Smug car owners will tell you that driving in London makes life soooo much easier. (Did they also mention insurance, the congestion charge, costly parking permits and £100 parking tickets?)

WhipCar is a neighbour-to-neighbour car rental service that will help you get around town — and around those egregious bills. It’s kind of friendly. Enter your postcode to see cars available nearby, each rated with an eBay-style star system and comments from previous borrowers, so you know what you’re getting into. Pick one that looks reliable and off you go to Ikea, an afternoon in the country or taking your friend to the airport.

If you’ve got a car — you lucky thing — you can set yours up for borrowing (no cost to you). Enter its details (automatic, manual, navigation, convertible) and name your price depending how precious you are about your wheels. Once you get a request to rent, WhipCar will check the driver’s history with the DVLA, take care of insurance and coordinate a convenient meeting spot. Let your car help pay for itself. Someone’s got to.

For more information, go to whipcar.com.

Photo: Library of Congress / Flickr