Update March 2020: Car2Go are no longer operating in Vancouver. But the pricing info for Evo is still good, so I’ve left the article up.
Want to know who the cheapest car share in Vancouver is? Well it depends on what kind of car you need (2 seats / 5 seats), and how long you need it for. We have reviewed the pricing structure for Car2Go and Evo, and can tell you who is cheapest! Re-published in October 2019 but updated for November 2019, when Car2Go is changing their pricing structure.
The cheapest car share in Vancouver
Previously I had modelled the pricing structures of Evo and Car2Go and published a set of graphs so users could see which car sharing company was cheapest for a given trip duration. However, Car2Go have significantly changed their pricing and added so many options that it has become too complicated to compare pricing as I did before. So instead I’m going to suggest some general rules that should help you ensure you select the optimal car sharing service for your trip.
Evo vs Car2Go general pricing
Users should be aware that generally Evo pricing is simpler and more flexible than Car2Go. Evo will charge you the lowest possible amount for your trip – if you’re using an Evo for 35 minutes, you pay the per minute rate, but if you use it for 38 minutes it will be cheaper on the hour rate, so you will be charged for the hour. Car2Go doesn’t do this – you need to pick the rate / package you think you’ll need, and then stick with it. If your plans change, tough luck!
Evo pricing features:
- Flat rate pricing
- Unlimited kms
- Flexible – if your plans change you will always automatically get the best rate
- Single car type, 5 seats & roof racks
Car2Go pricing features:
- Variable rate, depends on location, time, day
- 2 types of car, higher price for 5 seats instead of 2 seats
- Limit on kms, excess km charges
- If you book a package, time over your allowance is charged at per min rate
- Inflexible – if your plans change you may not get the best rate
Rates
We have created the following table which shows the rates for Evo’s Prius and Car2Go’s SmartForTwo and Mercedes.
You can see that Evo’s pricing is a set price, whereas Car2Go’s pricing varies and has a lower and upper value. Car2Go’s pricing will vary in accordance with the car’s location, and the time and day. The app will show you the price before you start your trip. We’ve no idea whether the most common price will be the middle of the range, nearer the minimum, or nearer the maximum…
Car2Go have more choice regarding packages of time. You can buy 1-hour, 3-hour, 6-hour, 1-day to 9-day packages. The average price per day becomes lower if you have a longer duration package. However the daily packages include 0 kms – you pay extra for every km driven.
Evo only have the per-minute, per-hour, and per-day rates, so the 3, 4, 5 day packages shown in the table below are just 3, 4, 5 lots of 1-day.
It’s worth noting that BCAA members get 10% off Evo rates. This isn’t shown in the table, so if you’re a BCAA member you can subtract 10% off yourself!
Rate / package | Evo Prius cost | C2G SmartCar cost | C2G Mercedes cost | C2G km included |
---|---|---|---|---|
Minute | $0.41 | $0.32 - $0.42 | $0.39 - $0.49 | 200 |
1-hour | $15 | $14 - $18 | $18 - $25 | 60 |
3-hour | $45 | $36 - $45 | $46 - $60 | 80 |
6-hour | $90 | $50 - $65 | $70 - $90 | 120 |
1-day | $90 | $70 - $90 | $100 - $130 | 200 |
2-day | $180 | $90 - $120 | $130 - $170 | 0 |
3-day | $270 | $130 - $170 | $190 - $250 | 0 |
4-day | $360 | $170 - $220 | $260 - $340 | 0 |
5-day | $450 | $210 - $270 | $310 - $400 | 0 |
6-day | $540 | $250 - $330 | $340 - $440 | 0 |
7-day | $630 | $290 - $380 | $370 - $480 | 0 |
8-day | $720 | $330 - $430 | $400 - $520 | 0 |
9-day | $810 | $360 - $470 | $430 - $560 | 0 |
Excess km fee (minute & hour packages) | Unlimited km included | $0.37 | $0.45 | - |
Per km fee (daily packages) | Unlimited km included | $0.29 | $0.29 | - |
Excess time fee | Unlimited time included | $0.37 per min | $0.45 per min | - |
Scenarios
Using the rates of each company, we’ve made best guesses about which company (and car) will be cheapest for a given trip scenario. The table may not always be correct, when C2G’s pricing achieves the lowest cost rate. It’s not perfect, but should give you a reasonable idea to enable better trip planning.
Scenario | Short distance | Long distance | 2+ people, or carrying space |
---|---|---|---|
Less than 1 hour | Up to 37 minutes - C2G Smart ForTwo. 37+ minutes - Evo | Up to 37 minutes - C2G Smart ForTwo. 37+ minutes - Evo | Evo |
2 hours | Evo | Evo | Evo |
3 hours | Up to 100 km - C2G Smart ForTwo (3-hr deal) | 100+ km - Evo | Evo |
4 hours | Up to 200 km, C2G Smart ForTwo (6-hr deal). Otherwise Evo. | 200+ km - Evo | Evo |
5, 6 hours | Up to 200 km, C2G Smart ForTwo (6-hr deal). Otherwise Evo. | 200+ km - Evo | Up to 150 km, C2G Mercedes (6-hr deal). Otherwise Evo. |
1-day | Up to 200 km - C2G Smart FourTwo. Otherwise Evo. | 200+ km - Evo | Up to 200km - C2G Mercedes. 200+ km - Evo |
2-day + | If you average up to about 150km per day, C2G Smart ForTwo. 150+ km per day, use Evo. | 150+ km/day - Evo | If you average up to about 110km per day, C2G Mercedes. 110+ km per day use Evo. |
Other cost information:
Car2Go and Evo both charge a $1 fee per trip. Evo limits this for the first 200 trips in a year. Depending on how much you use car sharing, this can add up to $200 a year to you operating costs. Car2Go do not limit this, and charge it on every trip. So you could pay more than $200 if you take more than 200 trips.
The cheapest car share in Vancouver – Conclusion
Evo will be best value for you when:
- You want the lowest emission vehicle
- You want the racks for bikes or snowsports kit
- You have a long-distance trip (unlimited km included)
- You aren’t sure of how long you’ll need the car for
- Generally when Car2Go pricing is above average and towards the upper end of the range
Car2Go can offer the best value when:
- Only need space for 2 people
- Short distance & long duration trips (e.g. making short trips around city on unpredictable timeline over a few days)
Check out the Evo vs Car2Go review where you can read more about Evo and Car2Go, and find out who is the best one-way car share company in Vancouver.
Want more information on car sharing about Vancouver? Check out our complete guide to car sharing in Vancouver.
Car shares are rad for our communities, wallets, and the environment. I encourage you to join Evo. The sign-up fee can be avoided with a promo code, like so:
-
- Evo promo code – ‘C000167208‘, get to EVO here.
If you use the above codes, you will get some free minutes as well as avoiding the sign-up fee. I will also get a few free minutes too. I don’t get paid to write this stuff, I just enjoy spreading the love for car sharing! But any free minutes are appreciated.
2 Comments
Would’ve loved to see the comparisons with the 10% discount applied for BCAA members to the Evo pricing.
Hi KyleJ, thanks for the thought, I’ll be sure to include that on my update for this article!