My Experience with BelkaCar: A Carsharing Option in Moscow

Hello!

This review is not very common, but I think it's necessary to share my experience. I'll try to be as objective as possible and summarize all the aspects. Please, bear with me, it's not a short review!

All the photos and screenshots in this review were taken by me with my phone and using my app.

A little bit of history... if you want to skip this, feel free)

Well, something terrible happened... My first and only, beloved, DAEWOO MATIZ, broke down. No, it didn't break. My dear Masia, as I call her, is a DAEWOO MATIZ. Please, let me be sentimental and silly, but I've had her since 2010 until 2018 and several times I thought of changing her, but I couldn't (you have to consider the economic factor, of course). Actually, Masia deserves a review of her own: remember when we went to the summer music festival in our second summer, when after a year we went with my future husband to St. Petersburg, when we stayed in her in Tsarskoye Selo... After the wedding, we went to Suzdal and wherever we go, she's always there. Remember that I got my driver's license in 2005 and it took me a year to save and buy my first car in 2007. I can drive for hours, I can drive at night... Remember when we went to the dacha and I drove at 130-140 km/h when she was new, and I passed to 4x4. Now I understand that I was a bit crazy). If I hadn't wanted to get to the hospital just at the beginning of the contractions, I would have driven myself there). One day before giving birth, I still drove, although the baby was already very big for me to fit in the seat). Throughout the time I've had her, I haven't had even a single accident, not even a small one. My father taught me how to drive in 1997, when I was 12-13 years old, in an old DAEWOO 9)

What I want to say is that what happened to me was really terrifying!!! I realized that I would need a good budget to repair Masia, and just now we're looking for a new house, and I'm in a difficult time because I'm on maternity leave… How am I going to get on the bus and the metro? Where am I going to buy what I need and where am I going to take it afterwards? How much is it going to cost? Why are there so many unknown station names? Am I still in Moscow or am I already in the future?) I haven't been on the metro or the bus in more than 10 years…

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And then... It seemed like I had found the solution! The ad "This is not our car" is probably something that only a blind and deaf person wouldn't know. They've even created it for the animations on YouTube, and my daughter quotes it literally). And it's probably that everyone has seen Belka!) Sorry, officially BelkaCar.

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Belkacarxa0

Since we're getting to the practical part, carsharing is, in my opinion, the short-term rental of cars. It works through an app on your phone, which is easy to download and install.

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Where can I download the BelkaCar app?

On AppStore or on Google Play, searching for BelkaCar

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In Moscow, there are several similar services, and I'm currently using 4 of them and have tried 3 of the most well-known apps. Over time, I'll also share my experiences with other services and make a comparison. But today, I'll talk about my first and most studied carsharing, which is Belka.

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Something I want to highlight about this experience. If people are really interested in knowing more, don't trust all the comments you see in this section. Before writing my review, I did a brief research, and now that I've published it, I plan to contact the customer support team of the website. And you, do you believe in profiles with only three-sentence comments that promote a company and present strange arguments? The rating is 2.8...

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I liked sharing a bit about myself at the beginning)

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In one of those comments, I saw something very strange about how after providing your personal data, someone started receiving strange calls, and almost asked to take out a loan. A horror story!

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So, is it really?

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Yes, you have to provide some documents. This is:

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- Two pages of your passport, with photo and address

- Copies of your rights (both parties)

- Information about your credit card. For making payments for trips.

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At first, it made me a bit nervous, but on the other hand, how many online purchases do we make every day?

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- A photo with your passport (this was the most complicated part for me, my passport didn't fit in the camera)

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By the way, the documentation requirements are the same for all car rental companies, at least according to my research.

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What surprised me in the users' opinions, not only in Belkacar, but in all carsharing services. If you're reading this, I recommend checking the date when the opinion was published. In many cases, the opinions are from around two years ago, when these services were still starting to gain popularity and all companies mentioned the need to go to the offices to sign contracts or have a delivery person come to your home (at your expense). These data are no longer up-to-date! Nowadays, everything can be done electronically through the app, where you sign the contract and don't need to go anywhere.

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Who can use these services?

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To register for KIA Rio/KIA Rio X-Line, you need to be at least 21 years old and have at least 2 years of driving experience.

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To register for Mercedes-Benz CLA/GLA, you need to be at least 25 years old and have at least 5 years of driving experience.

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Another tip (which someone had already mentioned, but I'll repeat it because it's very useful). If you plan to make your first reservation, register in advance, as the verification of your documents may take a bit of time (from my experience, around an hour or two). If you don't have time to do it in advance, don't worry, but I recommend doing it before starting to use the service. The app installation is very simple: you just need to upload 5 photos, provide your credit card number, and you're ready to reserve a car and drive.

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Belkacar skrin del menú de la aplicaciónxa0

The prices and the cars.

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As for the prices, I think they're similar in all carsharing services. In general, it costs around 7-10 rubles per minute in a standard vehicle. There are some variations in the pricing depending on the time of day, but in Belkacar, these differences don't apply.

Of course, the majority of car rental companies have several options of economical vehicles and, of course, some high-end models with higher prices. In my case, the Mercedes Benz is the premium option that catches my attention. I haven't had the opportunity to drive it yet, but I'm eager to try it.

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I'll take a moment to talk about the Mercedes, as it's the topic that made me remember this advantage of car rental: the possibility of trying out brands and models that I've never had the chance to drive before. And not only that, but in many cases, it's the first time I've seen a particular vehicle in my life (and, of course, that includes my relationship with the Mercedes, which isn't among my acquaintances).

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Naturally, there's also a negative side to this coin. Experienced drivers will know what I'm talking about, and I'll get back to this later.

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For now, I'd like to talk a bit about Belka's vehicle park. A interesting feature is that all the cars are equipped with automatic transmissions.

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Belka offers three categories of prices:

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KIA RIO, Ford Fiesta - 8 rubles per minute

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KIA RIO X-LINE, VW Polo - 9 rubles per minute

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MERCEDES Benz, which I've already mentioned, - 14 rubles per minute.

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Of the more economical options, I've only seen KIA RIO, and not even once have I seen Ford in my area or on the app map.

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And of the other options at 9 rubles, exactly the same thing. I've only been able to drive the KIA RIO X-LINE, and the VW appeared very rarely. Well, while I was writing this post, I managed to capture one of those rare cases.

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By the way, of these two models I tried, I liked the X-LINE more, both in terms of description and... how to put it... the quality of handling and the precision of the brakes. The RIO, on the other hand, seemed a bit... out of adjustment.

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Dear readers, if someone knows why I sometimes see the Mercedes on the app at lower prices, around 9-10 rubles, please share it in the comments. I haven't been able to find any information about this.

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Now that we've talked about the cars and prices, let's move on to the driving experience. I'll try to describe it step by step.

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You need to open the app and find the nearest car. When you find it, you just tap on it (to see more details).

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At that moment, you'll see the car's brand, the price per minute, and the amount of fuel left (how many kilometers you can drive).

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If everything is to your liking, you click on reserve and immediately head to the car. You have 20 minutes for free to get there. If you can't make it on time, the reservation is saved, but it costs (around 2 rubles, as you can see in the screenshot).

When you arrive at the car, you realize that you forgot to mention that the route is shown on the map. If the car is in a place with many other cars (like a parking lot), you can use the alert function to help you find it. You just need to click on the alert and the car will emit an alert sound and a signal.

Once you're in front of the car, you click on the inspection button. This is the most important part. You need to inspect the car to look for damages and dirt, take photos of the defects, and use a small inspection form to mark common damages and upload the photos. But sometimes, unusual situations arise, which I'll talk about later.

In addition to the exterior inspection (chassis, wheels…), the interior cleanliness (and the absence of cigarette smoke) is also evaluated, whether the charger works correctly, and above all, whether the necessary documents are found (vehicle documents, Ocaso insurance, and fuel card).

Before moving on, I want to clarify that I still haven't had to refill the gas in the carsharing cars, so if someone has done this, look for the information elsewhere. But in my opinion, it doesn't seem very complicated.

If everything goes well (or you've noticed that it's not, but you can still proceed – for example, a dirty mat), then you sign the rental agreement in the app, the vehicle reception act, and you're off. Time passes, and the minute counter runs out.

If possible, it's better to adjust the seat and mirror before the time runs out. It's also important to make sure you're securely fastened and turn on the heater if needed.

What I don't like: in any new car, you don't know exactly what adjusts, where it is, and how it works. For me, the Kias were initially like a dark forest, only after several trips did I get used to it (and I have to admit that my father has a Kia Rio, so I'm not an expert in cars).

The story of when I couldn't drive a VW from another car rental service is interesting, but it's another story. The good thing is that I found a familiar Kia.

Anyway, the first inconvenience of car rental services is that you get used to your car (yours). In reality, it's not that you get used to another car, but I realized that I can drive my Matiz with my eyes closed, change anything without looking, and, of course, while doing other things like eating a sandwich, drinking coffee, painting my nails, knitting, and writing text messages (I hope they understood the joke). But my first trip in a new car was like taking the driving test again.

Also, I like compact cars, not sedans. When thinking about buying a car, I only consider hatchback options. I can fit into any corner and park wherever I want (within traffic rules). In carsharing, every time it's like saying hello to a new car. I feel like I'm in a tank. Thanks to Belka, which offers hatchbacks, the Solyaris sedan seemed even less practical in terms of size. However, without focusing on myself, I understand that my friend, who switched from a large SUV to a Kia, would find it just as uncomfortable, or even worse… In short, I think the idea of adaptation is clear.

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Let's move on. The free reservation time. If you're walking down the street and suddenly decide to drive – no problem. If you're walking with a 4-year-old who doesn't hurry – worse…. If you're at home, in winter, and need to drive with the child – it's even worse. My daughter spends the first 10 minutes of the free reservation time asking "What shoes should I wear?" and the next 10 minutes running away from the hat((( In short, our speed to leave the house isn't our strength, and we also need to get there… "Oh, puddle, oh, leaf, oh, snowflake, oh, cat, oh, I fell down..". In short, it's better to reserve when you only have jackets left, and put the child on your husband's shoulder and run, run, run…

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And something more! I'd like the creators of Belka to read my review. I'd love it if the cars had child safety seats. If we're visiting – no problem, we take our own. But if we're going for a walk in the park? Walking with a safety seat for 4 hours in VDNKh, for example, isn't very comfortable. Yes, I'm ashamed, sometimes I have to break the rules in the district… A toy cushion under the backrest, a seatbelt, my husband or mother next to me with the child… But I want more safety and comfort.

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Belkacar

With my daughter, by the way, I don't get into car rentals, it's uncomfortable holding her hand, checking the car, and taking photos at the same time, and before putting her in the car, I'm afraid she'll feel uncomfortable. Also, the issue of the seats I mentioned earlier is a problem.

Belkacar with us and grandma

Since excursions are managed relatively well, let's move on to the financial part. My trips were mainly economical, around the neighborhood, to the old apartments to pick up some things and take a walk in the park. 150-250 rubles. Everything worked smoothly, I received a detailed report on the trip by email and even a receipt.

I think this screenshot would even serve as a supporting document)

I haven't been charged any additional fines so far, thanks to luck.

I remember that once I had a strange situation with my KIA RIO X-LINE. It was a new one, still with that factory smell and only 150 kilometers on the odometer. Apparently, it wasn't fully adjusted yet. I got on the bus and rode several stops in the city center, which took me 18 minutes. Instead of paying the usual 140-160 rubles for that route, I was charged more than 300. It seemed like something wasn't right. Immediately, I called the customer support team to ask why I was charged such a high amount. They replied that, according to their records, I had driven 117 kilometers in 18 minutes. 117 kilometers in 18 minutes! What speed was that? It seemed like a bad joke to me.

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They promised to take care of the problem. And indeed, just an hour later, I received the funds back on my card and an email with apologies. I thought it was a very positive gesture from the company.

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I've found myself in awkward situations, but I've also learned from them. One of the first was when I tried to make a reservation, but I realized I hadn't checked if the windshield wipers had wiper blades. It didn't come to mind to check before starting. The reservation couldn't be completed because I found a problem with accessing the garage, and I didn't want to pay for the waiting time. I got to a safe place, finished the reservation, and called support. They reminded me that I had forgotten to check that point and advised me to do it before finishing. It was a valuable lesson.

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The next time, I didn't notice a crack in the windshield, it was getting dark and snowing. They asked me to call when I arrived at the location, but I didn't finish the reservation. They put me in inspection mode, I took photos of the crack, and finished the reservation. Thanks to the flexibility of the company, there were no penalties for my lack of attention.

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There's a case that makes me laugh. They called me to ask if I had found a black jacket in the car. It seemed very strange to me, as I hadn't left the house or driven the day before.

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The availability of the cars. I often don't pay attention to where the cars are, but sometimes I visit the parking lot to see what's there. At night, they usually are in the area, but during the day, it's harder to find them. Occasionally, I take screenshots to show the availability over time.

I love seeing the cows together

The cows together are a spectacleOnce I saw a large group of cows near my house, but just as I was about to make my first reservation, I discovered that the car was blocked in a parking lot by a driver who had gone to the supermarket. I had to cancel that reservation, take another car that was nearby, and while I was leaving, I saw the driver returning with his purchases

And now, the results.

The freedom to use the car at any time.All the cars have automatic transmissions.A very affordable price.The foreign cars in the park are quite attractive.The app is very easy to use.The customer support team is friendly and always willing to help.I haven't found a single dirty or smelly salon.

Belkacar

There are very few cars available, and they're not always near my house, at least in my rural area. I'd like them to expand.The cars don't have installed child safety seats! I would have liked to see this problem solved.Sometimes, in the app, abandoned cars without fuel appear.

4. Very short reservation time. I would have liked to have at least 30 minutes.

But, on the last point, I have to clarify that Belkacar's system, which gives me 20 minutes of free reservation time anywhere, seems better to me than the competition's system, where the reservation time is calculated based on the distance and forces me to run!

So, in summary, I recommend carsharing services in general and Belkacar in particular. It's very convenient, and I'm glad there are options like this. Of course, as a car owner, I have my limitations, as I mentioned earlier. But now, Belkacar is helping me a lot.

I give it 5 stars, despite the cons, hoping they'll improve over time.

PS. I realized I had something else I wanted to add. Sometimes guests come to the house, and there's a decision to make: take a drink or get behind the wheel? (For me, it's something I don't worry about, I always choose to get behind the wheel, as I don't drink). Maybe, even, I hope there are these services to reduce the number of accidents where people think: "Let's take a couple of drinks and then we'll drive carefully home" (then we could drive in a rental and go back in a taxi or bus, as you prefer).

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A big thank you to everyone for reading my review and driving safely!