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Clean Air Day: best electric car hire apps for a green getaway

Join Zipcar today and you'll receive £14 of e-car credit
Join Zipcar today and you'll receive £14 of e-car credit

The best way to celebrate Clean Air Day? Travel green, suggest the experts.

According to the UK’s largest clean air campaign, the main source of this country’s air pollution is transport, with 80 per cent of nitrogen dioxide recorded at the roadside and 30 per cent of fine particulate matter being traced to vehicle tailpipes.

The good news is there are plenty of eco options for that upcoming weekend minibreak to the Cotswolds. Zipcar has now added electric cars to its fleet of rental vehicles – join today and you’ll receive £14 of e-car credit - and Ufodrive and E-Car Club are among new platforms offering e-cars across the capital.

From e-car hire by the hour to the app offering a free electric car for the day, these are the best electric car apps for your planet-friendly getaway.

Zipcar

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The UK’s largest car-sharing club has seen bookings for its electric vehicles increase 42 per cent in just the last 12 months and general manager James Taylor says he hopes to become fully electric by 2025. To celebrate Clean Air Day, anyone who signs up as a member today will receive £14 of driving credit to use on electric Zipcars – a chance to explore the capital’s top “car-gazing” spots: Primrose Hill, Hackney Marshes, Blackheath Common, Horsenden Hill and Morden Hall Park. According to new data by the platform, a reduction in air pollution over lockdown has brought a silver lining to the Covid crisis: clearer, starrier skies over the capital for stargazing.

From £8 an hour, zipcar.com

UFOdrive

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UFOdrive’s app lets you book a Tesla Model 3 or Model S with the tap of an app, 24 hours a day. Simply book an e-car and pick it up without a key from Oxford Street or Park Lane (Canary Wharf and Westfield White City locations are being added soon). Rentals cost £90 a day and include unlimited free charges at any of the 100,000 charging points available across the UK and Europe. More than a million kilograms of CO2 emissions have been avoided since the scheme began.

£90 per day, ufodrive.com

DriveElectric

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DriveElectric’s handpicked electric car and van fleet ranges from mini Smart Hatchbacks to shiny red Tesla Saloons. Unlike Zipcar, the platform offers a lease scheme so rentals are paid-for monthly. Vehicles can be delivered immediately, subject to Covid guidelines. An estimated 30, 533 zero emission miles are driven by customers every day.

From £249 per month plus VAT, drive-electric.co.uk

E-Car Club

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E-Car Club offers hourly low-emission e-car hire from just £4.50 including power and insurance. Everything is done through the app, including unlocking the car so it’s a contactless process and the app includes where to find the nearest charging point so you never run out of juice. Choose from two membership packages: pay-as-you-go includes a one-off £50 fee and hourly rental from £5.50 or £45 per day. The subscription option also charges a £50 fee and charges £15 a month, reducing the daily hire price to £4.50 an hour. Sign up and you’ll receive a membership card to access cars once you’ve booked them.

From £4.50 an hour, ecarclub.co.uk

Co-Wheels Car Club

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Rent e-cars by the hour with Co-Wheels Car Club. Vehicles range from the Citroen C-Zero and shiny BMW i3 to larger electric vans. Once you’ve paid the £25 joining fee, you can hire cars from £5.50 per hour. The biggest reason to join? Sign up now and get a free electric car for a day.

From £5.50 per hour plus a £25 joining fee, co-wheels.org.uk