipcar a couple of times — one car was spotless, another was dusty but fine. My last trip, however, changed my mind about the company completely. While driving on the freeway, I got tire pressure warning lights, followed by a loud flopping and then a scraping sound. I pulled over on the shoulder with cars flying by at 70 mph. It was dark and the situation was a little frightening, but I was only 10 minutes from my city - I figured it was a situation we could sort out pretty easily given how close I was to town. Still, cars were going by fast and I was in the dark on the side of the road, and I stayed buckled in just in case someone accidentally hit me as I called Zipcar for help — but what followed was worse than the breakdown itself.

My booked and prepaid car was not available on the provided garage. I never got a notification that the pick-up location changed and the new location was 50 minutes away from my home. Zipcar provided me the information after 7 phone calls that they have no car available for the pre-booked period at the location where I was. This resulted to lose all my meetings, had to get a rent a car from a trusted company and pay 5 times more, because of the late time booking on Columbus Day. Do not risk with Zipcar. It is not worth it!

I rented my second vehicle as a university freshman and I returned it to the same location from where I got it from, but I got contacted by Zipcar saying they couldn't find the vehicle. I was very cooperative, replying to messages and being transparent about certain things. I hadn’t seen one message a few days after they sent it and then I received an email saying my account was terminated. They provided no genuine reasoning, simply saying I violated community guidelines. Just because they can't find a car that has a big green Zipcar sticker on it, my account was unprofessionally deleted and customer service refuses to give me my account back. Horrible rental company as a user that recommended it to so many people, which lead to some of them actually spending money on this irritable company.

I’ve been a member with Zipcar since April 2025 and spend $450 a month with them and have gone through having two cars canceled on me last minute with no warning or notice and no replacements as they promise to do. Every time I call in, it’s offshore and they can never forward you to a manager without asking you questions to validate your identity then reading their policies. There is no one in United States that works for this company, not any supervisors to speak to when the agents can’t help you. They don’t take care of their longest customers and frankly are overpriced.

HORRIBLE!! My account got deleted right after paying for a university plan. Driving history is clean and amazing, background is also clean with nothing on my record!! Called 15 times, emailed 3 times just for them to say they can't give me details about why I was rejected/terminated but guess what? They are literally horrible at customer service and I do not recommend anyone to take part in this! Especially universities!!! After they do the check on me they always had a different tone of voice and I'm not saying everyone I talked to was a racist but I am a ** woman who is trying to make college life easier. If my payment goes through I'm going to have a bigger problem! Especially with someone saying they got charged over $1000 in hidden fees AFTER they terminated their account!!!!