Best car rental apps to get away from the city halfway through October

There’s plenty to see and do within a few hours’ drive of London and mid-October is the perfect time for the whole family to get away from the city. Taking children on trains and buses is stressful at the best of times and the various ongoing strikes mean that finding more reliable transport might be the best way forward.

Fortunately, various apps make it easy to rent a car for as little or as long as you want, allowing you and your family to enjoy your time out of London.

From monthly subscription models to eco-friendly electric cars, here’s a look at some of the best car rental apps available in London.

That of the automobile club: Zipcar

Zipcar operates an automobile club model. You register on the website and can pay a small membership fee for cheaper rentals, but you don’t have to. Then you are free to pick up a car in your area and return it when you no longer need it. Since the lockdown was eased, the business has seen a 50% increase in its weekend round-trip product as people escape the city for breaks.

Cleaning and security are essential for the car rental company. Zipcar has enhanced cleaning protocols in place and teams perform spot checks on every vehicle in circulation at regular intervals throughout the week. He also encourages members to bring sanitizing wipes and use antibacterial hand gel before and after each trip.

Zipcar vehicles are available for hire from £3/hour

Contactless: Virtuo

Virtuo has become a popular choice for weekend getaways from London thanks to its contactless and transparent process.

Simply reserve a car in the app and collect it from a transport hub, using your smartphone to unlock and lock the car as well as turn it on.

The app will soon add a service where it will drop cars off at your doorstep and has also expanded its cleaning process, using government-recommended products to clean vehicles between rentals. “For us, the contactless nature of our rental and the fact that we have always cleaned our cars after each rental puts us in a strong position. We have also always offered free cancellations and changes to ensure customers can travel with peace of mind,” says Adam Bodini of Virtuo.

Virtuo cars are available to hire from £50/day

Electric: E-Car Club

If you don’t want to give up the environmental benefits of not driving for months, then E-Car Club might be the platform for you. The service offers fully electric and hybrid vehicles so you can reduce your carbon footprint while travelling.

Everything is done through the app, including unlocking the car, so it’s a contactless process and the app will tell you where to find the nearest charging point so you never run out of juice.

Want an alternative electric car service? UFODrive is a new app for Londoners that allows them to hire a Tesla Model 3 or Model S from £89 per day.

Electric car club vehicles are available from £35/day

P2P: Hiyacar and Getaround

If you’re looking for a slightly cheaper way to get around this summer, you might want to check to see if your neighbor or someone nearby offers their spare car for hire. Platforms like Hiyacar and Getaround allow people to rent their car to earn extra income and demonstrate that not everyone has to own their own vehicle.

During the lockdown, Getaround saw demand drop around 80% while Hiyacar covered the costs for NHS staff to borrow free rental cars on the platform if they needed them to get to work or to do his shopping. Now, both platforms are seeing increased demand.

Both platforms have strict measures for vehicle cleaning between uses. Owners can report if a car has been potentially contaminated and Getaround will quarantine it for three days so no one else can rent it.

As a result, Getaround says people are renting cars well compared to pre-lockdown levels, with weekends particularly strong, while Hiyacar says sharing is up almost 100% from 2020.

Move vehicles are available for hire from £21/day depending on the car. Hiyacar vehicles are available to hire from £28/day depending on the car.