The car-sharing trend in Europe originated in 1948 in Zurich, Switzerland. At the time, there was no shortage of people who could not afford a car, so they took advantage of the sharing economy and borrowed cars from other people because the cost of borrowing a vehicle was low.
Today, the car-sharing market is constantly growing, and its value is also increasing. The number of customers interested in car sharing is estimated to reach around 19.3 million by 2026.
The popularity of car sharing in Europe
An analysis by McKinsey shows that the car sharing market is worth around €70 billion. Electric vehicles and people’s increased awareness of sustainability and care for the ecological environment have also contributed to the spread of this trend in Europe. It is also estimated that the value of this market will be even higher in the years to come.
So why is car sharing so popular in European countries? Low prices, the availability of many car models, the curiosity to use such a service, and Europeans’ changing habits of owning a vehicle have all contributed to the popularity of this trend in Europe.
Many prefer to rent a car for a small fee rather than cover the costs associated with owning a vehicle, such as insurance, repairs, or regular refuelling.
How has the car-sharing trend affected individual European countries?
Another Deloitte report, “Car Sharing in Europe Business Models, National Variations and Upcoming Disruptions”, shows that each European country can use car sharing to achieve specific goals related to, for example, reducing emissions in major cities through the regular use of environmentally friendly electric cars.
In Europe, the car-sharing trend is the most popular in Germany, accounting for as much as 50% of the global market. Meanwhile, its citizens are very keen on car sharing because of its many advantages: from affordable prices to the ability to use a vehicle whenever needed without the fixed costs associated with owning a car.
In Germany, around 16,000 cars were available for car sharing in 2016. To this day, Germany is the largest country in Europe, with substantial financial gains thanks to car sharing. The statistics show that interest in the car-sharing trend will be even higher in the coming years.
According to statistics, around 44 % of users aged between 18 and 35 use car-sharing in France.
Scandinavia is a country that emphasises innovation and sustainability, and the population has a highly developed environmental awareness.
Car-sharing services are reasonably well promoted, and Sweden aims to have half of its electric cars available to residents through car-sharing by 2030 to further achieve its sustainability goals.
In Italy, around half a million car-sharing users use free-floating car hire, mainly in larger cities such as Milan, and primarily to save on transport costs and because such a model allows greater flexibility.
The popularity of car sharing in Europe
The popularity of car sharing grew even more in the 1980s and 1990s, and the number of users interested in the car-sharing trend has increased steadily since 2002.
According to statistics, around 20 million people are currently using car sharing worldwide. In Europe, around 450 organisations are offering car-sharing services, with Germany leading the way in Europe!
Benefits of car sharing in Europe:
• low cost of using the service;
• you only pay for every kilometre and minute you drive – only when you need to use the car;
• the massive popularity of car sharing in Europe with around 450 car rental companies in different European countries, and the opportunity to make a real contribution to reducing pollution through the use of clean electric cars;
• an efficient way of avoiding high charges associated with, for example, car insurance, and repairs;
• the possibility of using the most varied models of cars available from a given car-sharing company.
More and more Europeans appreciate the benefits of car sharing – summary
Between 2006 and 2022, interest in car-sharing services in Europe has increased. The trend toward car sharing in Europe is expected to gain more interest in the coming years, enabling European countries to meet their sustainability targets and, thanks to EU restrictions on emissions reductions, to better care for the ecological environment.
Sources:
https://www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/Deloitte/de/Documents/consumer-industrial-products/CIP-Automotive-Car-Sharing-in-Europe.pdf
https://www.mckinsey.com/features/mckinsey-center-for-future-mobility/mckinsey-on-urban-mobility/snapshot-of-the-european-car-sharing-market
