--- description: Zipcar is making changes to take on a big new competitor entering the car-sharing space. title: Zipcar Is Making a Radical Change to its Car-Borrowing Biz image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf2fec487989a5d01/69887f19cf40a8ae86c4225e/gettyimages-158874767.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Business](/section/business/) ## Business Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Zipcar Is Making a Radical Change to its Car-Borrowing Biz by [Victor Luckerson](/author/victor-luckerson/) ## Victor Luckerson Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Feb 25, 2016 3:51 PM CUT  A Mazda Motor Corp. Zipcar Inc. vehicle sits parked in one of the company's spaces in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Wednesday, Jan. 2, 2013. A Mazda Motor Corp. Zipcar Inc. vehicle sits parked in one of the company's spaces in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Wednesday, Jan. 2, 2013.Bloomberg—Bloomberg via Getty Images by [Victor Luckerson](/author/victor-luckerson/) ## Victor Luckerson Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Feb 25, 2016 3:51 PM CUT Zipcar is making changes to take on a big new competitor entering the car-sharing space. General Motors’ newly launched service [Maven](http://time.com/4188430/general-motors-maven-car-sharing/ "undefined") offers customers the ability to [rent a car](https://time.com/personal-finance/article/how-much-does-it-cost-to-rent-a-car/ "undefined") for as little as an hour, just like Zipcar has for years. The initiative began as a pilot program at the University of Michigan campus and is now available across Ann Arbor, Mich. To combat GM’s efforts, Zipcar is introducing a new “flexible service” option that will let customers rent cars indefinitely without having to set a return location in advance. The program will roll out across select North American cities throughout the year. Maven’s service is more limited for now, but GM is investing aggressively to adapt to the ways that car usage is changing. In addition to Maven, the company is investing [$500 million into Lyft](http://time.com/4166130/general-motors-lyft/ "undefined") in a bid to develop driverless car technology. Still, Zipcar says GM isn’t a big concern at the moment. “We feel that GM is late to the game, but again, we find it validating that more companies are recognizing the value of car sharing,” the company told [_The Detroit News_](http://www.detroitnews.com/story/business/autos/general-motors/2016/02/25/zipcar-maven-gm-ann-arbor/80882634/ "undefined"). Zipcar was acquired by vehicle rental company Avis Budget Group in 2013 for about $500 million. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4237271/zipcar-car-rental/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4237271/zipcar-car-rental/"},"headline":"Zipcar Is Making a Radical Change to its Car-Borrowing Biz","datePublished":"2016-02-25T15:51:11.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T08:07:29.966Z","description":"Company will offer drivers more flexibility in the car rental process","url":"https://time.com/4237271/zipcar-car-rental/","keywords":["Tech","Autos","General Motors","GM","car-sharing"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf2fec487989a5d01/69887f19cf40a8ae86c4225e/gettyimages-158874767.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Victor Luckerson","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/victor-luckerson/"}],"articleSection":"Business","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf2fec487989a5d01/69887f19cf40a8ae86c4225e/gettyimages-158874767.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Avis to Acquire Car-Sharing Service Zipcar for $491 Million","caption":"Avis to Acquire Car-Sharing Service Zipcar for $491 Million","creditText":"Bloomberg—Bloomberg via Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/business/","name":"Business"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4237271/zipcar-car-rental/","name":"Zipcar Is Making a Radical Change to its Car-Borrowing Biz"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Tech Time: The Future of Transportation","description":"Planes, Trains and Automobiles. 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