What time can I pick up and return cars?

Short answer:

You can book cars, vans, SUVs and pickups for times that suit you, but trips must be booked to start and end during our exchange hours: 6am to 11pm.

If you want to pick up or drop off a car outside of these hours, you’ll need to book it for earlier or later than you need it. For example, if you need a car at 5am, you would book it for pickup at 11pm the night before.

You can only book trips beginning between 6am and 11pm because:

We find that not many trips start or end before 6am or after 11pm.
It may be disruptive for owners when borrowers want to get in touch when picking up and returning their car late at night or very early in the morning.

If you need to pick up or return a car outside of these hours

You can still pick up and return a car outside of exchange hours, as long as your trip is scheduled to start and end within the exchange hours.

For example (returning a car after 11pm):

You need to borrow a car for most of the day on Tuesday and won't be returning it until about 11.30pm
You book a trip to start at 8am on Tuesday and end at 6am on Wednesday
You can still return the car at 11.30pm Tuesday - you're just returning the car earlier than your original trip was scheduled to end
You won't pay any extra because you've already reached the daily rate - the most you'll pay for the car for any 24 hour period

If you need a car earlier than 6am, book the trip to start before 11pm the night before.

You can pick the car up and park it at your house overnight, or go to the car early in the morning to pick it up.

If your trip ended before 11pm and you're running late

If you're late returning a car or need it for a bit longer, extend your trip until 6am the following day. Now you can return the car anytime before 6am, and if you've already reached the daily rate for the car, you won't be charged any extra.

Quick tip

Remember: It's best to extend your trip before the end time of your original booking - fees apply for extending after your trip has already ended, so keep an eye on that clock!

24/7 phone support

Our support team is still available by phone to help with urgent issues 24 hours a day. If you need help with an in-progress trip anytime (including between 11pm and 6am) call us and choose option 1 for urgent issues.