Gas Buddy

Nobody likes overpaying for gas, but sometimes you just need to get to a pump pronto. Gas Buddy can help. This app for iPhone, Android and Blackberry devices displays gas stations in your vicinity along with the gas prices offered by each station. The Gas Buddy app serves as the mobile version of the full-featured Gas Buddy website. A community of contributing users provides the information, which may mean you’ll get more accurate price data in bustling urban areas than you will in less-traveled rural locations.

FuelLog

FuelLog does more than simply monitor fuel consumption. This Android app does that, certainly, but it also gives you tons of information on your particular model’s fuel economy, maintenance and other operational costs, fuel volumes used and more. It presents this information in a clear, logical graphic interface. It even works for electric cars by displaying electricity usage per hour, and it can also track costs for multiple vehicles.

Car Locator

The free Car Locator app for Android devices can help you figure out whether you’ve simply forgot where you parked, or you’ve fallen prey to auto theft (which occurs every 44 seconds in this country, according to the Rocky Mountain Insurance Information Association). It gives you the option of a radar-like proximity visualization or a wallpaper displaying the distance to your vehicle, complete with a helpful arrow to point the way. Bear in mind, though, that you have to save your location to the app before leaving your car. You can also send the location data to someone else’s phone or email.

Trapster

If you frequently drive along unfamiliar stretches of road, you can easily get slapped with a speeding ticket in the most unlikely places. Trapster, a free app available for iPhone, Android and Blackberry devices, levels the playing field by alerting you when you are near a known enforcement camera, road hazard or speed trap. CNN describes it as a “cell phone social network” powered by crowdsourced reports from thousands of users who want to warn their fellow motorists when they need to slow down.

State Farm Pocket Agent

If you have auto insurance with State Farm, check out the State Farm Pocket Agent iPhone app. This software allows you to access your policy instantly, search for a State Farm agent near you, take accident witnesses’ contact information, create graphic reconstructions of an accident scene and other valuable tricks for dealing with a collision or other mishap. To learn more, visit the State Farm website.

greenMeter

Everyone wants to drive more efficiently. This app lets you know how much your driving habits are costing you and the environment. The greenMeter app gives real-time readouts from your style of driving, so you can see what you need to change to optimize your fuel economy. It will break down your energy usage and display your cost in dollars, oil consumption and CO₂ output.

AccuFuel

Speaking of fuel economy, keep track of what you are spending on gas with AccuFuel. You can use this app to record fuel consumption and cost on multiple vehicles. It will compile the data in a graph and give you instant feedback. This app also includes a resettable odometer.

Speedometer Speed Box

Ever wonder just how accurate your speedometer is? The Speedometer Speed Box for iPhone and iPod works as a compass, average-speed calculator and an altimeter. It gives a digital read out of your speed and average it out. You can compare with the accuracy of your car’s speedometer. This app will give you up to three hours of data and comes with customizable display options.

Waze

Everyone knows Google Maps, but Waze takes it a step further. This app gives you GPS directions enhanced by user-generated information such as speed traps, traffic, hazards and re-routing advice. It’s a navigational tool with community-based information. Thousands of drivers work together to make everyone’s commute a little easier.

Spotify

Last but not least, you need a reliable music source when you’re on the road. With a premium subscription, the Spotify app provides users with playlists and music suggestions based on their preferences. You can download your customized playlists to listen to in the car without worrying about cell coverage or waiting for a list to load. You can also follow friends and other users with similar music tastes and listen to their playlists.

Essentially if Zipcar is in your neighborhood (like it is here in Vancouver) then Zipcar will have cars that you can “rent” spread out all over town in sometimes convenient (and other times not so) places.

You sign up online, and they give you a “Zipcard”. This card is used to access the cars that are on the street and keeps track of how long you’ve used the car. But what if someone else wants to use the car too? Well of course you have to reserve the car for the time that you want to use it. But this couldn’t be easier. You can either reserve the car through an app on your iPhone (I don’t have one so I didn’t get to use this feature) online at home, or through their phone reservation service.

Each of the cars has a funky name that I guess is supposed to add fun to the whole experience, and once you’ve reserved your car you can literally just walk up to it and scan your card to gain entry. The keys are always in the vehicle and once you’re in you just go.

I’ve had the chance to use Zipcar off and on now for about 2 years and I can say that I definitely like the service. The cars are clean, reliable, and most of the models are pretty decent cars. I preferred to rent the Mini Cooper when I could and they even have a convertible option in Vancouver… which I’m sure is not so popular for 9 months out of the year.

If you go over your reserved time there are pretty steep fines, but this is to be expected. How would you like it if someone had the car during the time that you’ve reserved? When your reservation is nearing the end Zipcar will actually send you a text message to your phone reminding you that it’s coming to an end and asking if you would like to extend the reservation. Of course the extension is only available if there is no reservation after yours, but this is a really nice feature and I’ve used it a number of times.

All in all I think Zipcar is a great, trendy company that has a lot going for it. The customer service is great, the cars are nice and up-to-date and it’s nice to know that you can get a car in a pinch when you need one. However, expect to pay well for the service. Prices start at around 8 bucks an hour, but most of the cars are in the 10-12 dollar range. These prices are fine if you’re running a quick errand, but if you were to use the car for a golf game for example, it would cost you a ton of cash while it’s sitting out in the parking lot.

If you’re thinking about signing up with Zipcar, you can follow this link to get 25 dollars in additional driving credit from signing up through Cartips.com.

Have an experience with Zipcar? Let us know in the comments below…