Join a car club and get about for いっそう少なく

By Liz Phillips for MailOnline
Updated: 10:00 BST, 20 October 2010

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Owning a car is becoming a 高級な for many families 攻撃する，衝突する by the 財政上の squeeze, the rising cost of 燃料 and 保険.

巡航するing: Christine Meek her husband Keith Freegard and their three children. Read their story below.

But for City dwellers and 労働者s there is a choice to join a car club, which can 申し込む／申し出 a handy 代案／選択肢 to the expense of running a second or even main car.

These 許す you to rent by the hour. 保険, 燃料 and 修理s are 含むd in the price and there are no 価値低下 worries.

運動ing a new, medium-sized car and doing only 6,000 miles a year costs a 大規模な £4,332 a year 許すing for 石油, 保険, 価値低下, wear and 涙／ほころび and road 税金, によれば the AA. And buying a second-手渡す car knocks only £674 off this daunting 人物／姿／数字.

A four-year-old car will 始める，決める you 支援する £3,658 a year if you 運動 6,000 miles and £4,560 for those who do 10,000 miles a year.

City Car Club, which started up ten years ago, （人命などを）奪う，主張するs members could save as much as £3,500 a year. There are three other car clubs - Streetcar, U.S.-owned Zipcar and Connect, which is part of Hertz.

To join, you must be at least 19 and 持つ／拘留する a clean 運動ing licence. There's usually an 年次の 会員の地位 料金 of about £50, though Connect is 現在／一般に 解放する／自由な to join.

You'll have to 支払う／賃金 an hourly 告発（する），告訴（する）／料金 starting at £4 to £5 for the smallest cars such as a VW Polo, rising to £6.95 for a BMW 3 Series or Audi A3. The clubs tend to have more smaller cars 利用できる. There is also a mileage 告発（する），告訴（する）／料金.

Streetcar and Connect give you the first 30 miles per 旅行 解放する／自由な of the mileage 告発（する），告訴（する）／料金, rising to a generous 60 miles with Zipcar.

After that you 支払う／賃金 between 23p and 25p a mile. City Car Club 告発（する），告訴（する）／料金s 19p a mile, but there are no 解放する／自由な miles. If you used a car for five hours a week and kept within Zipcar's 60 解放する／自由な miles, you would spend £1,027 a year 加える £50 会員の地位.

With four children, Christine Meek, 51, and her husband, company director Keith Freegard, find they often need two cars.

So Christine joined City Car Club, which has cars の近くに to their home in West London. She 雇うs a car once or twice a month for a couple of hours on 普通の／平均（する）.

She says: 'We mostly use the car club at 週末s to フェリー（で運ぶ） our children around to different activities.

'It 作品 out at about £20 to £50 a month - much cheaper than owning a second car. I've never had any problems. But twice my husband couldn't start the car, which is a nuisance when you're in a hurry.'

The clubs are おもに used for short 旅行s, but they have daily 率s 範囲ing from £29 with Zipcar to £49.50 with Streetcar if you want them for longer. These clubs are still in their 幼少／幼藍期 with 100,000 members and 2,200 cars 利用できる. London is served best, though the 会社／堅いs do operate in other major towns, cities and university campuses around the country.

Carplus.org.uk has a car club locator on its website. The clubs （人命などを）奪う，主張する that each car takes about ten 私的な 乗り物s off the road. You're given a card which opens the car and then you put in your personal number.

Inside there's a handsfree phone connected to their call centres to 報告（する）／憶測 any 損失 or problems, 同様に as a 燃料 card so you don't 支払う／賃金 for 石油.

Be very careful to check for any 損失, because if the next person 位置／汚点／見つけ出すs 損失 that you 行方不明になるd, then you'll be 告発（する），告訴（する）／料金d for it. You're fully insured to 運動 the car, though there is an 超過 to 支払う／賃金 if you （人命などを）奪う，主張する 範囲ing from £250 for Connect to £750 with Streetcar, though you can 支払う／賃金 extra to 減ずる this to 無. Londoners also escape the £8-a-day congestion 告発（する），告訴（する）／料金. 調書をとる／予約するing is over the internet or by phone. If they're not returned to the same parking bay, t here's a 告発（する），告訴（する）／料金 of typically £45.

There are 刑罰，罰則s if you break the 支配するs - returning the car late without notice costs up to £45, for example.