Car clubs are designed to be flexible — you can book by the hour, extend a trip if you need more time, and in most cases unlock and return a vehicle through an app. But what if you finish early? Do you get a refund for the time you didn’t use, or are you charged for the full booking?

The answer depends on the type of car club, how the booking system works, and whether your trip has started yet.

Once You’ve Started Driving

If you’ve already started your trip, you generally won’t get a refund for unused time. Car clubs allocate that vehicle to you for the full duration of your booking, which means it’s unavailable to other members — even if you bring it back early.

You can end the booking at any point, and it will stop charging for extra minutes beyond the time you reserved, but it won’t automatically give you money back for time you didn’t use.

This is standard practice for almost all UK car clubs, including Zipcar, Enterprise Car Club and Co-Wheels. The system charges for the time you booked, not the time you drove.

If You Shorten or Cancel Before the Trip Starts

If your trip hasn’t started yet, you might be able to get a full or partial refund by cancelling early. The rules vary slightly between providers, but this snapshot of the biggest car clubs terms will give you an idea:

• Zipcar: You can cancel or shorten your booking for free up to three hours before it starts (or 24 hours for longer trips). If you cancel later than that, you’re charged for part or all of the time booked.
• Enterprise Car Club: Cancellations can usually be made up to two hours before the start time without penalty, depending on the location and duration. After that, you’ll pay the full booking cost.
• Co-Wheels: You can cancel up to two hours in advance for short bookings, or 24 hours for longer ones. Late cancellations are charged in full.
• Hiyacar: Because it’s peer-to-peer, the refund policy depends on the car owner, but most follow a 24-hour notice rule. Cancelling or shortening a booking too late normally means no refund.

If you’re not sure, check the cancellation window in your app before booking. It’s the only way to avoid paying for time you don’t use.

Why Refunds Aren’t Standard

Car clubs rely on predictable bookings so that cars are available when and where members expect them. Once you book a car, it’s locked out of the system for others — even if you return it after just 20 minutes. Allowing automatic refunds would make availability harder to manage and pricing less stable for everyone.

These rules are the trade-off for the flexibility of short-term rentals. Unlike traditional car hire, there’s no need to deal with long paperwork or minimum-day rentals, but that also means you pay for the time you reserve.

One Small Exception: Flex and One-Way Trips

Zipcar’s Flex service, which allows one-way trips that end anywhere within a set zone, charges by the minute rather than by a pre-booked time slot. In that case, you only pay for the time you actually drive — so ending your trip early does save money automatically.

However, Flex pricing tends to be higher per minute than standard round-trip bookings, so it’s a different use case rather than a refund option.

Tips to Avoid Paying for Unused Time

If your plans often change or you’re unsure how long you’ll need the car, there are a few ways to minimise wasted time:

• Book conservatively: You can usually extend a booking later if needed.
• Use one-way or flexible options: These charge only for the time used.
• Check cancellation windows: Know how much notice you need to cancel without being charged.
• End your trip properly: Always finish through the app — returning the car alone doesn’t stop the billing.

Even though you won’t get money back, ending a trip early can still be useful. It frees up the car for the next member, and it helps you avoid late fees if your return time overlaps with another booking. The system logs the actual end time, so you’ll never be charged beyond that.

When It Pays to Plan Ahead

If you’re likely to cut trips short often, look at how each car club structures its pricing. Some offer discounts for off-peak bookings or day rates that automatically cap your cost, making it easier to budget even if you don’t use all the time reserved.

Knowing the rules before you book can save frustration later. Car clubs are flexible, but they work best when you plan realistically — book the time you think you’ll need, and consider one-way or pay-per-minute options if your schedule is unpredictable.