Joining POD will require an application process, so that we can ensure the longer-term sustainability of the car-sharing club. This will include a one-off £25 administrative joining fee.
| Monthly Subscription Options | Cost |
| Regular monthly subscription fee | £6 / month |
| Low-income monthly subscription fee | £1 / month |
| Age 65+ monthly subscription fee* | £10 / month |
| Insurance excess waiver (to reduce the Excess) | +£12.50 / month |
*Our insurance policy means that over 65s will pay a slightly higher monthly fee of £10.
| Usage Rates | Cost |
| Hourly rental fee | £6.25 / hour |
| Daily cap (excluding mileage) | Max £65 / day |
| Mileage fee | 35p /mile |
Examples
How do costs compare to owning and running a car?
Car ownership costs £3,800 per year, on average!
Of course, it depends how much you use your car. Car sharing inevitably isn’t going to be cost-effective if you rely on a car every day for commuting. But if you own a car and use it less often, POD could be cost-effective, enabling you to give up the costs (and hassle!) of car ownership.
The average cost of running a car in the UK was in 2024 was around £3800 with around £800 of this on insurance, £470 on repairs/servicing and £175 on road tax. The purchase/depreciation costs per year are on average £1400. That’s over £2800 a year before you even pay for petrol!
Emily – £653.50 annual cost
Emily is concerned about the environment and wants to do her bit to reduce carbon emissions. She usually gets around by foot or on a bicycle and uses public transport for longer journeys, but has to ask friends for a lift when she can’t use public transport (e.g. to transport something heavy). Costs below for a range of Emily’s typical journeys.
Emily needs a car about once/month for 1-hour odd jobs about town, such as going to the tip or moving furniture (costing £9/trip, or £108 for the year). She also goes to see her grandma for an afternoon in Blackburn four times/year (£50/trip, so £200/yr), and once a year she heads away for a weekend getaway in the Lake District (costing £250). After the monthly fee (£6/month = £72/yr), she calculates she will pay just £630 for the year. And without having to worry about MOTs or insurance, she makes a big saving and has a lot less headache!
Chris – £1,950.00 annual cost
Chris is semi-retired, now works part-time locally and lives in a terraced house where parking is difficult.
Chris knows that giving up the car is probably the right thing to do, but is mainly motivated by avoiding the hassle and cost of car ownership (parking, tax insurance, MOT, repairs, etc.).
Chris would use a POD car for a weekly pickup of his grandchild after school, regular hospital visits the occasional day trip.
| One-off sign up to POD | £25.00 |
| Monthly fee (£10.00 per month) | £120.00 |
| 40 two-hour, 15 mile trips (picking up grandchild) | £710.00 |
| 12 five-hour, 50 mile trips (regular hospital visits) | £585.00 |
| 4 one-day, 150 mile trips (occasional day trip) | £510.00 |
| Total | £1,950.00 |
Sarah – £2,310.00 annual cost
Sarah is a single parent on a low income with one child at a local nursery and another in a local school.
She uses public transport for work, but needs a car for the weekly shop, occasional trips to the recycling centre, and to visit elderly relatives who live 25 miles away.
The family has an occasional day out to the seaside in the summer.
| One-off sign up to POD | £25.00 |
| Monthly fee (£1.00 per month) | £12.00 |
| 52 two-hour, 15 mile trips (weekly shop) | £923.00 |
| 12 five-hour, 50 mile trips (recycling centre/elderly relatives) | £585.00 |
| 6 one-day, 150 mile trips (trips to the seaside) | £765.00 |
| Total | £2,310.00 |
Will – £565.00 annual cost
Will and his partner work from home.
They walk everywhere around Hebden Bridge and occasionally drive to Todmorden or Halifax.
They are happy to take the train most of the time.
| One-off sign up to POD | £25.00 |
| Monthly fee (£6.00 per month) | £72.00 |
| 12 two-hour, 15 mile trips | £213.00 |
| 2 one-day, 150 mile trips | £255.00 |
| Total | £565.00 |