Zipcar Has Shut Down in the UK. What East Village Residents Need to Know

Zipcar has confirmed it is shutting down its UK operations, ending car-sharing services that many East Village residents relied on for occasional trips. If you had credit or an active membership, here’s what you need to know.

What’s Happened

Zipcar UK has ceased operations. Existing members received email notification, and all vehicles have been removed from their bays — including those in and around East Village and the Olympic Park area.

Getting Your Refund

If you had a prepaid credit balance, Zipcar has committed to refunding this automatically to the card on file. If you haven’t received a refund within 14 days of the closure announcement, contact Zipcar’s customer service directly via their website or app.

Annual membership fees should also be partially refunded on a pro-rata basis.

Alternatives for East Village Residents

Enterprise Car Club — Enterprise operates car-sharing pods across East London, with vehicles available in Stratford. Pay-per-use, no monthly fee option available.

Hertz 24/7 — Available at various locations around London. Slightly higher per-hour rates but wide availability.

Uber/Lyft — For one-way journeys, ridesharing remains straightforward from E20.

Cycling — Santander Cycles docking stations are available near the Olympic Park. Good for short trips to Stratford or Hackney Wick.

Parking Permits

If you drove a Zipcar, you were likely using it partly to avoid the hassle of parking. East Village residents are not entitled to resident parking permits (the estate is private), so owning a car brings its own costs.