One of the biggest drains on the family budget is running a car.

But more than 1,000 motorists in Bristol, as well as hundreds around the city, have found a way of driving themselves around without the normal costs involved.

Membership of Bristol's City Car Club saw a staggering 81-per cent jump in 2008, coinciding with the biggest drop in the sale of new cars since 1966.

And as the credit crunch continues to hit families in the pocket, the club is expecting to see more people joining this year, too.

City Car Clubs work by providing a pool of cars which are parked in designated spaces around the city and are available to be used at a moment's notice by anyone who is a member.

Rentals are by the hour and 50 miles of free petrol is provided each time. Savings come because apart from the £75-annual joining fee there is no need to pay for tax, MoT tests, insurance, repairs or depreciation.

The car clubs have been a hit in major cities like Bristol, where there are large numbers of motorists who only need to make the occasional journey.

But smaller towns and villages are also starting to get in on the act.

Last September, the North Somerset villages of Yatton and Claverham started up their own car clubs.

Schemes are also operating in Stowey Sutton and Chew Magna and parish councils in Blagdon and Wrington have also set up similar initiatives.

Many of the new members of the City Car Club have cited the credit crunch as the main reason for choosing the club instead of owning their own car.

Matthew Symonds, 33 from Southville, has been a car club member for five years, using the vehicles two or three times a week, and said there has only been one occasion when he hasn't been able to book a car.

He said: "I find it really convenient. It saves you the trouble of parking, there's no costs apart from the hire because servicing is all covered and there's always a nice new car to drive.

"I think if you can do most trips with other types of transport – like walking or cycling – and only use the car when you really need to, it's a great alternative."

City Car Club Bristol chief executive officer James Finlayson said: "Bristol motorists have always been early adopters of the club but recently numbers have shot up as the credit crunch has started to bite. Bristol is currently the fastest growing area in England for car clubs.

"In the past six months, more and more Bristol families and businesses have decided to join a car club as opposed to buying a car because it's so much cheaper, less hassle and environmentally-friendly."

At the beginning of this year, membership of the club stood at 559 and now it is 1014.

According to RAC figures, the savings of joining a car club are around £1,300 a-year for a family car doing 4,000 miles, without considering the capital outlay of buying the car in the first place.