Car Sharing

Another interesting topic from the ADAC Motorwelt: Carsharing!

One car, many drivers, this is the basic idea. You find the closest free car and you pay per minute, per kilometer, etc. BMW, Daimler and VW are strongly involved. One thing, I have to say at this point is that the offers are not for every pocket.

How does it work?

Register online and get your special carsharing ID from the respective company. Find online the closest available car. Get to the car and put your special ID to unlock the car; if green, get in and drive, if red, then the car has been booked and not available.

Before the drive, you enter your PIN in the in-car system and shortly assess the hygiene inside and any damages, if any.

Who offers it?

There are currently 6 major companies who offer it: Drive Now, Flinkster, Car2Go, Quicar, Cambio and Stadtmobil. Most of those companies are a cooperation between a car manufacturer and a car renting company. Deutsche Bahn is also involved (actually it owns Flinkster). The car fleets vary from company to company, between 200 and 2600. Carsharing is available only in big cities like Berlin, Munich, Frankfurt, etc.

How much does it cost?

There is a one-time registration fee varying between 19 Euro (Car2Go) and 50 Euro (Flinkster). Then you have to pay either per minute, per kilometer, per hour, etc.

The positive side is that you don't have to take care of insurance, gas or service for the car.

Cost comparison

Carsharing makes sense for short city distances. Only some companies offer special rates for the weekend or a short vacation. 

Would you sign up for carsharing?