Frequently Asked Questions

To register at DriveNow, you need to be at least 21 years old and must have been in possession of a valid driving license for at least one year. You also need to have a valid credit or bank debit card to use as a means of payment.

At the moment, only customers who possess a German driving license (credit card format or older paper version) can use the POSTIDENT procedure. The procedure will soon also be available for holders of check-card driving licenses from other EU countries, and – at a later stage – holders of driving licenses from non-EU countries. The internet browsers Google Chrome (version 48 onwards) and Firefox (version 45 onwards) are required to carry out the online validation procedure on a computer/laptop. The manufacturer does not currently support the webcam feature on the desktop version for Safari and Internet Explorer. On mobile devices, the procedure is supported in Safari and Chrome Browser. It is generally recommended to use a smartphone because a better image quality can be achieved.

Deutsche Post operates the online validation procedure in a reliable, secure technological environment. All data is processed and stored exclusively on servers in Germany. Data is encrypted before being transmitted. The data gathered is transferred from Deutsche Post to DriveNow and will be deleted at the end of a specific length of time (determined by DriveNow), at the very latest after five months.

If you choose to use POSTIDENT online validation after registering with DriveNow, you will receive your DriveNow customer card by post. You can, however, also collect your customer card from one of our registration points. These primarily include Sixt offices and a number of BMW subsidiaries, as well as specific partner subsidiaries. The interactive map on each city page provides an overview of the registration points in the relevant city.

Yes, you can use our services in all DriveNow cities across Europe. Before you use DriveNow abroad, however, you need to enter a valid credit card number as a method of payment. The first time you use a DriveNow car in a different country, you need to accept the DriveNow terms and conditions applicable in that particular country. Local rates apply.

A contract may only be cancelled in writing by email, at least six weeks before the end of any one quarter. Before you cancel your contract, please bear in mind that it doesn't cost you anything to remain a customer. You can still stay as a customer, even if you don't plan to use DriveNow for a while. You don't pay anything if you don't use DriveNow.
Special conditions apply for DriveNow in Copenhagen: Before using a car for the first time in Copenhagen, you need to upload images of your driving license via the DriveNow app so that these can be verified. You can find further information on the "How it works" page.

DriveNow in Germany accepts payment via credit card (Visa, MasterCard, American Express and Diners Club) as well as Direct Debit with SEPA.

Two days after your rental, we will send you an email with the corresponding invoice, which can be used for tax purposes. The amount due will be debited from your credit card. You can see a summary of the invoices corresponding to your recent journeys in the customer login area on the DriveNow website, under “Invoices“.

Yes, we block a certain sum on your credit card for security reasons. This is standard practice among car rental firms, hotels, etc. You will only be able to open a DriveNow car, for example, if we have been able to block this sum as security. If, despite the availability of sufficient funds, your credit card was refused by our system, please contact your bank or credit card firm.

You start paying for your journey when your rental begins, i.e. when you have successfully entered your PIN inside the car. If you have rented a car for immediate use (without pre-reserving via the app), your rental begins when you press "Start rental" on the in-car display.

The regular DriveNow rate includes third-party insurance, as well as comprehensive cover, including theft. A standard fee of €1.00 will automatically be added to every rental to cover the cost of a collision damage waiver. This reduces the excess to €350 for accidents that you cause yourself, either fully or partially. Special terms for Savings Packages and Prepaid Packages: The €1 collision damage waiver is already included in these packages. In other words, there will be no €1.00 charged for journeys made within the scope of these packages.

Your own car insurance cannot be used to cover DriveNow cars. If your credit card agreement contains rental car insurance, please contact your credit card organisation and ask them about the collision damage waiver included.

All DriveNow cars are covered by third-party insurance, as well as comprehensive cover, including theft. A standard fee of €1.00 will automatically be added to every rental to cover the cost of a collision damage waiver. This reduces the excess to €350 for accidents that you cause yourself, either fully or partially.  DriveNow does not offer any other option for further reducing the excess. In line with section 9.3 and 9.6 of the DriveNow Terms and Conditions, the excess cover does not apply in the event of damage caused by grossly negligent driving. According to section 9.5 of the DriveNow Terms and Conditions, the customer is responsible for covering the entire costs of any traffic violations he/she commits.

N.B.: Customers who purchased a renewable annual collision damage waiver before 12th September 2016 for €99/year or €199/year are not required to pay the €1 collision damage waiver. The annual collision damage waiver is valid until it has been cancelled in line with the terms of cancellation.

You can view any existing damage on the car via the app, or on the in-car screen if you have rented a car for immediate use. If the damage you have observed has already been reported, you don't need to do anything. If you notice any new damage, please contact customer services and inform them of the damage.

In the event of a road accident, the top priority is to make sure that all people involved are okay and that the scene of the accident is safe. You should also inform customer services as soon as possible, either by using the app or the "Call customer services" button on the DriveNow screen. Every road accident, including minor damages, must be recorded by the police. NEVER issue a confession statement as such a statement could render the collision damage waiver null and void. In the event of an accident, you are required to make note of the name of the driver and owner of the other car, the number plate and the police record number. You need to send us a written report of the accident as soon as possible. If the car has broken down, please contact our customer services immediately. 

You can reserve your chosen DriveNow car for free for 15 minutes prior to your rental. Once these 15 minutes have expired, you are able to reserve the car (for a fee) for up to 8 hours.

You are allowed to reserve a DriveNow car for a maximum of 8 hours. A charge applies for extended reservations. To extend a reservation, simply click on the remaining reservation time in the app and select "Extend". Like the 15-minute reservation, the extended reservation can be cancelled at any time. The costs incurred up until this time will be invoiced to you via your private or business account. 

If this is the case, please contact our customer services. We will explain how you can reach your car, or book another car for you at no extra charge.

No, when you want to use a DriveNow car, you must use your own account. You are, therefore, not allowed to open the car using somebody else's customer card, because every card is linked to a specific DriveNow account. Any person who is not a DriveNow customer and who drives a DriveNow car without being authorised to do so can be held liable for theft.

DriveNow operates without keys. In other words, you don't need a car key to open the door. If you have pre-reserved a DriveNow car, you can unlock it simply with the app or your DriveNow customer card. (If you have rented a car for immediate use, you can only unlock it with your customer card.) Simply hold the card up to the reader in the windscreen. To lock the car again, you can either use the app or your customer card. 

If you've pre-reserved a DriveNow car, all you need to do when you get in the car is enter your PIN using the iDrive controller dial in the central console. Once you've entered your PIN, your rental has begun and you can switch the car on using the start/stop button.

You cannot begin a rental without your PIN. If you have forgotten your PIN, please contact our customer services. If we are able to confirm your identity over the phone, we will send you your PIN by SMS.

To contact customer services during your journey in a DriveNow car, simply press the "Call customer services" button in the DriveNow menu on the screen. You can also contact customer services via the DriveNow app

Select "Multimedia" or "Telephone" from the menu on the DriveNow screen and click on the "Bluetooth" option. Confirm that you want to "Add a new device", activate bluetooth on your smartphone and link your mobile to the car. Your phone will be connected.

You are not obliged to fill up your DriveNow car because our service team takes care of this for you. However, if the fuel level drops below 25% during or at the end of your journey, we recommend that you fill up the car at one of our partner petrol stations. These can be located in the navigation system under "Special points of interest" and entered in the system as a destination. You don't need to pay anything to refuel – simply use the fuel card kept in the central armrest.  After switching off the engine, select "Refuel" on the in-car screen. The PIN number required for the fuel card will be displayed. You'll need to enter this PIN and the current mileage when you're at the till. If the fuel level at the start of your rental was below 25%, and you return the car with over 90% in the tank, we will credit your account with 30 bonus minutes.  

The majority of cars in our fleet are automatics. If your driving license only allows you to drive automatics, you can only drive our automatic cars. Automatics are identified accordingly in the DriveNow app and can be searched for using the filter. 

Driving into other countries is strictly forbidden. The only exception to this rule is driving into Austria if you've booked a Hochzillertal Ski Package, because the destination is in Austria.

All of the BMW models in the DriveNow fleet contain booster seats for children. These are kept in the boot. If you notice that a booster seat is missing from a car, please inform customer services. There are no booster seats available in the MINI models. Please feel free to use your own child seats in these cars.

As a general rule, yes. However, you are responsible for returning the car in a clean condition. If the car is very dirty inside, we reserve the right to invoice you for the necessary cleaning (see price list).

If you have chosen to use the Handshake service and want to hand your car over to the next driver, switch off the engine and choose the option "Hand over" on the DriveNow screen. All that the next driver needs to do is click on "Take over" and the handshake is complete.

If the next driver does not turn up to receive the car, you can leave the vehicle in any free parking space and end your rental as usual. If you've reserved a car with a Handshake and the previous driver doesn't turn up at the agreed time, you can cancel your reservation at any time.

No, DriveNow has no fixed pick-up and drop-off points. You can leave the car in all public car parks within the business area – regardless of where you started out.

When you want to end your journey, switch off the engine and lock the car using the app or customer card (by holding your card against the reader in the windscreen). When the light on the reader lights up green, the rental has been successfully ended. If you want to take a short break during your journey, switch off the engine and select "Take a break" on the DriveNow screen.

You can end your rental in all public car parks within the business area, except in reserved residential parking zones, private car parks, multi-storey car parks, parking spaces with time restrictions (with parking disc) and parking zones with specific parking regulations, such as disabled spaces, no-parking zones or taxi parking spaces. Parking information about a particular city can be found on the corresponding city page. You can also view the business area in the app or in your car's navigation system.

In Munich, you are also allowed to leave your car outside the business area (a fee applies). You may drop your car within a 10-kilometre radius of Karsplatz (Stachus). The fee applied is calculated based on how far you are away from Stachus (€2.00 per kilometre). The amount will be displayed on the DriveNow screen when you turn off the engine

Much to our regret, certain external influences (e.g. solar flare) can occasionally interfere with the global positioning of your vehicle. If this is the case, please contact customer services via the app or by pressing the "Call customer services" button in the car. We will resolve the issue and end the rental on your behalf.  

Unfortunately, we need a GSM connection to transmit information. In other words, the normal radio network is not always sufficient. Your mobile may, therefore, be showing full reception, even when there is no GSM connection. Drive on a little further, park the car and try again. If the problem persists, please contact customer services via the app or by pressing the "Call customer services" button in the car. We will resolve the issue and end the rental on your behalf.  

The Savings Packages and Prepaid Packages can be booked in the customer login area on the DriveNow website. The Hourly Packages can be booked for current reservations in the app under "Plan your journey", or before you start your rental in the car if you've rented a vehicle for immediate use. All packages can be booked for leisure and business journeys, and can be booked for any DriveNow car.

Parking minutes are not included in Savings Packages and Prepaid Packages. Parking minutes will be invoiced separately. The Hourly Packages include parking minutes for the whole duration of the package. 

A 30-day Savings Package can be cancelled on the DriveNow website at any time before the end of the 30 days. If it is not cancelled, the package is automatically renewed for another 30 days. 

When you have used up all the minutes in your Savings Package, you will receive an automated message via email. Once the Savings Packages minutes have been used up, you will use up any available bonus minutes or Prepaid Package minutes. Following this, the standard price per minute will apply until the minutes of the next Savings Package are available, up to 30 days after the start of the previous package. If the minutes in a Savings Package are not used up within the 30-day period, they expire.  

It is not possible to change the type of Savings Package you are using during the 30-day period for which the Savings Package is valid. Another Savings Package, however, can be booked at any time. When this new Savings Package has expired, the previous Savings Package will be reactivated. It is not possible to use more than one Savings Package at any one time.

Once you have used up all the hours included in your Hourly Package, you will be charged the standard rate per minute. Once you have used up your kilometre allowance, you will be charged an additional fee for every further kilometre driven. You can consult our current rates on the DriveNow website under "Rates".

No, you can only use packages and bonus minutes in your own DriveNow country, i.e. the country in which you registered. For example, as a DriveNow Germany customer, you can only use your packages and bonus minutes in Germany, and not in any other DriveNow country.

The DriveNow packages and bonus minutes are used up in the following order: purchased minutes with an expiry date (Savings Packages and the Sixt Prepaid Package), bonus minutes, purchased minutes with no expiry date (Prepaid Packages). If your account has been credited with bonus minute, those with an expiry date will be used up first.

The engine must be switched off before charging (the light on the start/stop button lights up orange). Take the charging cable out of the boot and first plug it into the charging point, before plugging it into the car. The charging card (kept in the central armrest) allows you to unlock the charging point (no charging card is needed at RWE). When the car is charging correctly, the blue LED lights inside the charging socket flash continuously. An orange or red light symbolises that something is wrong. Please contact customer services in this instance.

Unplug the charging cable from both the charging point and the car, and replace the cable in the boot. N.B.: The charging cable is wired into the boot of the BMW i3. Please make sure, therefore, that you have disconnected the cable from both the charging point and the car before you drive away. DriveNow reserves the right to invoice customers for any damages that may occur if this advice has not been followed.

Charging the car from 0% to 100% usually takes between four and five hours. However, the car does not charge at a constant rate. Charging is considerably faster between 25% and 80% capacity.

You are not obliged to charge your BMW i3 because our service team takes care of this for you. However, if the power left in the car drops below 25% during or at the end of your journey, we recommend that you recharge the car. You don't need to pay anything to recharge – simply use the charging card kept in the central armrest. We'll credit your account with 30 bonus minutes if you recharge. In the event that your BMW i3 runs out of power outside the business area, you will be invoiced for the call-out of our service team and the return transport of the car. 

You can charge your car at all RWE and Vattenfall charging points in Berlin, at the SWM charging points in Munich city centre, at all Vattenfall and Hamburg Energie charging points in Hamburg, at Rheinenergie charging points in Cologne and Stadtwerke Düsseldorf charging points in Düsseldorf. The DriveNow partner charging points in a particular city can be displayed on the screen in the car (see navigation system under "Special points of interest") and entered as a destination in the system. You can also locate charging points in the DriveNow app and on the interactive map on the DriveNow website. 
Important: The BMW i3 can only be charged at designated charging points using the cable provided in the car. The BMW i3 cannot be charged using a conventional 220-volt socket. 

DriveNow provides a range of attractive mobility solutions for numerous corporate customers of all sizes. Simply fill out the form on our corporate web page and send us a non-binding enquiry. A DriveNow team member will get in touch with you as soon as possible. 

The DriveNow registration process allows you to enter a corporate invoicing address for your business journeys. You can also enter an address after registration by logging in to the customer login area on the DriveNow website. This is where you can enter the means of payment that should be used for your business journeys, as well as a corporate email address. Before starting your rental, you can state whether your trip will be private or business in the app, under "Plan your journey". If you've rented a car for immediate use, without pre-reserving it, you can select the type of journey on the screen once you're inside the car. The invoice for this journey will be issued using the invoicing address provided and sent to the corresponding email address. 

If DriveNow has an agreement in place with your company, you can easily link your private account to the corporate account. Please contact the person responsible for DriveNow in your company for further information. You can also separate your private account from an existing DriveNow corporate account easily. To do this, simply log into your corporate data page on the DriveNow website and delete the link to your private data.

Your personal data is used exclusively in accordance with the German Data Protection Act (BDSG). Your data is only passed on to third parties when this is necessary to enable DriveNow to fulfil your contract or your rental agreement, or when you have explicitly agreed for your data to be transmitted for a specific reason. You can revoke your permission at any time. You can find further details in our Terms and Conditions and in our Data Protection Agreement.

All DriveNow cars are fitted with winter tyres in the winter months so that you can drive in the snow with peace of mind. 

Please contact customer services. We will be pleased to help you find lost items. However, we do not accept any liability for items that are left behind in a car.

The DriveNow cars are cleaned and inspected regularly by our service team. However, if you do find items in the car that don't belong to you, please contact customer services. We'll try to find the owner and contact him/her so that they can retrieve their lost property.

If this is the case, please contact customer services or visit one of our registration points. If you have lost your customer card, we will immediately block the card and issue you with a new one. A fee applies for issuing a new customer card to replace a lost or damaged card (see price list). You are still able to use DriveNow via the app if you do not have a customer card. 

Please contact us at verkehrs-owi@drive-now.com with any queries about parking tickets.

You are liable for any traffic offences, e.g. speeding, when you are behind the wheel of a DriveNow car. In the event of traffic offences, we are obliged to pass your personal data on to the relevant authorities, which will contact you directly. To cover the administrative costs of your traffic violation, we reserve the right to invoice you with the corresponding service charge (see price list).

No. Out of respect for other customers, smoking in DriveNow cars is forbidden. If someone informs us that you were smoking during your DriveNow rental, we reserve the right to invoice you for the necessary cleaning (see price list). 

All DriveNow customers who own an Amazon Echo or Amazon Echo Dot can activate the DriveNow Skill in the Amazon Skill Store or in the Alexa App. To activate the DriveNow Skill, you will be asked to enter your DriveNow account information, email address and password.

With the DriveNow Skill, customers can comfortably book a DriveNow car at home with voice command. Alexa provides information about the three closest cars near your home address. The preferred vehicle can then be reserved by voice command. The reservation may also be canceled again via voice command. In addition, Alexa provides information about vehicle details, such as the vehicle model and charging/fuel level.

Customers can open the DriveNow Skill with the voice command "Alexa, open DriveNow". Alexa will then inform the customer about the three closest vehicles and asks the customer if he/she wants to reserve this vehicle or wants to have information about a different car. The customer responds either with “Next vehicle” or with “Reserve car”. Once “Reserve a car” is said the Alexa confirms the reservation, and the car is waiting for you. Via the command "Alexa, ask DriveNow to reserve the next car", the customer can directly book the closest car near you, without the car details.