Car Coop helps organize private car sharing for friends, households, and small groups. The app shows who drove the vehicle, which expenses were paid, and how vehicle costs can be distributed fairly between users.

How the Car Sharing Model Works

Car Coop uses a model that we have used for years with our shared camper van.

In short, shared vehicle use works like this:

1. Users enter the kilometers driven for each trip.
2. The app calculates the costs for each user.
3. Expenses such as fuel, repairs, or insurance are recorded as credit.
4. Different balances can later be settled easily through payments between users.

Every user pays a fixed amount of money per kilometer. If a user drives the car, the user logs the kilometers driven in the app. The app calculates the amount that user has to pay and adds it as debt to the user account.

Expenses such as fuel, repairs, taxes, and insurance are logged for the user who paid them. They are added as credit to that user's account.

When there is a disparity between expenses and kilometers driven, for example when one user drives a lot but rarely pays for fuel, the app allows money flows between users to be recorded. The user who receives money has it added as debt, while the user who pays gets the amount added as credit.

At the end of a season, in our case because the camper van is not used in winter, the user group can decide how to handle these disparities. For example, they can carry them into the next season or settle the different account balances.

The Kilometer or Mile Price

The price users have to pay can vary significantly depending on the vehicle and over time. With our camper van, a 24-year-old Mercedes Sprinter using around 10 liters of diesel per 100 kilometers, we currently calculate about 30 euro cents per kilometer in 2025. As a rough starting point, you can begin with twice the fuel cost per kilometer and then check whether that matches real usage.

The app calculates an estimate of the running cost per kilometer. It takes a number of trips and fuel cycles before this value becomes useful. And of course any major repair can raise the cost, especially for older vehicles.

User Groups

We have two different groups of users:

• "The crew" takes care of the vehicle and drives it most often. They pay a lower kilometer price because they have invested more money and time to keep the vehicle available.
• "Guests" are the second group. They are people who occasionally ask to use the vehicle, usually not more than once or twice a year. They pay a slightly higher kilometer price.

You can use groups in other ways as well. The app allows you to create any number of groups. For example, people with lower income could pay a lower kilometer price than people with higher income.

Advantages of the Model

The model is simple.

No one has to worry about the amount of fuel in the tank when different people use the car. Billing after a trip can be done by entering the start and end kilometers and any vehicle-related expenses during the trip. It is also easy to offset the different cost types against each user.

This makes it possible to share a car without membership fees or complicated agreements. Ideally, very little money needs to move between users. For example, someone who is currently in the red because they drove a lot can pay for the next inspection and balance their account that way.

Frequently Asked Questions About Private Car Sharing

How are vehicle costs distributed fairly?

Car Coop combines kilometers driven with recorded expenses. This makes it clear who used the vehicle and who paid for costs such as fuel, insurance, or repairs.

Who pays for fuel, repairs, and other expenses?

The person who pays an expense records it in the app. The amount is then added as credit to that person's account and included in the shared balance.

Who is this model suitable for?

The model works well for groups of friends, shared houses, families, or small initiatives that want to share a car and split costs transparently. It requires a certain level of trust between the people involved, because the app deliberately avoids complicated contractual arrangements.

Many people already share their car this way. Car Coop is meant to support these groups with clear rules and transparent accounting.

Is my car insured if someone else drives it?

In Germany, compulsory motor liability insurance generally covers the vehicle, not the driver.

But: who is allowed to drive depends on your specific car insurance policy. If your policy includes restrictions and there is an accident while one of those restrictions applies, the insurer will still pay, but may then charge you additional premiums and/or contractual penalties. So check your insurance documents in advance for what is allowed and what is not, for example under items such as "authorized drivers", "annual mileage", or "different registered keeper". If necessary, switch to an insurance policy that is less restrictive for your use case.

Outside Germany, we do not know the legal situation. Users in other countries need to check the relevant law and their own insurance terms themselves before sharing a vehicle.

Next Steps

If you want to learn the core features of Car Coop, the welcome page gives an overview. If you want to try Car Coop directly, you can register an account or log in.