Sydney and Melbourne named amongst most affordable cities for car sharing

A new study reveals the most affordable cities for car sharing – Australia ranks twice on the list with Sydney and Melbourne.

The popularity of car sharing is on the rise around the world, while many choose to car share with friends and family, there’s also an increasing number of car-sharing apps. These allow you to rent a vehicle for as little as an hour and pick up the vehicle from numerous locations nearby. But which cities are the most affordable for the service?

The study by Confused.com analysed cities around the world that offer car-sharing services and looked at the average cost per hour for each one to reveal the most affordable cities for car-sharing. 

You can view the full research here: https://www.confused.com/car-insurance/car-sharing-cities

The top 10 most affordable car-sharing cities:

Rank	City	Average cost (Local currency)	Average cost (GBP)
1	Zürich, Switzerland	CHF2.45	£2.13
2	Istanbul, Turkey	₺89.00	£4.12
3	Sydney, Australia	AU$8.07	£4.65
4	Melbourne, Australia	AU$8.40	£4.84
5	Prague, Czech Republic	149.00 Kč	£5.14
6	Singapore	S$8.61	£5.17
7	Tokyo, Japan	¥890	£5.46
8	Barcelona, Spain	€6.50	£5.50
9	Munich, Germany	€7.10	£6.00
10	Berlin, Germany	€7.33	£6.20

The most affordable car sharing city is Zurich in Switzerland at an average hourly cost of £2.13 (CHF 2.45) The city has 2 car-sharing companies operating currently.

The second most affordable city is Istanbul, Turkey at an average hourly cost of £4.12 (₺89.00) the city has 3 car-sharing companies currently operating.

The third most affordable city for car-sharing is Sydney, Australia at an average hourly cost of £4.65 (AU$8.07). The city currently has 5 car sharing companies operating.

Melbourne ranks 4th on the list with an average hourly cost of £4.84 (AU$8.40). Melbourne currently also has 5 car-sharing companies operating currently.

Further study insights: 

• London, Singapore and Amsterdam all take 1st place for the most car-sharing companies, each having 7 operating companies.
• The best city for car-sharing in the world is Paris, France with a car-sharing score of 7.43.

Alex Kindred, car insurance expert at Confused.com, comments:

“Car sharing is a great alternative for those who don’t have a need for a car full-time but are looking for more affordable options to get on the road. From car-sharing apps such as Car2Go and Enterprise, the new car rental service is quickly developing, with some apps operating in more than 9,500 global locations. The apps allow users to make and monitor tailored rental reservations, with opportunities also to manage travel routes and contact roadside assistance if necessary. Users can typically choose from free-floating services, with cars picked up and dropped off around the city, and P2P services where cars are rented privately. 

“However, when it comes to car-sharing opportunities, some cities are better equipped than others. Paris is the best city for car sharing and is home to 6 different car-sharing companies, including Ubeeqo, and Free2Move. 

“As car sharing may not come with car insurance, be sure to check whether you need temporary car insurance cover, as you don’t want to be caught out.”