How to arrange "Car sharing" instead of a car rental, as Rick recommends for seniors.

I’ve never heard of car sharing and wouldn’t know how to go about it, but Before you worry, have you checked the various rental agencies’ websites by putting in your actual age to see if they will re to to you?

I agree with Amanda. You might want to try it with AutoEurope, which is a car rental broker. I’ve used them for years in many countries, including the UK. And since they have access to a number of rental companies, it will make it easier to check.

I have heard of car clubs, but not Hertz 24/7. They aren’t designed for a one off hire. When I put details in the Hertz website for Liverpool 24/7, it just gives options for hiring a commercial van, not a car. Their website is useless. I had hassle with Hertz a few years ago hiring in France when they had lost my booking, so they wouldn’t be my preferred operator.

I googled car hire Liverpool and two options were thrown up - Enterprise and Arnold Clark (a large Scottish company). With both, there is no limit to 70+ year olds renting, but there is an issue if you are over 80 with Enterprise.

Oh, car clubs! Google Zipcar.com - you’ll have to join them and probably have to give a UK address, but you can book a car for a number of hours, to be picked up on the street in various places. You just find the one nearest you and make sure you collect and return the car within your booked times. However, it may not be cost effective if you need to hire the car for a few days, then renting might be cheaper.

There are also Airbnb type services for cars. A person owns a car that they do not need at a particular time so they rent it to travelers or others. I haven’t done it and am a bit wary but I know people who have done it in the US.

The one my friends used is called Turo https://turo.com/ and it looks like it is in the UK and only says over age 23, no maximum age. Can’t vouch for it but it’s an avenue to explore if the traditional car rental agencies don’t permit you.

Agreed that the first step is to check and see if a traditional rental company will hire to you.

Enterprise Car Club in Liverpool does car sharing, but it seems more geared up for locals and there is a monthly fee.

https://www.enterprisecarclub.co.uk/gb/en/programs/regions/north-west-england/liverpool.html

I'm rather bemused by Rick Steve's cooments - if a car company won't rent if you are over 70, surely this may also apply to car sharing? Or am I missing something here?

Have you checked out bus or train services from Liverpool to the nearby towns you are interested in?

Rick's comment, "Drivers over age 70 may have trouble renting in ....... Great Britain, ... Northern Ireland, . . . "

Just ignore that - it's wrong. Rick was caught driving using a phone in the UK a while back and had to explain himself to the police - maybe he's having a senior moment?

Car clubs e.g. https://www.co-wheels.org.uk/ are for UK residents who may not own a car but want hourly/daily access to one - you need a UK address, driving licence etc.

Overseas visitors stick to car hire. Nothing wrong with 70+ renting cars.

Autoeurope has a chart by country for age limitations:
https://www.autoeurope.com/travel-tips/rental-car-age-requirements/

UK doesn’t seem to be a problem according to them. This came up on the Ireland forum recently where there are restrictions/requirements at 75.

I have run into the over 70 possibility too. Although I have not rented since over 70. On the websites for rentals this is maybe mentioned but they do not seem to provide and other info. I was unable to find how much extra it may cost if over 70. This is a open question and if someone could answer that here it would be good.
They may rent to over 70. They may charge extra. But nowhere have I found any extra price as regard that. If they do not rent to over 70+, that is fine. But if they do and there is a charge, what is it?

you can easily find what any extra charge for over 70s by doing a couple of dummy bookings

The two websites I mentioned several posts ago just ask if you are over 30.

Arnold Clark's website says that potential renters older than 79 need a letter from their doctor saying they are still fit to drive. No mention of any restrictions on those younger than 80.

Rental car company age requirements vary from company to company. Keep checking!

Thanks for all the input.

When I first looked at the ZipCar that Amanda mentioned, it seemed like an interesting concept. Turn in the car each day, no need to park it overnight at your hotel, just get another next day IF you need it. But that's primarily in London, Cambridge & Oxford. Like Jennifer, I only saw vans on the Hertz 24/7 site. Thanks for adding Turo and Enterprise Car Club to the picture.

I think I’ll follow the advice of most here and attempt a typical car rental again, being upfront about being 71.

On our last visit, in 2019, we rented an Enterprise car in Chester, drove it in northern Wales, then returned it to Liverpool. The staff in Chester were very friendly and upgraded us to a Mercedes they had on the lot.

So I think I’ll update our Enterprise record and attempt a rental from Enterprise Liverpool first. If that doesn’t go well, I’ll use the AutoEurope leads here.

Car sharing is an interesting idea, but driving on the left is pretty stressful when you’ve driven on the right all but 20 days of your life. Safer not to change cars every day!

Even reps of international car hire companies seem to get confused between the situation in the UK and Ireland. There are a few that charge differential insurance but it isn't hard to find one that doesn't. Brokers offer cars for people up to 99 years old!

Interesting observation:
Yesterday I looked to see if I was entitled to any car rental discounts, and I started with AARP.
In addition to discounts with Avis and Budget, AARP offers "29% Off Annual Zipcar Membership" and "$40 in free driving credit for new users." They are now marketing car sharing to people over 55, so I guess this will be a growing presence in the future.

But another thing I realized:
People used to driving on the right have enough trouble adjusting to driving on the left. Driving a different car each day would only add to the confusion for visitors to the UK.