Vital Features to Include in Your Car Rental App Development

Worldwide, more and more urban dwellers now depend on car rental options due to several reasons such as traffic congestion, green energy promotion, and headaches of driving through long routes. While the business of car rental has a promising future, it is essential to consider mobile apps for car rental as well. Turo, Zipcar, Hertz, and GetAround are the epitome of software solutions showcasing that there are ample benefits to having a mobile app for car rental businesses because mobile apps are way easier to manage and market in the present-day digital landscape.

According to Global Market Insights, the car rental market had been valued at US $122.3 billion in 2022, and extending the trend it is to witness a whopping growth of 7.4% between 2023 and 2032 reaching a market value of US $245.1 billion.

Courtesy: Global Market Insight

Though the largest market share in this segment is North America, other continents are showing potential contributions today and many are planning it as future venture as well. Mordor Intelligence reports the study period of 2019 to 2029 shows the Asia-Pacific as the fastest car-rental growing market through car rental apps estimating a CAGR of 8% in the industry of cab riding.

What are the Benefits of having Features in your Car Rental App?

Good features are crucial for a car rental application’s performance. It provides users with smooth navigation and easy access to information in the app. Commuters should be provided with useful features to maintain their car rental app’s popularity.

Below are some of the cogent reasons to have top features in car rental apps:

Improved user experience

Customized features help you enhance user experience that makes the app keep running and the business attain success.

Here are some of the benefits of having an improved user experience as a car rental business booster:

Streamlined process: features automatizing tasks simplify the rental process saving users’ time and effort.

Enhanced convenience: features offer functionalities such as in-app payments, digital paperwork, and geo-specific services making users comfortable.

Increased loyalty: features of a well-designed car rental app foster positive UX making users loyal.

Increased efficiency and business competitiveness

The best features included car rental apps can do wonders in improving the app’s efficiency overall and thus help you sustain even the toughest market competitiveness.

Some of the benefits of having tailor-made features include:

Enhanced operational efficiency: features automate tasks such as cab booking, vehicle tracking, and communication to optimize overall workflows.

Data-driven decision making: features meant to provide valuable data and insights on user behavior to build a future roadmap.

Competitive edge: customization of features enables you to have your car rental business stand out from the crowd.

Building trust and brand reputation

They are the features that help build a brand reputation through users’ or customers’ trust. Features, in a way, convey the gestures of care that you need to show to them.

Here are some of the essential benefits:

Transparency& security: features that promote transparency such as unambiguous travel fare, vehicle details, and secure payment gateways build trust.

Enhanced customer service: customized features that facilitate flawless communication such as in-app chat/call service can enhance customer services.

Positive brand perception: the top features of the car rental app make it a well-functioning software solution increasing the positivity of the app for users.

Must-have user-friendly features in the car rental app

For now, you are aware of the importance of having the best features in car rental apps, it is essential to know what kind of features are must-have features for your cab riding business online. You can discuss these features with your car rental app development company to have these facilities and functions in your product to provide an astounding user experience:

Ergonomically Designed UI

You can offer your users a step into a marvelously organized car rental app where they can find everything that is strategically placed and easy to navigate. The user-centric design minimizes efforts, especially for those unfamiliar with the app, and offers a smooth experience from browsing available cabs to booking.

Secure Payment Options

Security is paramount when it comes to financial transactions. It is a must-have feature in a car rental app because it wins your business a user’s trust. Integrating secure payment gateways including trusted credit card companies and popular digital wallets allows users to have swift and secure in-app transactions.

Vehicle Selection and Filtering Options

A well-designed car rental app must have features of vehicle selection and options to filter according to user needs. For instance, commuters can filter the vehicle search as per the size, fuel efficiency, and passenger capacity. Must-have features in luxury car rental apps can further have filters for features such as sunroofs, infotainment systems, or navigation systems.

Booking Management System

The booking management system is one of the top features of car rental apps as it gives peace of mind to the app owner; it gets complete control over the car rental experience. This feature allows admins and owners not only to view and modify existing reservations but also to cancel them with ease.

GPS Navigation Integration

GPS-based features in car rental mobile apps are essential to provide accurate navigation to users and other concerned people. A seamless integration of GPS navigation straight into the car riding app offers easy navigation to pick up locations and tracking of their final destination while on the ride. Such features can be enhanced further with live traffic updates and economic route suggestions to help commuters make the right decisions and avoid potential delays.

Real-time Availability Updates

The car rental business is all about providing commuters the readymade solutions in the shortest possible time. The frustration of discovering a desired car to rent being unavailable upon reaching the source place will simply result in uninstalling the car booking app; thus, a car rental app offering real-time cab availability updates is a must-have user-friendly feature that can help you succeed. Such car rental app features eliminate uncertainty and provide users with instant information on vehicle availability.

Rental History and Receipts

A popular car rental app has feature of comprehensive rental history and receipts section to provide customers with an easy view of past booking details such as car type, rental duration, pickup and drop-off sites, and fares. For corporate commuters, the facility to easily access and download receipts directly from the car rental app is the best option.

Loyalty Rewards Program

Another must-have car rental app feature is the loyalty program straight into the app to incentivize regular commuters to choose app service repeatedly. Such programs offer tremendous benefits like points accumulation for redeemable discounts and free rentals. Such features encourage users to go for repeat bookings and ultimately foster a sense of brand loyalty.

Integration with Car Rental Insurance Options

Integrating various insurance options within the car rental app is a critical feature to empower customers to compare plans and understand coverage details. They can then make decisions and add necessary protection to their car rental. Such a feature eliminates the need for banking on third-party external apps or deciphering complicated insurance jargon.

Cost Calculator

Business transparency is essential for any venture and, therefore, the cost calculator is an important feature in a car rental app as it allows users to estimate the total cost of their cab rental while keeping several factors in mind such as car selection, duration of rental, vehicle mileage, and the insurance options. Such app feature builds customer trust because it eliminates hidden costs and unwanted surprises.

Panic Button

The next best feature of a car rental app is offering commuters a panic button, especially women customers. A customized GPS-enabled panic button feature right in the app car rental can allow users to instantly connect to emergency services or close associates in a single tap and precise location of the cab. Including this critical feature in car rental apps will definitely provide passengers peace of mind, sense of safety, and ensure prompt help in case of unforeseen circumstances or cases such as breakdown, abduction, medical emergencies, and so on.

Real-Time Analytics & Statistics

While most features in car rental apps are for customers or end users, a few could serve as the best tools for app owners and admins as well. For instance, as an app owner you can gain valuable insights into your car rental business in real time through customized features of real-time analytics and statistics.

You can track key metrics such as optimum route, vehicle utilization, popular cars among users, customer demographics, and most importantly booking trends. Such a data-driven study can get you actionable insights to build strategies for the cab booking business.

Moreover, a user can also have real-time analytics features that provided information such as their frequent car bookings, and overall fare spent.

Support and Chat

In the car rental business, emergencies are inevitable and can occur at any time. Imagine commuters encounter an unanticipated issue during their rental and seek immediate access to assistance. An instant and user-friendly support and chat feature within the car rental app will make it the best feature to foster trust and build positive customer relationships.

This user-friendly feature in a car rental app could have multiple support channels such as live chat, and video/phone calls. With the latest AI-enabled chatbots, one can provide 24/7 untiring support. The features can be further enhanced with multilingual support in case the commuter is from another location.

Ready to build a car rental app with best features?

With these must-have user-friendly features in a car rental app, you must pave your way to build a customized solution including other unique functionalities to get your car rental business to the top of the list with the best car rental apps on the market. You can find a top car rental app development company, put forth your idea of business, and discuss the feasibility of features before fixing up the budget and starting the project offshore.