Car club parking charges across London, including Ealing, have come under the spotlight after new research suggested fees set by councils may have played a role in the withdrawal of major operator Zipcar from the UK.
The findings come from a report by environmental campaign group Clean Cities, which revealed some London boroughs charge as much as £2,300 for a single car club parking space. Across the capital, maximum annual costs were estimated to average more than £900 per vehicle, with some local policies allowing charges to rise considerably higher.
In Ealing, the council charges £800 per car club vehicle for parking permits. By contrast, neighbouring boroughs Brent and Harrow do not charge car clubs for parking spaces.
Zipcar, previously the UK’s largest car club provider with over 500,000 members in London, ceased operations on 1 January 2026, citing rising operational pressures. Campaigners say parking charges, alongside insurance costs, electric vehicle charging expenses and changes to the congestion charge, have created a challenging environment for operators.
Zak Bond, campaign manager at Clean Cities, said: “The positive news is that some London boroughs are now starting to cut charges for car clubs, some of which were astronomical before. We know many people will feel like they are forced to buy a private car if they can no longer access a car club.”
He added that cutting costs would be an important step towards improving access to shared electric vehicles.
Research suggests car clubs can reduce private car ownership, with each shared vehicle potentially replacing multiple privately owned cars, easing congestion and lowering emissions.
Richard Dilks, chief executive of CoMoUK, said: “We’ve warned for years that a difficult policy environment and rising costs would affect the viability of car clubs. Car clubs have faced sharp rises in costs such as council parking permits, insurance, charging costs for EVs and recent changes to the congestion charge.”
He added that where councils reduce costs and simplify processes, there is potential to “restart the market and get back on the right path”.
Some boroughs have already begun to respond. Richmond, Southwark and Wandsworth councils have pledged to reduce or remove parking charges for car clubs, while others — including Brent and Harrow — do not charge for permits.
Campaigners, alongside organisations including the Federation of Small Businesses and the London Taxi Drivers’ Association, are calling on more councils to follow ahead of local elections on 7 May 2026, warning that without intervention more residents may turn to private car ownership.
Speaking to EALING.NEWS, Neil Reynolds, chair of Ealing Green Party said: “Encouraging residents to be able to use car clubs is an important tool in making our air cleaner and streets clearer of parked cars and traffic. Exorbitant costs piled on by Labour councils in London is one of the reasons Zipcar failed. Cheaper parking bays would mean lower charges for users, more choice for residents and better streets for all.”
An Ealing Council spokesperson told EALING.NEWS that it is considering its approach. They said: “We are reviewing our approach to car clubs in the borough, including the charges for car club bays.
“We are also developing a shared mobility strategy which will set out our long term plan for car clubs alongside other modes of transport and kerbside uses.”
