Car sharing, the new alternative to private vehicles

Carsharing, or shared car, is a system of renting cars by the minute through the mobile phone. It is relatively recent that companies have launched this service in our cities - the oldest one in Madrid, Car2go, started its activities
two years ago.

Over time, however, more carsharing companies have appeared; in Madrid, the common feature of all services (Emov, Car2go and Zity) is that their fleet is made up of zero-emission electric vehicles.

How to become a carsharing user?

This service consists of being able to rent cars distributed throughout the city to use for your daily trips through an application that you have to install on your mobile phone.

Emov, one of the three carsharing services currently in Madrid

To start using any of the carsharing services, you will have to follow these steps:

1. After deciding which service suits you best (below we tell you the options), you have to download the application on your mobile and sign up
2. The application will ask you to register: you have to take a photo of your driving license and enter your details. Obviously, if you do not have a driving license, you cannot use the service.
3. You may have to wait from a few hours to a day for the application to give you the go-ahead to start using the service. When you receive the notification - by email - you can start using it.
4. When choosing a car, you must have your GPS and location activated. When you open the application, it will show you the available cars closest to where you are.
5. By selecting each car, you can see the battery charge it has (a very important detail depending on the kilometers you plan to travel), the distance to it, and the license plate to identify it.
6. Once you have chosen the car you want to use, approach it and, with the application, unlock the car remotely, check that the damages or scratches are the same as those marked and... you are ready to drive!
7. Once you reach your destination, remember that you can park in resident zones; but not in loading and unloading areas or in places where it is not allowed, as this could cause you a fine. Turn off the vehicle, get out of the car and lock it through the application.

Zity, one of the carsharing services in Madrid

Choose the carsharing company that suits you best

Carsharing is currently an experimental service that companies have launched in Madrid taking advantage of the fact that electric cars can park anywhere in the city without time limits.
Currently, there are three carsharing companies you can choose from:

CAR2GO

It was the first to arrive, at the end of 2015, and recently reached 200,000 users in Madrid, a figure that places the capital as the second city with the most users in Europe and third worldwide, only surpassed by Chongqing in China and Berlin.

• Its fleet consists of 500 electric smart cars (with capacity for two people) and its area of operation extends within the central almond of the M-30.
• The validation or registration fee is 9 euros, the cost per minute (both driving and parking without ending the rental) is 0.21 euros, the daily cost - with a maximum rental of 24 hours - is 59 euros.
• The range of a fully charged electric smart can reach 100 km. The specific vehicle range will be shown in the app and on the car.
• Car2go offers parking in downtown Madrid specifically for units of its fleet, to make parking in the center easier

Map of Car2go in Madrid

EMOV

It started its activity in December 2016 and had, by the end of 2017, 160,000 users. Emov is a Spanish company based in Madrid that arises from the strategic alliance between Eysa and Free2Move, the new mobility services brand of the PSA Group. The Spanish capital is the first city where emov launches its carsharing alternative.

• This carsharing service has a fleet composed of 600 fully electric four-seat Citroën C-Zero cars with a range of approximately 150 kilometers
• The registration fee is 9 euros and the price per minute is 0.24 euros. The daily rate is 69 euros, and the reservation time (20 minutes) is free.
• According to emov, the strong demand for the service has strengthened the commitment to Madrid by periodically increasing the vehicle fleet to the current 600 and the service area to neighborhoods such as Hortaleza, Las Tablas or Sanchinarro, among others, covering an area of 74 km2.
• Also, it is the only carsharing service that allows you to remove the deductible of your trip for one euro.

Map of Emov in Madrid

ZITY

This carsharing service was the last to arrive and comes from the collaboration between the French brand Renault and Ferrovial.

• Its fleet consists of 500 Renault ZOE, a 5-seat compact with a real range of about 300 km.
• For now, registration is free. The rate reaches 0.26 euros per minute, but it is the only carsharing service that offers a special “Stand By” rate of 0.09 euros per minute, which allows you to keep your ZITY rental by pressing Park / Continue while making one or several stops inside or outside the Zone.
• In addition, Zity vehicles are fully insured with a deductible of 90 euros.
• Zity also offers two parking points set up specifically to park vehicles belonging to its fleet.

Screenshot of the area of Madrid where Zity operates.