Auto Rental News
MenuMENU
SearchSEARCH

Zipcar Shrinks Net Loss in Second Quarter

Zipcar Inc. grows revenue and narrows GAAP net loss in the quarter, though membership growth slower than anticipated and UK business remains challenged.

by Staff
August 2, 2012
3 min to read


Zipcar Inc. today reported results for the second quarter, which ended June 30, 2012.

For the 2012 second quarter, revenue increased 15% to $70.8 million compared to $61.6 million in the prior year period. Revenue growth in the 2012 second quarter resulted primarily from a 21% increase in membership to more than 731,000 members at quarter end.

Ad Loading...

Usage revenue per vehicle, per day was unchanged at $65 versus the prior-year period. Usage revenue represented $60.4 million in the second quarter of 2012, compared to $53.3 million in the prior-year period with fee revenue representing substantially all the remaining revenue in both periods. Fee revenue represented 14.6% of total revenue in the 2012 second quarter compared to 13.4% in the prior year period.

Scott Griffith, Zipcar chairman and CEO, said, "We generated solid double digit revenue growth in the second quarter and grew total membership by 21% year-on-year. We also launched our Zipvan service into new markets and extended our geographic reach in both North America and Europe. Despite these gains, we brought in fewer members than we had anticipated, and we faced economic challenges in our UK business. Moving forward, we are taking actions to maximize returns on our marketing spend, and we will be rolling out initiatives to accelerate adoption and expand our service offerings."

In Zipcar's Established Markets — Boston, New York, Washington, D.C. and San Francisco — second quarter revenue grew 16% to $39.8 million compared to $34.4 million in the prior-year period primarily due to new member additions.

Income before tax for the Established Markets was unchanged at 22% of revenue in the second quarter 2012 compared to the prior-year period.

US GAAP net loss in the second quarter of 2012 was ($422,000), compared to a loss of ($5.6) million in the prior-year period.

Ad Loading...

Non-GAAP Results

Adjusted EBITDA for the 2012 second quarter was $3.4 million compared to $2.3 million in the prior-year period as a result of revenue growth and operating leverage.

"We effectively managed expenses and reported solid year-on-year growth in adjusted EBITDA," commented Ed Goldfinger, Zipcar CFO. "Our focus in the near-term will be on introducing new initiatives designed to reignite member growth."

Outlook

For the full-year 2012, revenue is now expected in the range of $272 million to $278 million. Full-year 2012 Adjusted EBITDA is now expected to range from $12 million to $16 million and US GAAP net income is now expected to range from breakeven to $4 million.

For the 2012 third quarter, Zipcar expects revenue in the range of $74 million to $77 million. Adjusted EBITDA for the period is expected to range from $2.5 million to $5 million and US GAAP net income is expected to range from a loss of $0.5 million to a profit of $2 million.

Other Highlights

  • Membership grew to more than 731,000 at quarter end.

  • Launched Zipvan service in Chicago and Toronto for a total of 165 Zipvans in five markets in North America and more than 200 Zipvans in the UK.

  • Following quarter end, Zipcar expanded its European network with acquisition of CarSharing.at, the car sharing service in Austria with approximately 200 vehicles and 10,000 members.

Ad Loading...

More Rental Operations

green and blue bar graphs compare fleet sales June 2025 versus June 2026
Fleet Acquisitionby Martin RomjueJuly 8, 2026

Rental Car Fleet Sales Show Mid-Year Strength

June gains ensured rental fleets closed out the first half of 2026 in positive territory.

Read More →
Close up of a row of white CUVs in the Surprice Mobility fleet at the Milan airport.

Surprice Mobility Opens Corporate Rental Station at Milan Malpensa Airport

The Milan opening is part of Surprice Mobility's broader strategy to expand its corporate operations while increasing the use of technology across its network.

Read More →
Julian Gritsch with an MBA class in a classroom.

Brazilian Executive MBA Targets Growing Domestic Rental Car Industry

Rental car companies face a unique combination of challenges that are rarely addressed in traditional programs.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
Green Motion team with banner bearing Japanese flag.

Green Motion Expands Into Japan With Master Franchise Agreement

Japan's tourism industry, business travel market, and demand for vehicle rental services are reasons the country represents an important market for the company.

Read More →
ACRA Chairman Sharky Laguana on stage at the ICRS event in Grapevine, Texas.
Legal & Legislativeby Martin RomjueJune 24, 2026

ACRA Carrying Fuller Industry Load As AI and EVs Lurk In Future

The leading car rental professional business group details an active legislative, regulatory, and macro-trends agenda affecting car rental operators.

Read More →
Light blue horizontal bar graphs on a chart showing World Cup-related rental car booking trends.
Rental OperationsJune 23, 2026

World Cup Travel Data Shows Longer Car Rentals and More One-Ways

A recent analysis of FIFA bookings found varied demand patterns that influenced rental car pricing.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
Side view of ICRS speaker Sanchit Garg at podium in front of a floor lit red curtain
Rental Operationsby Martin RomjueJune 22, 2026

A Leveling Force: AI Morphs Into A Rental Car Profit-Seeker

Revenue managers can’t match the emerging AI tools gobbling lots of data that could counter the competitive race to the rate bottom.

Read More →
Photos of Martin Romjue and Denis Gjoni on opposite sides of large headline for the video.
Rental Operationsby Martin RomjueJune 17, 2026

Stop Losing Money On Rental Tolls

Regardless of your rental fleet size and structure, fleet managers, executives, and owners can gain valuable insights into an often-overlooked area of fleet operations.

Read More →
Richard Lowden gesturing on stage in front of a red curtain at the Gaylord Texan Resort near Dallas.
Rental Operationsby Martin RomjueJune 12, 2026

Rethink The Future To Avert A Race To The Bottom

Rental car operators heard a sobering industry message and a stern challenge at the close of the International Car Rental Show.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
John Possumato holding microphone while asking a question during a live conference session at the ICRS Show.

DriveItAway, Free2move Plan Shared Fleet Program for Independent Rental Fleet Operators

Vehicles would be placed with participating rental operations to support car renter demand and provide additional fleet capacity.

Read More →
Ad Loading...