The car rental service for a short time through the Car-Sharing application is becoming more and more popular in Europe and the world. But not in Poland. As the Polish Economic Institute (PI) notes in 7 years of service, the market in our country has noted five times more unsuccessful than successful debuts in this industry.
Pie, citing the Global Carsharing Telematics Market Report, emphasized that the number of car-sharing users in the world at the end of 2022 was 123.4 million.
According to the PIE report, Western European countries dominate in the vehicle sharing services industry – one of the fastest growing markets in terms of the number of users and rentals is the German market.
Car-sharing is a popular service in Europe and in the world
“The statistics of the Federal Car Sharing Association indicate that from January 1, 2025 in Germany, the Car-Sharing service is offered by 297 enterprises, cooperatives and associations. The number of vehicles in car-sharing increased by 5.3 percent compared to the previous year, and the number of places offering the car-sharing service increased in the same period by 8.4 % of the second and the third. France and the Netherlands are the size of the European market, respectively, “we read.
However, according to Pie information, in recent years, attempts to implement car-sharing on the Polish market have mostly failed. “The available data shows that from 2015 to 2022 the Polish car-sharing market had much more unsuccessful (15) than successful implementation (3), and In March 2025, another entity decided to suspend vehicle sharing service” – said Pie.
High costs of car-sharing
The Institute indicated that among the barriers in the development of this market segment in Poland can be mentioned High operating costs related to the operation, insurance and repair of rented cars. Pie emphasized that the maintenance of a shared vehicle fleet can be about 30 percent. more expensive than private cars.
“Only 40 percent of urban areas in the European Union have sufficient infrastructure to efficiently operate large -scale sharing operations, which may limit the expansion of market. In addition, there is a lack of appropriate regulatory frames and system solutions, including relief encouraging to use car -sharing, which ultimately contribute to promoting solutions to balanced urban mobility” – he indicated Pie.
The authors of the publication emphasized that “insufficiently effective” were also privileges at the local level associated with a reduction in parking fees. “Pandemia Covid-19, limiting mobility, as well as the preferences of Poles and difficulties associated with the change of transport habits have also become an unfavorable factor, which could have affected the fluctuating level of demand for car-sharing in Poland”-they added.
Poles at the forefront of car owners
Pie gave, citing the Vehicles On European Roads report from 2024, that In Poland, there are 703 cars per 1000 people, which is the highest result in the European Union. According to the report, the tendency to give up your own vehicle was 30 percent. Car-sharing users with their own car.
“Culturally rooted conviction that possession guarantees safety causes the choice of well -known ways of transport by consumers. In Polish cities, the movement of their own car (50 percent of respondents) dominates, then by public transport (20 %), shared mobility vehicles (17 %) and other ways, including bicycles (13 percent)” – he summed up.
The Polish Economic Institute is a public Think Tank economic; He prepares reports, analyzes and recommendations regarding key areas of the economy and social life in Poland.
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