I was so surprised when I saw this post because I’ve used Zipcars many times. They are more affordable than rental cars – way more. And I get a discount that shaves half the going rate to start with and I still pay less when I rent a Zipcar. Some of the biggest perks are that you don’t have to pay for gas, you can purchase a damage waiver for $75 per year to protect you against being charged $500 for minor damage to the car, and you can reserve a car within minutes of getting it. The keys stay inside the car at all times. You open it with your Zipcard, which is coded with your personal number, so no one can open your car during the time of your reservation, except you. Renters are responsible for returning the car clean and with at least a 1/4 tank of gas. If you find something in the car that someone else left behind, you just call customer service to let them know, then they have you either put it in the glove compartment or trunk, depending on the size of the item.

They have the best customer service people in the world. I think the call center is in Michigan, but I’m not sure.