Kootenay Carshare cOOPERATIVE:
Affordable, COMMUNITY-POWERED Car Rentals in Nelson, BC & BEYOND.

Affordable, community-powered car rentals in Nelson, BC & beyond

Established in 2001, we’ve been the best car rental option in the Kootenays for over 20 years.

It doesn’t hurt that car sharing is especially eco-friendly, affordable, community-based, the list goes on!

We’re based in Nelson, but we have vehicles in:

  • Revelstoke,
  • Kaslo,
  • Castlegar at the Selkirk College campus,
  • And more

Check our vehicle locations map.
Locations may pop up when private vehicle owners put their car up for rent (just like AirBnB).

Folks around the Kootenays gain access to another form of transport when hosts make their vehicles available, and that’s pretty cool.


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WHY WE’RE THE BEST OPTION WHETHER YOU’RE LOCAL OR JUST PASSING THROUGH:

You’ll Save Money

  • Booking a vehicle with Kootenay Carshare gives you access to a variety of vehicle types. Car ownership usually means you’ve got one or two vehicle types at your disposal. We’ve got cars, vans, trucks, SUVs, and some vehicles are electric. When booking an EV, you save that much more.
  • With a Casual Membership, there’s only a monthly fee for the months in which you book and drive a car. You can sign up today and not book a car until months down the road – you’ll have paid $0 in monthly fees.
  • Car ownership is a huge expense. If you need a car four days a week or less, car sharing will save you money otherwise spent on insurance, maintenance, repairs and gas.

You’ll Reduce Your Carbon Footprint

  • Car sharing means you can get where you need to go while still being eco-friendly, as the model results in fewer cars on the road. That means a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, less manufacturing byproducts, and less traffic in our towns. 
  • It is estimated that for every Kootenay Carshare Co-op car on the road, at least 5 private vehicles are removed. That means that since we started in 2001, we’ve made a huge impact. Imagine what the future could look like as more people rent a car, truck, van, SUV with Kootenay Carshare.

You’ll be Part of our Non-Profit, Member Co-op

  • A cooperative (or “co-op”) is a business owned and run by its members. Unlike traditional businesses, which prioritize profits for shareholders, cooperatives prioritize the needs and benefits of their members.
    This means decisions are made democratically, resources are shared fairly, and everyone has a say.
  • There are multiple member options to choose from so you don’t have to worry about signing up for a commitment you’re not ready for!

You’ll Support the Community

  • Being part of a non-profit cooperative means that the money you pay for your usage fee goes towards strengthening the organization and your community.
  • New to town?  Become a member and meet our members at one of our annual events.

Fitness, Functionality, and Freedom

  • Since our cars are parked around town, you can walk, run, bike, bus, carpool to the vehicle depending on its proximity to you. This encourages exercise and social benefit, rather than the isolating trip from driveway to store and driveway again!
  • Kootenay Carshare is a trusted car rental service, and by this we mean that we boost batteries, change flat tires and do regular maintenance and cleaning on our vehicles.
    If you encounter an issue, you can call us at 250.352.2033 during regular business hours. Leave a voicemail or send us an email at [email protected] if it’s after hours and non-urgent.
  • Are you moving and need to rent a U-Haul? Well, the Kootenays don’t have those. But we have the Kootenay Carshare trucks and vans.
    They can fit more stuff than you’d think. Taking stuff to the dump or the recycling centre and bottle depot are other great ways to take advantage of our large-sized vehicles. And of course, carpooling!

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