116,000 vehicles removed from UK roads through car club memberships
780,000 people are now signed up to organisations offering shared vehicle access, each driving an average of 153miles per year.
According to analysis by Collaborative Mobility UK [CoMoUK], each individual car club replaced 26 privately owned cars, freeing up 134hectares of road space. That’s the equivalent to Hyde Park in London. The survey included feedback from more than 8,600 active car club users across Britain.
Compared with pre-pandemic years, car club membership has more than doubled, increasing 122% up against 2019 figures, with 4% growth since the start of 2024 alone. When asked for their reasons for joining, subscribers listed cost savings, reducing carbon footprints, and sporadic needs for a car as the main rationales. Overall, it is believed that people can save around £5,600 per year by signing up to a car club to use electric vehicles [EVs] in comparison to owning one.
Car club members are also more likely to engage in active lifestyles compared with the general population, opting to walk and cycle regularly, and use public transport. The survey also found 48% of car club members would rely on taxis or hire cars for the same journey if they had no access to a club. Compliance with low emission zones was also a key factor, with all vehicles registered with a car club manufactured within the past five years.
‘Our latest research shows that car club membership across the UK is growing strongly, as more and more people enjoy the benefits that a ‘car light’ lifestyle can bring. Regular users tell us that they are saving money, avoiding the hassle that comes with owning a private car and reducing their carbon footprint in the process. Car clubs also help to make people more active, with members more likely to walk or cycle short journeys than those who have access to a private car and use it by default,’ said Richard Dilks, CoMoUK Chief Executive.
‘The wider benefits to society are clear: a nationwide expansion of car clubs will help to cut congestion, free up space in towns and cities and encourage more public transport use. With the general election now only a matter of weeks away, we would like to see the next UK Government acknowledge the carbon-cutting potential of car clubs and get behind the sector so they can be rolled out as widely as possible,’ he continued. ‘Encouraging this cultural shift is becoming all the more important if the UK is to accelerate the transition to net zero and meet its climate change targets.’
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Image: Christian Wiediger