Several car-sharing companies are considering launching or expanding in London, with the imminent closure of Zipcar’s UK operation leaving a large gap in the market in one of Europe’s biggest cities.

Free2Move, owned by the carmaker Stellantis, said it was “closely monitoring the London market”, and “actively assessing” options for its services. It already operates fleets in cities including Berlin, Paris, Rome and Washington DC.

Enterprise Car Club, which already has some cars in London, said it “will continue to seek out opportunities to expand our network and provide people with alternative transport options by the hour or day”.

Co Wheels, which operates across the UK and with a handful of cars in the capital, said it was “actively discussing” options with several London boroughs in recent days.

The peer-to-peer car-sharing companies Hiyacar and Turo also said they hoped to expand the number of car owners using their platforms in London.

Zipcar last week announced a plan to close its UK operation at the end of the year, in a blow to advocates of car sharing and to as many as half a million users.

London is seen as one of the most promising cities in Europe for car sharing because it has a big population that largely relies on public transport rather than owning their own cars to get around.

However, experts have said that the fragmented nature of licensing and parking prices across 33 London local authorities has been a huge barrier to car clubs. For instance, Zipcar’s floating cars, which have no fixed parking spot, were not allowed to park within the central borough of Camden and the City of London, among other areas.

Free2Move suggested that its interest was not at a developed stage, but that it might consider the city. Free2Move operates fleets of floating vehicles, which are accessed via its app.

It said: “London is among Europe’s most advanced cities when it comes to readiness for autonomous mobility, which makes it a particularly compelling market for us.