Whether or not a car club is viable for you depends a lot on your personal needs and desires. That they are more environmentally friendly than personal car ownership is not in doubt. Essentially sharing one car between several customers is far better than several customers each having their own car. In the long-term, increased car club popularity could see a reduction in the numbers of cars on the roads, less of a need for parking spaces outside houses, and a general decrease of both congestion and vehicular pollution. If you set a lot of store by your green credentials, car clubs may well be the way forward for you.
On the other hand, this has to be weighed against practicality. If you have a job which requires a lot of driving, and getting to a car club bay is not easy for you, it may not be a sustainable option. You may want to look instead into car-sharing, or a more environmentally friendly car for personal ownership.
From a financial point of view, car clubs are a no-brainer. Depending (of course) on how often you use them, the cost of hiring a car is far lower than the cost of owning a car. Even when you’re not using it, a car you own costs you money in tax and insurance. When you are using it, you are also liable for MOT costs, fuel costs, repair costs, and so much more. At a car club, this is all taken care of for you. You pay for the car only while you are using it and for the number of miles you drive. For the majority of people who don’t use their cars for long hours every day, this is undoubtedly the cheaper option worth exploring.
