Frequently Asked Questions

Which cars does cambio offer?

We offer different car models. Depending on your trip ... you can choose the most appropriate car. Our cars are subdivided in different price classes (XS, S, M, L and XL). Not every car type is available in each city. By clicking on a car you can see all car details.

Discover our cars

Is carsharing a good solution for me?

Cambio carsharing is ideal for those who drive little. Carsharing is cheaper than owning your own car, that is if you do not drive more than 10.000 kilometers per year.

  •  You currently do not own a car, but it would be practical if you could use one occasionnally. Or once in a while you need a second car in the family.
  • You have your own car, but you would rather get rid of it. It is very expensive or needs to be replaced.
  • You mainly travel by public transport or by bike and sometimes a car would come in handy.
  • You are tired of having parking problems in your neighborhood.

Do you recognize one of these situations? Don’t wait any longer then. You can save a lot with cambio carsharing. Besides a small fix cost, you only pay when you use. Moreover you can forget about all other car related worries, as we take care of maintenance, carwash, insurance…

What’s the difference between carsharing and car rental?

A short summary of the biggest differences:

Classic car rental: every time you want to rent a car you must fill in an order form. You are tied to the opening hours of the rental company to pick up your car.

Cambio carsharing: an order form must only be filled in once. You will receive a chip card, which grants you 24/24 and 7/7 access to our vehicles, independent of the opening hours of our offices. Moreover, you may even reserve a vehicle mere minutes before your departure.

Classic car rental: the minimum rental time is 24 hours and there are only a couple of collection points.

Cambio carsharing: the minimum reservation time is only 1 hour. The vehicles are spread all over the city on reserved parking spaces. In most larger cities we’ve already built an extensive network of stations so that you may often find a station within walking or biking reach of your home or workplace.

Classic car rental: fuel is not included in the rental rates and often only partial insurance is included. Payment must be fulfilled with a credit card.

Cambio carsharing: the following things are already included in our prices:

  • An insurance with a maximum excess of €1.000
  • Fuel

At the end of the month you will receive a detailed invoice with a summary of all your reservations. You may pay by bank transfer or direct debit.

Will a car always be available to me?

We try our very best: just give it a go!

Our carsharing fleet is constantly expanding along with the ever growing cambio community. Over 90% of all reservation requests can be fulfilled. That’s a lot considering that over 1 in 5 reservations are made less than an hour before departure. Those who make their reservation ahead of time will definitely have a lot of options to choose from.

Have you already planned that party or important meeting next month? Go ahead and make your reservation already: reservations can be made up to 9 months before departure.

Do I have to pay a deposit?

Yes, the amount depends on the chosen tariff. This amount also is the basis for your usage limit.

This limit isn’t an amount you need to use monthly but it sets a maximum amount that you may not exceed.

Outstanding bills, an estimate of unprocessed reservations and estimated costs for future reservations are all taken in account to calculate your available usage limit.

Can I book a car in a different city or region?

Yes, with your cambio card you can rent cars all over Belgium and even in the German cambio cities.

To use cambio in Germany, please contact our customer service.

Can I quit cambio carsharing at any given time?

There is no minimum subscription term for cambio members.

A two week notice before the end of the month must be given for the termination of your contract. Of course, you may make use of our cambio vehicles up until the last day of your contract. We will be happy to welcome you back if you change your mind.

You don't necessarily have to end your contract. You can also pause it.

Our Q&A in video

What if I return the car too late?

As many of our members reserve some extra time this issue can mostly be avoided.

Should it happen after all, your first priority should be to notify our reservation centre. They will notify the next users and find them an alternative if necessary.

You may also easily extend your reservation using the cambioApp.

How can I refuel?

Fuel is included in the kilometer price. In each car you will find a fuel card in the glove compartment. The pincode appears on the cambioApp and the display of the onboard computer every time you shut down the engine.

Remember to look up the total mileage of the car, as you will be asked for it on the payment terminal.

The fuel card can be used on the payment terminal of all TOTAL stations in Belgium and Europe*.

In some smaller cities in Flanders and Wallonie you might find a Shell fuel card, as in those cities Shell has more availabe gas stations. Therefor remember to check the brand of the fuelcard before you start searching for a gas station.

Please return the car with the fuel tank filled for at least 1/4. Have a look at our Fair Play Rules.

Is there no Total/Shell station nearby and the car needs urgent refuelling? Then fill up with your own card for a maximum of €30 and give us the ticket. We will deduct this amount from your next invoice.

*When going abroad it would be wise to check in advance if our petrol card can be used there. You can check this using the following link.

What are the rules and agreements?

Sharing over 1.000 cars with ten thousands of people calls for good agreements. Everyone who signs up with cambio must follow our mandatory online infosession and pass a short quiz. This way we ensure that everyone understands the system.

We summarized the Fair Play Rules here.

What is a zone-car?

In addition to our station-based vehicles, cambio is also expanding its range in major cities with zone vehicles. These have no fixed place, but are parked freely within a certain neighbourhood or area. Our range is therefore even greater within those zones!

You reserve a zone car on the same way as an ordinary car. Please note: to have access to the zone cars, you must swipe the option “activate zone pitches” on on your profile in the cambioApp. You also need our app to locate the car within the zone. When you make your reservation, you immediately see where your car is and after your reservation you simply park your car back in the area.

Legend of a zone station map:

  • green = core zone, in this area you leave the car for the next user - on a spot where park your car is allowed with a parking card, not on any cambio spots within the zone and not on spots with a (imminent) parking ban.
  • orange = if you don't find a spot in the green zone, you can go to the orange zone,. Then you pay 3 euros compensation to the next user for the inconvenience. 
  • outside the zone = not allowed, we have to secure and remove the car - fine: 25 euros.

P.S.: Zones come and go... depending on the needs of the terrain. A zone that is in use today can disappear tomorrow. However, you have one certainty: our range continues to grow... so perhaps the cars from the relevant zone have found a permanent place in the neighborhood in the meantime.

What to do in case of an accident?

Remain calm, call the police and the cambio reservation centre. Follow the guidelines in the onboard book:

  1. Place the vehicle in a safe spot and place the warning triangle. Find help if necessary and call the police in any case. Never sign a guilt admission.
  2. Call the cambio reservation centre as soon as possible. They will take note of all the details about the accident and will block reservations on this vehicle for a certain period if necessary.
  3. Fill in the accident declaration found in the onboard book and send it to cambio as soon as possible.

Important: even in case of a minor collision the police should be called and an accident declaration should be filled in. Write down the details of the other driver if possible.

Cambio will follow up on the claim.

If you sign up to our Safety Pack you may lower your excess to a maximum of €200 (or €400 in the case of an XL vehicle).  Read more about the Safety Pack here.

What do I do if my cambio parking space is taken?

Every cambio car has their own reserved parking spot, which is usually provided with a parking barrier which blocks off the space while you are away.

Did you forget to put up the barrier and now someone else took your parking spot?
Park the car in the neighborhood. Make sure you find a legal parking space and confirm that there is no parking ban within 48h. You are not allowed to park the car at another cambio spot.

The reservation centre will inform the next user of the car.

“But to prevent is better than to cure”. So make sure to always pull up the parking barrier when leaving the cambio station!"

My user limit has been reached. What happens next?

Your user limit has been reached. You can’t make any more reservations for rides. What does this mean?
Your user limit = unpaid rides + estimate of future rides + eventual unpaid invoices.

What can be done about this? Some possibilities:

  • You still have unpaid invoices. Check Mycambio to see if all invoices are paid for.
  • Your subscription is not entirely tailored to your needs. Need an upgrade? Ask about your new tariff via Mycambio and perhaps change the financial contribution.

  • Are you only temporarily increasing your number of rides? Your best option is to purchase cambio credits. Before making a reservation, you can check the price of your ride under ‘price info’. We recommend buying slightly more credits than you think you actually need. The credits are only used for future rides and is transferred over each month if there is a budget remaining.

What to do in case of a parking ban?

When you see a parking ban at the location of the station, you must inform the reservation centre.

Wil a parking ban be in effect in the next 48 hours? Then you are no longer allowed to park there (tow costs or a cambio intervention will be charged to the last known user). After all, you can never know if the car will still be used after you (before the ban starts).

Wat to do with the cambio car?

Look for another legal, public parking for the car, preferably as close to the station as possible. A different cambio station or private parking space is prohibited. You can find a list of all legal parking spaces per city here.

How should I check a car for damage?

The damage check remains mandatory at all times. We remind you of the damage check via the app before you can open the car. Damage that has already been reported can be found on the damage list in the on-board book or via the app.

New damage should always be communicated to the call center (+32 2 505 40 40) and noted on the damage list in the on-board book. This way you cannot be held responsible for damage caused by someone else.  

After you click on "Open car" in the app, you will be given the opportunity to assess the cleanliness of the car. Afterwards, you can click on the "Damage Check" button. You get an overview of damages on the car that cambio is already aware of (damages with a sticker of a sad face). You certainly don't need to contact us for this damage.

What if my car breaks down?

Cambio cars are always recent cars and are frequently maintained.

Obviously, a breakdown is still a possibility, even if it’s only a flat tyre. There is no need to worry though: all our vehicles are subscribed to a breakdown assistance.

Guidelines on what to do can be found in the onboard book, as well as the number of the breakdown service which is reachable 24/24. Please stay with the vehicle until the breakdown service arrives. They will either assist you with your issue or who will tow the car.

In any case, please call our reservation centre. They will help you in finding alternative transport and will – if necessary – contact the next user of the vehicle.