Getting around
Car sharing, e-scooters and rental bikes in Berlin: what there is and what it costs
Buses and trains take you almost everywhere in Berlin. Sometimes, though, a car, a scooter or a bike is simply more practical: to the airport with luggage, home from a party at night, or along the canal for an afternoon. Here is what there is, roughly what it costs and what to watch out for so the ride does not end in a fine.
One app for almost everything Jelbi by BVG
Car sharing Miles from 0.79 euros per kilometer plus 1 euro to unlock
E-scooters Bolt, Dott, Lime, Voi, from age 14, never on the pavement
Rental bike nextbike and Call a Bike via app, traditional rental shops in the neighborhoods
01 Jelbi: everything in one app
Each provider has its own app. If you do not want to install five apps, use Jelbi, BVG's mobility app. It shows buses and trains together with rental cars, scooters, bikes and taxis, and according to BVG more than 90 percent of all sharing vehicles in Berlin are included. At around 400 Jelbi stations in Berlin, Potsdam and Kleinmachnow the vehicles are grouped together, often right at U-Bahn and S-Bahn stations.
02 Car sharing: Miles and the others
The biggest provider without fixed stations is Miles. You find a car in the app, open it with your phone and at the end leave it in a public parking space within the Berlin business area, where parking costs nothing. It charges by the kilometer, according to the provider from 0.79 euros for small cars, from 0.89 euros for estates and SUVs and from 1.09 euros for vans and premium cars, plus 1 euro to unlock. Fuel and insurance are included. For longer trips there are packages, for example from 39.99 euros for three hours. You need a driving license and a payment method; sign-up happens in the app.
There is also Free2move, likewise without fixed stations, and station-based services such as Sixt share and Flinkster, where you pick up and return the car at a station. Prices change often; the respective app shows the current ones before you book.
03 To the airport with Miles
At BER the Miles cars are in car park P4 at Terminal 1. A small extra parking fee applies there; the app shows the amount before you book. Roughly what the trip costs, calculated at 0.79 to 0.89 euros per kilometer plus 1 euro to unlock, not including the airport parking fee:
| Route | Kilometers | roughly |
|---|---|---|
| BER to Ostkreuz | 23 | 19 to 21 euros |
| BER to Alexanderplatz | 25 | 21 to 24 euros |
| BER to the main station | 28 | 23 to 26 euros |
| BER to Zoologischer Garten | 29 | 24 to 27 euros |
| BER to Spandau | 38 | 31 to 35 euros |
For comparison, a Berlin ABC ticket costs only a fraction, and the FEX reaches the main station in 23 minutes. The car pays off mainly for two or three people with lots of luggage, outside rush hour. All train and bus connections are in From BER into the city.
The classic
Driving through Mitte
Traffic jams, roadworks and hunting for parking. For sights in the center you are faster on foot and by U-Bahn.
Kieznah tip
By rental bike across Tempelhofer Feld
Ride along the old runways once, with no cars, no traffic lights and a view of the airport building. More in our 12 places off the path.
04 E-scooters: handy, but with rules
In Berlin you will find scooters from Bolt, Dott (formerly Tier), Lime and Voi, each with its own app. Usually you pay an unlock fee of up to 1 euro and then a per-minute price that ranges roughly between 15 and 28 cents depending on the provider and offer. You may ride from age 14, alone and only on cycle paths or the road, never on the pavement. The same alcohol limits apply as for driving a car.
Parking is where it gets tricky: where there are fixed parking bays for scooters you must use them, and within 100 meters of one, parking on the pavement is forbidden. By the end of March 2025 there were already 492 such bays across Berlin. Otherwise, park the scooter parallel to the curb and leave at least 2.30 meters of pavement clear. Scooters are not allowed in parks such as the Tiergarten or Park am Gleisdreieck, and the apps usually slow you down automatically there. Badly parked scooters can be towed, and that can get expensive.
05 Rental bikes: the nicest way to see Berlin
Berlin is flat and has plenty of cycle paths, ideal for a day on two wheels. Via app you can rent bikes from nextbike, according to its current price list 1.50 euros per 15 minutes and at most 19 euros a day, and from Deutsche Bahn's Call a Bike, with stations and a flexible zone in the city center. If you want a bike for several days, go to a traditional bike rental shop in the neighborhood, where a regular bike costs roughly 10 to 15 euros a day depending on the shop and an e-bike from about 25 euros. For ideas on nice routes, see our Ringbahn series and the Kiez atlas.