ZipcarReviews of zipcar.com

I booked a Honda Civic through Zipcar in Riverside, California, from 22 to 26 September and paid $699.06. The car was defective and unsafe to drive, and it had to be towed with three days still left on my booking. I had to pay $444 for Uber to get around for the rest of my trip. Zipcar refunded me $237.24 and $225.84. I was told I'd be refunded for the unused days of the rental and reimbursed for my transportation. But when I asked about it, chat support said both refunds together were for the Uber only, so I've received nothing for the three days I paid for and couldn't use. Chat support told me they couldn't help further and that I had to email the case handler. I sent two emails in early-October and have had no reply to either. Being given an unsafe car is bad enough. Being passed around and then ignored while still owed money is worse. Zipcar should make clear what each refund covers, refund customers for days they couldn't use through no fault of their own, and make sure people who are sent to email actually get a reply. I would not recommend Zipcar.

**★☆☆☆☆ – Extremely Disappointing Customer Service from Kal at Zipcar – Loyal Customers Beware!** After more than five years as a loyal Zipcar customer, I am absolutely disgusted by the way I have been treated, particularly by a customer service representative named Kal, whose dismissive response to my legitimate billing complaint demonstrated a complete lack of empathy, accountability, and concern for customer satisfaction. I was encouraged by a Zipcar employee to switch from my $5 monthly membership to a more expensive annual plan. What I was never told was that Zipcar could deactivate my account due to inactivity, despite my having already paid for an entire year. That's exactly what happened. **Zipcar deactivated my account without my requesting it, and when I reactivated it, I was charged another annual membership fee within approximately one month of the first.** That's nearly $200 in membership charges for a service I had barely used! When I challenged these charges, Kal's response was essentially that the fees were valid. No meaningful explanation, no acknowledgment that Zipcar had initiated the deactivation, and no apparent effort to resolve the issue fairly. **Kal, just because your billing system allows a charge does not automatically make it fair, ethical, or justified.** What makes this experience particularly upsetting is that I recently lost my employment and am now living on a significantly reduced fixed income through ODSP. Two hundred dollars is a substantial amount of money to me. Yet my concerns were met with what I considered an indifferent and dismissive response. I find it deeply troubling that a company can promote annual memberships, deactivate a customer's account, and then demand another annual fee to restore access. In my opinion, this raises serious concerns about Zipcar's billing practices and transparency. And when a longstanding customer questions these practices, the response should be something more meaningful than simply insisting the charges are valid. **My experience with Kal left me feeling that Zipcar was more interested in defending its charges than retaining a loyal customer or addressing a legitimate concern.** I have requested that this matter be escalated to senior management, that the duplicate annual fee be refunded, and that my original monthly membership be restored. I am also prepared to bring this matter to Consumer Protection Ontario. After more than five years of supporting Zipcar, I never imagined I would have to fight this hard to get a fair explanation for charges resulting from an account deactivation I never requested. **My advice to anyone considering a Zipcar annual membership: BE VERY CAREFUL. Ask what happens if you don't use the service regularly, whether your account can be deactivated, and whether you could be charged another annual fee to reactivate it. Get those answers in writing.** Zipcar markets itself as a convenient, customer-friendly alternative to car ownership. Unfortunately, my experience with Kal and Zipcar's handling of this dispute has been anything but customer-friendly. **Five years of loyalty apparently count for very little when a customer challenges a questionable charge.** Extremely disappointed. One star, and only because zero stars isn't an option. This version is suitable for Google Reviews, Trustpilot, or a public social media post. It names Kal, criticizes the response firmly, and keeps the allegations framed around your personal experience rather than presenting unverified misconduct as established fact.

**★☆☆☆☆ ZIPCAR: BEWARE OF UNJUSTIFIED FEES, TERRIBLE CUSTOMER SERVICE, AND ZERO ACCOUNTABILITY!** **CUSTOMERS, PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE RENTING FROM ZIPCAR!** I am absolutely disgusted with how Zipcar conducts business and treats paying customers. I was charged a $150 smoking fee that I strongly dispute, and despite repeatedly requesting a fair explanation, Zipcar has done nothing but send dismissive, repetitive responses claiming their sensors detected smoking. Let's be clear: **A sensor alert does not automatically prove that a customer smoked inside a vehicle!** Their vehicles can already have cigarette odors, burns, and signs of previous use. Yet Zipcar expects customers to accept additional charges without providing convincing evidence that they were responsible. I was even told that their decision was FINAL and that no further review would be allowed. How convenient for a company collecting money from customers! **Where is the accountability? Where is the transparency? Where is the customer protection?** Instead of properly addressing my concerns, Zipcar has chosen to dismiss me completely. This is an unacceptable way to operate a business. I am closing my account, disputing the $150 charge with my bank, and will NEVER use Zipcar again. **WARNING TO FUTURE CUSTOMERS: TAKE PHOTOS, RECORD VIDEOS, DOCUMENT EXISTING ODORS AND DAMAGE, AND CHECK YOUR BANK STATEMENTS.** Based on my experience, when you challenge a fee, don't expect Zipcar to give you a fair opportunity to dispute it. **ZIPCAR, YOU HAVE LOST A PAYING CUSTOMER, AND I HOPE OTHERS READ THIS BEFORE TRUSTING YOUR COMPANY WITH THEIR MONEY.** Absolutely unacceptable. Zero stars if I could give them.

Confirmed Car Reservation, No Car, No Advance Notice I reserved and prepaid $250.86 for a Zipcar in Toronto for October 10, 2026, starting at 9:30 AM. I paid for transportation to the pickup location at York University, only to find that my confirmed vehicle was unavailable. I had received no advance email or text warning. I discovered the issue only after arriving and checking the app. I spent approximately 30 minutes waiting for customer support, only to be told the car had mechanical issues and that no replacement was available. The official cancellation email was sent at 11:23 AM, almost two hours after my scheduled pickup, and only after I contacted Zipcar. My planned trip was disrupted, along with arrangements involving other people and paid pet care. Zipcar processed a refund, but offered no reimbursement for my additional expenses or meaningful solution. A confirmed reservation should mean something. Customers deserve timely notification, reliable service, and accountability when things go wrong. Extremely disappointing first experience. I would not trust Zipcar for an important or time-sensitive trip.

When I picked up the vehicle, a Toyota Prius, 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.

The service from these guys is horrific. We have used on on multiple occasions in Boston. We have showed up to several cars that have been unusable due to mechanical issues. This morning we showed up to a car for a full weekend booking away which was cancelled without us receiving a notification. They did not have a replacement and all other rental cars in the area are sold out, so we've lost out on our weekend away and hotel booking.

I’ve rented the Zipcar named Jessica from the 730 Mt Pleasant Road, Toronto location twice, and unfortunately, both times the car was very dirty inside and outside. The interior clearly looked like it had not been properly cleaned or vacuumed between rentals, and the exterior was also in poor condition. After experiencing the exact same issue on two separate rentals of the same vehicle, this does not seem like a one-time problem. Customers are expected to return vehicles according to Zipcar’s rules, so I think it is reasonable to expect Zipcar to provide vehicles that are clean and properly maintained as well. I hope Zipcar pays more attention to the condition and cleanliness of the vehicles at this location.

I set my account up, and they accepted my license and everything went well at first. I also paid the 25$ application fee. 2 days later I tried updating my email address to my school one so I could get a cheaper rate. After I did that, they suspended my account. I called customer service to see if they can release it, but was told that the suspension would be 3-5 days. Today I got an email from them that they've deleted my account and that I'm banned from using their services in the future, and that there are no refunds. Luckily I had only paid the 25$ application fee and not actually rented a car. The rates are super high as well. This was in Eugene OR.