Car sharing with Zipcar saves money

Cars are cash guzzlers. Did you know the average cost of car ownership is a budget-busting $1,357/month? That’s a steep price for something that spends 95% of the time sitting in a parking space¹. But Zipcar members skip the high costs of ownership. And our North American Transportation Report² shows just how much they save on transportation compared to car owners. 

 
 
Here’s how Zipcar helps our members save 

• 85% less expensive to drive a Zipcar than own a vehicle. 

• $1,173/month. Roughly what Zipcar members save vs. car owners. That’s $14,076 per year.  

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• 38% of monthly expenses go to transportation for one-car households earning less than $25,000. 

(Households with the same income who did not own or lease a vehicle spent 5% of their after-tax income on transportation.)³ [US Department of Transportation] 

• 56% of members joined Zipcar to avoid car-ownership costs.

Car ownership vs. car sharing 

COST PER MONTH 

Car ownership⁴  

• Monthly expenses = $1,025/month [AAA] 

• Parking⁵ = $332/month [Parkopedia] 

• Total = $1,357/month  

Zipcar 

• Membership fee = $9/month ($90/year) 

• Average trip costs = $175/month 

• Parking = $0  

• Total = $184/month 

Zipcar members save money coast to coast 

In cites nationwide, members report much lower annual household transportation costs than the average city household. 6 [Center for Neighborhood Technology] 

• Boston, MA: 74% lower transportation costs

• Chicago, IL: 70% lower transportation costs 

• Los Angeles, CA: 73% lower transportation costs 

• New York City, NY: 49% lower transportation costs 

• Philadelphia, PA: 70% lower transportation costs 

• Sacramento, CA: 81% lower transportation costs 

• San Francisco, CA: 69% lower transportation costs 

• Seattle, WA: 75% lower transportation costs 

• Washington, DC: 69% lower transportation costs 

Zipcar-specific data was collected as part of Zipcar’s 2024 North American Transportation Survey, with a sample size of approximately 5,922 respondents in North America.  

^{1 Schoup. The High Cost of Free Parking, 2005.} 

^{2 Zipcar-specific data was collected as part of Zipcar’s 2024 North American Transportation Survey, a survey with a sample size of approximately 5,922 respondents in North America.} 

^{3 Bureau of Transportation Statistics. 2022.} 

^{4 AAA “Your Driving Costs” 2024.} 

^{5 Monthly Off-Street Parking Costs, Top 6 Zipcar Markets. Parkopedia.”Global Parking Index.” 2022.} 

^{6 Center for Neighborhood Technology. 2024. Housing + Transportation Index}