Zity is the new car rental service launched by the Spanish Car Sharing Mobility in the city of Madrid and its surroundings. Unlike other more popular options such as Car2go, the main characteristic of the Spanish carsharing service is based precisely on sustainable mobility, since the entire fleet of the company's cars is based on the Renault Zoe , the electric bet of the French group that now It has been updated with greater autonomy than previous iterations.
His recent arrival in the capital, however, has sown a series of doubts among potential customers of the service. This is why we have compiled some of the most frequently asked questions about Zity.
You have to send your driving license photo before
To contract any of Zity's services, one of the essential requirements to use the application is to send a quality photograph of our license or driving license along with a photograph of our face to verify our identity. Likewise, we will have to indicate to the application the DNI or tax identification number of our country, although it will not be necessary to scan the latter.
What driver's licenses does Zity accept? Under the terms of service, Zity accepts all European driving licenses . Driving licenses that have been issued outside the European Union will only be accepted if accompanied by an International Driving Permit (PIC) or a sworn translation of the driving license from the country of origin.
Of course, all documents sent through the application must be valid . Otherwise, registration will not be possible.
Check the pick-up area and end of the trip
Although the use of Zity cars is unlimited in terms of geographical area, the application sets a series of areas to collect and deliver the car. Specifically, Zity has several collection points and parking facilities (Zity Zone and Zity Parkings) in a radius of 104 kilometers around the city of Madrid .
Currently the service is operational in the areas of Tetuán, Chamberú, Chamartín, Barrio de Salamanca, Ciudad Lineal, Retiro, Arganzuela, Madrid Centro Puente de Vallecas, Moratalaz, Villa de Vallecas, San Blas, Hortaleza, Moncloa, Aravaca, Pozuelo de Alarcón, Fuencarral, El Pardo, Alcobendas and Barajas.
In any case, it is best to consult the map that Zity has enabled in the application to check the availability of the vehicles and the collection and delivery points. The service will probably expand to other areas of the city of Madrid and its surroundings as the months go by.
What type of rate are you interested in? Flat rate and per minute
The Zity service makes two different types of rates available to all customers: a flat rate with a previously fixed price and a variable rate whose final price varies depending on the time we spend with one of the Zity vehicles .
Within these two rates we can find four different plans for four different types of profiles.
- Flat rate 4h : 29 euros for 4 hours.
- Flat rate 8h : 49 euros for 8 hours.
- Flat rate 24h : 69 euros for 24 hours.
- Standard Rate : the price varies from 0.21 to 0.31 euros per minute depending on the total contracting time.
What rate is best for us? Depending on our needs, the most recommended if we are going to make short-distance trips is the 4-hour flat rate .
If we require a shorter journey in time than the previous rate and we are going to make several stops throughout the day, the Standard rate is the cheapest as long as we use the Standby mode, which we will talk about below. For any other journey that exceeds 4 hours, we can choose the two rates of 8 and 24 hours .
Standby mode to pay less when the car is parked
We have talked about Standby mode but not how it works. This feature is included in the Standard rate as a feature that allows us to temporarily suspend the formal minute count without losing possession of the vehicle . In this way, Zity applies a reduced rate based on the total time that the car remains parked or stopped.
The nut of this rate ranges between 0.06 euros and 0.12 , and the mode in question can be activated as many times as you want. To activate or deactivate this mode, simply go to the application and click on the Activate / Deactivate Stand By button. When the vehicle door is fully closed, the mode in question will be activated on the application servers , and the reduced rate will be applied automatically.
The same happens if we are going to deactivate Standby mode: when the door is completely closed, the Standard rate will start to count again based on the original price of the plan .
Check how much battery or autonomy the car has left
As an electric car that it is, the Renault Zoe has a rather limited range. Official figures speak of a range of around 300 kilometers . The reality is that it depends in large part on our way of driving. In any case, from the mobile application itself we can check the remaining battery of the vehicle at all times and in real time.
Is there a limit to autonomy? Affirmative. Zity indicates in its conditions of use that the minimum autonomy of a Zity car must not be less than 10 kilometers . Otherwise, a 'low battery' penalty will be applied. As far as vehicle charging is concerned, Zity will charge the battery of its fleet as long as we are within the zone authorized by Zity. If we run out of battery during our journey, we will have to contact customer service through the telephone number 91 150 11 18.