Sunday, March 30, 2008

Revving up: Zipcar's car sharing rivals

Today's Globe column looks at Zipcar's new rivals: U-Haul, Hertz, and Enterprise.

Below, a chart comparing the current offerings from Hertz, U-Haul, and Zipcar. U-Haul says in the next few weeks it'll be expanding its U Car Share program to include more vehicles in more locations, but the basic parameters will remain the same.

























ZipcarU-Haul’s U Car ShareHertz Hourly Rentals

Membership Fee
$25 application fee; $50 annual membership fee

$25 application fee; $50 annual membership fee

None


Hourly rental rate

$9 per hour for cars like the Toyota Matrix or Scion xB.

$10 per hour. Only car currently available is the PT Cruiser.

$12 per hour for compact sedan on weekdays; $15 Fri-Sun


Notes

Offers cars like BMWs and Volvos at premium rates.

Cars currently only rentable during hours when U-Haul offices are open.

Only one Boston location, at 30 Park Plaza.



(* All hourly rates include gas; Zipcar and U-Haul include
insurance, but Hertz charges extra.)

And here's the video, with Zipcar CEO Scott Griffith.

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