More Than 50 D.C. Residents to Receive Refunds in Getaround Case

The car-sharing company Getaround will pay $75,000 and refund more than 50 D.C. residents after the Office of the Attorney General found the company misled customers about insurance coverage and charged large, unexpected damage fees, under a new settlement announced by D.C. Attorney General Brian L. Schwalb.

The agreement resolves an investigation by the Office of the Attorney General that concluded Getaround violated District consumer protection law and broke the terms of a 2021 settlement with the city. 

“This settlement puts money back into the pockets of D.C. residents who were misled by Getaround and charged large damage fees after being led to believe that they were covered by insurance,” Schwalb said.

Getaround has since stopped operating in North America, but the settlement requires the company to reform its practices and notify the District at least 90 days before resuming any business in Washington. The company operated as a peer-to-peer car sharing platform that allowed residents to rent vehicles from individual owners who listed their cars on the service. 

In 2020, the Office of the Attorney General received reports of more than a dozen car thefts tied to vehicles on the platform. Investigators found that Getaround’s practice of leaving keys unsecured inside cars and publicly displaying the precise locations of available vehicles appeared to make thefts easier.

“Over 50 Getaround cars [were] either stolen or windows broken, according to Metropolitan D.C. Police. All this is happening by Getaround providing location of vehicles on their own platform to the [thieves.] This has been happening for over [three months] now and Getaround has not done anything,” one social media user wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, in January 2020.

Following that initial probe, the company agreed to make immediate security changes to better protect vehicles listed on the platform.

The 2020 investigation also uncovered evidence that Getaround misled users about the safety and security of the service, which in some cases led to cars being damaged or stolen. The Office of the Attorney General further found that the company had failed to collect, and remit required sales tax for car rentals in the District.

In 2021, those findings led to a settlement that required Getaround to pay $950,000 in back taxes and penalties, obtain the necessary business licenses to operate legally in Washington, improve its customer support, and clearly disclose the terms of any vehicle insurance coverage it offered through the platform.

According to the Office of the Attorney General, a subsequent investigation determined that from 2022 through 2025 the company continued to operate in violation of both that 2021 agreement and District consumer protection laws. The latest probe found that Getaround misled users about insurance coverage and did not clearly disclose exclusions, which left some customers facing large and unexpected damage fees.

Investigators also concluded that the company misrepresented its customer service hours by claiming to offer around the clock support, misled users about how cars and drivers were vetted, and continued to operate in Washington without the required business licenses.

Under the new settlement, Getaround must pay $75,000, which includes refunds for more than 50 District consumers who were misled about insurance coverage, charged significant damage fees, or had insurance claims improperly denied. Any remaining funds after those refunds are paid will go to the District as penalties.

The company must also notify the Office of the Attorney General at least 90 days before restarting any business in Washington and submit its complaint resolution policy for review before resuming operations. In addition, Getaround is required to follow all District consumer protection laws, accurately disclose the terms of any insurance coverage it offers, and stop making misrepresentations about platform security features.

“My office will always protect D.C. consumers from companies that seek to profit through deception, ensuring that all lawful businesses can compete in the District on a level playing field.”