Yes, giving up your car and using car sharing apps can save you real money in the US. It mostly works if you live somewhere you can get around without a car most days. If you only need a car occasionally, you could save several thousand dollars a year. The main limitation is how often you drive. Once you need a shared car about one day a week, a paid-off car you already own can come out cheaper. At about two days a week, even a new car can cost you less.

This guide explains how app-based car sharing works in the US today and which apps are still available. It also works through the numbers with clearly labeled hypothetical scenarios.

What "ditching your car for car sharing" actually means

Car sharing means you rent a car by the hour or by the day through an app instead of owning one. The app usually unlocks the car too. In the US there are two main models today:

  • Round-trip fleet car sharing (Zipcar): A company owns the cars and parks them in reserved spots. You book through the app, unlock the car with your phone, and return it to the same spot. Zipcar's App Store listing says you can book by the hour or day and that the app guides you to the parking spot.
  • Peer-to-peer car rental (Turo): Private hosts list their own cars. You book through the app, often by the day. Turo's US App Store listing describes a marketplace of local hosts across the US, UK, Canada, Australia and France. Many hosts offer delivery to airports, hotels or your door.

The savings come from cutting the fixed costs of owning a car: depreciation, insurance, financing, registration and maintenance. With car sharing you pay only when you drive. That sounds simple, but how often you drive decides whether it pays off.

What owning a car really costs in 2026

AAA's 2026 Your Driving Costs study is the best US benchmark. It puts the average cost of owning and running a new vehicle at $12,863 a year, or $1,071.92 a month (AAA Newsroom, Sept. 2026). The biggest pieces:

  • Depreciation: $4,422 a year, the largest single cost
  • Finance charges: $1,184 a year (5-year loan, 15% down)
  • Fuel: 17.3¢ per mile, with regular gas averaging $4.152 a gallon
  • Maintenance, repairs and tires: 11.7¢ per mile

AAA bases these figures on 15,000 miles a year over five years (AAA 2026 fact sheet). Costs vary a lot by vehicle type. According to Kelley Blue Book's coverage of the study, a small sedan costs about $9,259 a year and a half-ton pickup about $16,449.

Important caveat: These are new-car figures. If you drive an older car that's already paid off, you aren't paying finance charges and you lose much less to depreciation. That makes car sharing a harder sell, as the scenarios below show.

If you want to know what each trip in your own car costs you, the cost-per-use apps we've covered can help you track it.

Which car sharing apps are still available in the US?

The US market has shrunk a lot, and many older "best car sharing apps" lists are out of date:

  • Getaround shut down its US operations in February 2025 and now operates only in Europe (Getaround SEC filing).
  • Free2move ended its car sharing service in Washington, D.C. on September 15, 2026 (PoPville). In July 2026, Stellantis agreed to sell Free2move's car sharing business to the investment firm Mutares (Stellantis).

That leaves two practical app-based options for most readers:

  1. Zipcar, booked directly with a membership or through Uber without one
  2. Turo, for peer-to-peer rentals

Comparison method

  • Research date: October 25, 2026
  • Market: United States only (some features also apply in Canada)
  • Criteria: fees and membership costs, how pricing works, damage costs you may have to pay, eligibility (age), where it's available, app platform requirements, and other material restrictions
  • Sources: Official app-store listings, company terms and help pages first, then AAA for ownership costs. Third-party price aggregators were not used for any figure.
  • Exclusions: Getaround and Free2move (no longer operating in the US, see above), traditional rental counters, ride-hailing, and services that operate only in Canada. Zipcar's current consumer hourly and daily rates depend on city and car, and Zipcar doesn't publish them without a location being selected. They are marked as such below.
  • Not a hands-on test: This is a researched comparison. No apps were tested for this article, and no screenshots are shown.

Price and feature matrix (as of 2026-10-25, US)

Zipcar (direct) Zipcar via Uber Rent Turo
Membership fee $9/month or $90/year (Zipcar Baltimore page) None (Zipcar–Uber terms) None
Setup fee $25 one-time, non-refundable even if you're declined (Zipcar) None documented Not publicly documented
Hourly/daily rates Vary by city, car and day; not publicly documented without selecting a city Not publicly documented Set by each host; Turo adds a trip fee (a percentage that varies)
Fuel Included Included (keep it at ¼ tank or above) Not included by default
Miles included 180/day on most plans, then $0.58/mile (Zipcar Baltimore page) Overage fees apply; allowance not documented in the terms Not publicly documented; set per listing
Max you pay for damage by default Up to $2,500 per incident; optional waiver lowers it (Zipcar contract) $2,500 per incident; optional waiver $0 / $500 / $3,000 depending on the protection plan, or no cap if you decline protection (Turo help)
Minimum age 21 (18 in NY, MI, MD); fees for drivers under 25 21 (18 in NY, MI, MD); fees for drivers under 25 Young driver fee under 25; Premier plan not offered under 21
Return rule Same spot Same spot; rentals from 1 hour to 14 days Agreed with host; delivery possible
iOS requirement iOS 18.0+ Uber app iOS 18.0+

Prices can vary by city. Some Zipcar city pages may be older, so check your city's quote in the app before you decide.

Zipcar: the closest replacement for owning a car

What the documentation says: Zipcar membership costs $9 a month or $90 a year, plus a one-time $25 application fee. Gas and insurance are included, along with 180 miles per day on most plans (Zipcar). The hourly rate is charged until it reaches the daily rate, which is the most you pay for 24 hours. The membership contract, effective July 31, 2026, says you're responsible for up to $2,500 of damage per incident. An optional Damage Fee Waiver lowers or removes that amount. Monthly plans renew automatically and are non-refundable, even if you never drive (Zipcar membership contract). The contract also lists late fees and fees of up to $500 per rule violation.

Analysis:

Pros:

  • Gas, insurance and maintenance are included, so the bill is easy to predict
  • Hourly billing suits short errands and grocery runs
  • The $90 annual plan works out cheaper than paying $9 a month for 12 months ($108)

Cons:

  • You have to return the car to the same spot, so one-way trips aren't possible
  • The $2,500 damage exposure is real unless you buy the waiver, and the waiver costs extra
  • Car availability depends on your neighborhood
  • Membership fees keep charging even in months you don't drive

Suits: City dwellers who need a car for a few hours several times a month. Not a good fit: Suburban families who drive every day, or anyone who needs one-way trips.

Zipcar through Uber: no membership needed

What the documentation says: Since 2026 you can book Zipcars in the Uber app under Rent, by the hour or by the day (Uber). Zipcar's separate terms for Uber rentals, effective May 18, 2026, say these bookings "do not create a membership or ongoing subscription relationship." Rentals can run up to 14 days. You must still return the car to the same spot, and the $2,500 damage cap still applies. Reservations under 8 hours must be changed at least 3 hours before they start, and longer ones at least 24 hours before. If you return the car early, you still pay for the full reserved time (Zipcar–Uber terms).

Analysis:

Pros:

  • No $25 setup fee and no monthly membership, which helps a lot if you drive only a few times a year
  • If you already have the Uber app, there's no extra app to install

Cons:

  • Hourly and daily prices booked through Uber aren't publicly documented, so compare them with Zipcar's own app before you book
  • Strict change windows and no refund for returning early

Suits: Occasional drivers who need a car perhaps 3–6 times a year. Not a good fit: Frequent users. A membership may pay for itself once you drive regularly, but check the quotes in both apps.

Turo: best for longer trips, not daily errands

What the documentation says: Hosts set the daily price. Turo adds a trip fee, a percentage of the trip price that rises for higher-value cars, last-minute bookings and short trips. That fee can't be refunded. Other possible costs include delivery fees, airport fees, a young driver fee under 25, sales tax in some states, and a refundable security deposit (Turo trip costs). US protection plans limit what you pay for physical damage to $0 (Premier), $500 (Standard) or $3,000 (Minimum). If you decline protection, there's no cap. Liability coverage is the state minimum and is secondary to your personal auto insurance in every state except New York. No plan caps what you pay for interior or mechanical damage (Turo protection plans).

Analysis:

Pros:

  • A wide choice of cars, including minivans and SUVs for family trips
  • Delivery to airports or your door from many hosts, which can also replace an airport ride (see our guide to the cheapest airport transfers with apps)
  • Turo reports availability across the US, in over 16,000 cities according to its listing

Cons:

  • You can't compare total costs ahead of time: protection plan prices and trip fee percentages aren't published, so you only see them at checkout
  • Turo only covers the minimum liability required by state law
  • If you no longer own a car, ask your insurer what protects you when you drive a borrowed or rented one

Suits: Weekend getaways and week-long road trips. Not a good fit: Quick errands, or tight budgets that need a predictable monthly cost.

Hypothetical savings scenarios: does car sharing pay off?

These are illustrative calculations, not observed results or guaranteed savings. Zipcar doesn't publish consumer hourly or daily rates without a city selected, so the rates below are assumptions you should replace with quotes from your own app.

Shared assumptions (12-month period, US):

  • Zipcar annual plan: $90, plus the $25 application fee in year one = $115
  • Assumed Zipcar rates: $15/hour and $110/day (180 miles a day included, so no overage fees)
  • Public transit or bike share instead of driving on other days: assumed $100 a month = $1,200 a year
  • Benchmark A: AAA new car, $12,863 a year
  • Benchmark B, a rough stand-in for a paid-off older car: AAA total minus depreciation and finance charges, $12,863 − $4,422 − $1,184 = $7,257 a year. This is a rough figure. Older cars often need more repairs, while insurance may cost less.

Scenario 1: Light user (single person in a city)

  • 4 errand trips a month × 3 hours × $15 = $180
  • 1 full day a month × $110 = $110
  • Monthly driving cost: $290 → yearly: $3,480
  • Total: $3,480 + $115 + $1,200 transit = $4,795
Compared with Ownership cost Hypothetical net savings
New car (AAA) $12,863 $8,068/year
Paid-off car (rough) $7,257 $2,462/year

Scenario 2: Heavy user (family away every weekend)

  • 8 days a month × $110 = $880 → yearly: $10,560
  • Total: $10,560 + $115 + $1,200 transit = $11,875

Compared with the new car you save only about $988 a year, before any damage waiver or extra mileage. Compared with the paid-off car, car sharing costs you about $4,618 more.

Break-even point

How many full Zipcar days a year can you use before car sharing costs as much as owning a car?

  • Paid-off car: ($7,257 − $1,200 − $115) ÷ $110 ≈ 54 days a year, about one day a week
  • New car: ($12,863 − $1,200 − $115) ÷ $110 ≈ 105 days a year, about two days a week

Below those numbers, car sharing tends to come out ahead. Above them, owning a car usually wins.

Hidden costs to check before you sell your car

  • Damage exposure: $2,500 per incident at Zipcar, or up to $3,000 (or no cap) at Turo, depending on what you choose
  • Young driver fees under 25 on both platforms
  • Auto-renewing memberships: cancel the monthly Zipcar plan if you stop using it. Our guide on blocking in-app purchases also shows how to keep tabs on recurring charges.
  • Time costs: walking to the car, booking ahead on busy weekends, and having no car available when a reservation fills up

If you're keeping an EV instead, your charging costs matter just as much. See our guide to paying less for EV charging.

Trends worth knowing

  • Fewer providers: Getaround and Free2move have both left the US, so in many cities Zipcar is the only round-trip option. Fewer options can mean less price competition.
  • No membership needed through Uber: Booking Zipcar through Uber makes very occasional use cheaper, because you skip the $25 setup fee and the membership.
  • Higher ownership costs: AAA's 2026 figures rose partly because gas prices went up 31.8% from 2025, which makes it cost more to keep a car you rarely use (AAA). AAA also notes that changes to its method mean the 2026 figures aren't directly comparable with 2025.

Conclusion

Car sharing can genuinely save you money in the US, but only if you drive a car occasionally rather than habitually. In this guide's hypothetical math, you come out ahead if you use a shared car less than about one day a week compared with a paid-off car, or less than about two days a week compared with a new car. Zipcar suits short city errands, Zipcar through Uber suits rare use, and Turo suits occasional longer trips. The biggest risks are damage costs and availability in your area, so compare real quotes in your city before you sell your car.

References