“Rental cars are a great way to have fun and explore new places.” 

Barack Obama

In recent years, Car Rental services have grown in popularity, offering people a practical and economical alternative to acquiring transportation for their everyday requirements or trips. This post will assist you in learning how to build a Car Rental App like Ekar.

One of the most well-known and regarded brands in the business among the various automobile Rental firms is car rental applications like Ekar.

From short trips to long journeys, Ekar, a car rental app Dubai that offers users instant access to vehicles, has taken over the world. The app’s user-friendly interface allows users to book, unlock and drive cars within minutes. 

Apps like these continue to grow in popularity, providing a convenient experience for both commuters as well as travelers. According to the Statista report by 2027 online sales will account for 72% of the total revenue of the car rental segment.

If you’re seeking to build a car rental app like Ekar, you’ve come to the perfect place. With a focus on the top car rental applications available in the mobile app development market, we will examine the essential stages and factors to take into account while developing a successful car rental app in this post.

What is the Ekar App?

Ekar, a carsharing application founded by Maitha al Suwaidi & Bilal Kamal in 2016, is the fastest-growing service of its kind in the Middle East. The Middle East’s fastest-growing car-sharing service, Ekar, has over 10,000 vehicles available in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and Riyadh.

Ekar lets users rent cars by the minute, an hour, a day, a week, or a month. Users can cancel at any time and there are no contracts. Fuel, parking, and insurance are included in the price. Ekar has more than 1 million registered users.

An Ekar UAE car has logged over 100 million kilometers. Ekar has saved more than 1 million liters of fuel. It has prevented more than 1,000 tons of CO2 emissions.

Ekar is praised for its affordability, convenience, and environmental sustainability. It is an excellent option for those who only need a vehicle for a short time or are interested in a sustainable alternative to driving.

Market Size of Car Rental Industry

• Forecasts predicted that the global revenue of the car rental segment in the shared mobility market would continue to increase by 15,3 billion U.S. dollars (+14,71 percent) between 2023 and the year 2027. Revenue is expected to reach 119.3 Billion U.S. Dollars in 2027.
• By 2027, it is estimated that the market for car rental services will have 0.62 billion users.
• The projected user penetration for 2023 is 7.1% and 7.8% in 2027.
• The ARPU (average revenue per user) is expected at US$181.50.
• By 2027, online sales will generate 72% of the total revenue in the Car Rentals industry. Ekar has a revenue of $17,6 Million
• The United States will generate the largest amount of revenue (US$29.940.00m by 2023) in global comparison.

How Does a Car Rental App Like Ekar Work?

As you have already seen the immense popularity of car rental apps. Due to this, many businesses are investing in on-demand app development, to expand their reach to a huge target audience. If you are also among them, then you must first know how an app like Ekar operates. 

• Customers must download the car rental app Dubai and create an account to use it.
• After creating an account, customers can search available cars by location and date and select the car that best suits their needs.
• The app allows customers to make a booking, select the pick-up/drop-off location, and pay using the secure payment system.
• Rent-a-car customers can also view available vehicles, search for them, check pricing, and make reservations. They can also contact the company to get assistance.
• Users can also manage the rental, such as extending the period of rental, reporting any problems with the vehicle, and contacting the rental company for support and assistance.
• The app allows customers to return the vehicle and complete their rental at the end of the rental period.

Overall, car rental mobile apps like ekar Dubai make the car rental process more convenient and efficient for customers while also providing rental companies with a way to serve their customers better and increase revenue. However, with the ongoing demand for car rental apps, you can invest in a waterless car wash business in UAE for expanding your car rental business. 

Most Popular Car Rental Apps

Here is the most popular car rental app UAE that you must check out before you build a car rental app like Ekar if your own. 

Car Rental Apps	Available Platforms	Downloads	Ratings
Hertz	Android | iOS	1M+	4.3
Zipcar	Android | iOS	1M+	4.1
Skyscanner	Android | iOS	50M+	4.7
Hotwire	Android | iOS	1M+	4.0
Avis	Android | iOS	1M+	3.6

1. Hertz Car Rental App

Hertz is the best app for car rental that offers a mobile app for renting cars. You can use the app to search for cars, book a rental, check your history of rentals, and manage Hertz GoldPlus Rewards. It also includes features such as contactless check-ins, car selection, add-ons, etc. This is a convenient way to rent cars. The app is compatible with iPhone, iPad Touch, and Android.

2. Zipcar

Zipcar offers car rental services that allow members to rent cars on demand by the hour or even day. Users can unlock and book thousands of cars conveniently located using an app or website. This flexible, cost-effective and convenient alternative to car ownership encourages sustainability and reduces traffic.

It is a convenient and affordable solution for urban mobility. The company offers services mostly in the U.S.A. and Canada. This is one of the most affordable car rental apps. You can rent a vehicle on a daily or hourly basis.

3. Skyscanner

Skyscanner, a popular search engine for travel and mobile apps, allows users to compare and find flight, hotel, and car rental options. It gathers data from different airlines and travel agencies to provide users with an easy and quick way to find the best travel deals.

The popularity of this car rental app is due to its extra services, which allow users to book flights and accommodations. Users can get multiple services on one platform.

4. Hotwire

Hotwire is another app that has been doing extremely well on the market. It uses the same business model. Users can save up to 60 percent with its lucrative offers. So if you also want to expand your business and want to invest in an app like Hotwire, then you must take assistance from a car rental mobile app development services provider. 

5. Avis

The car rental company is based in Parsippany (New Jersey) and offers affordable rentals at a price that users can afford. The platform offers a wide range of cars and users can book either a self-driven or daily car. It focuses on safety features like child safety seats, roadside assistance, and other safety measures.

Must-Have Features to Build Car Rental App Like Ekar

It is important to consider who will use the app when listing features. The car rental app features should be geared toward three different audiences: customers, drivers, and app managers. As per the flutter app development company, below are the features that are essential to ensure that your car rental app is successful.

For Passengers

1. Two-factor authorization

The passenger should be able to register using an email address or contact number and then verify the password. This will ensure that their data is safe and secure to be used in the app.

2. Customized rides

Passengers should be able to customize the ride settings. The passengers should have the option to select their pick-up and drop-off location, time, language, driver gender, etc. The app should put the customer’s convenience first.

3. Live Vehicle Tracking

You should be able to track each ride, from the arrival of the driver to the end of the trip. They should be shareable, as passengers may want to let their families know the status of the ride in real-time.

4. Payment gateway

Don’t limit your payment options. Include as many payment options as possible, such as credit cards, UPIs, cash, app-coins, etc. Learn how to integrate mobile payment gateways.

5. Quick trip matching algorithm

The app will match drivers with passengers based on their preferences and then send out requests.

For Drivers

1. Driver Accreditation

When creating a profile on the ekar Abu Dhabi app, it is important to verify the documents and licenses that chauffeurs hold.

2. Management of rides

Allow the chauffeurs to accept/decline orders, manage their orders and find customers.

3. Route optimization

Maps can be optimized to show the fastest route, with minimal traffic, so that riders can finish a trip quickly. Learn how to include a geolocation into your app.

4. Language Settings

Give drivers English and other local language options to operate the app.

5. Order and Earning History

You can display the daily and monthly earnings of each driver.

For Admin

1. Interactive dashboard

You need a dashboard to see all the data from your app in real-time and in an organized way.

2. Content management

The admin decides what appears where and which content is shown to all users of the app.

3. Revenue Management

Managers should be able to view the complete history of all transactions and their revenues.

4. Vehicle Type Management

The manager must know the type and rate of vehicles, as well as their make.

5. Bonus payment system

The admins are responsible for the bonuses, discounts, and benefits that passengers and drivers receive.

Advanced Features to Include in Your Car Rental App

It is important when you build a car rental app like Ekar, you must add advanced and additional features to your app to stay ahead of the competition. These features can be included after the MVP launch to keep the cost down.

1. Camera Access

A camera in the app makes it easy for users to upload all the documents required to rent a vehicle. Driving licenses, ID cards, and many more. This will allow you to upload a photo of any vehicle damage at the time the vehicle is picked up. The user can quickly enter card details to make payments.

2. CRM

An excellent customer service interface will take your application to the next level. Integrating CRM allows Admins and Managers to easily manage customer relationships while distributing promotional emails, newsletters, etc. Here’s a guide on how to implement CRM in your business.

3. In-App Chat

This is by far the most convenient method of interacting with vehicle owners. Most users like the feature of offering different chat options such as text, voice, and video chat. Also, you can integrate this amazing feature when you create a taxi app at an affordable cost.      

Tech Stack Require To Build Car Rental App Like Ekar

Your app’s performance will be impacted by the technology and tools used by your team to build car rental apps like Ekar. So, create a unique app for car rentals by using the most popular technologies that are also used in on-demand taxi app development, a robust SDK, and secure payment methods.

• Kotlin and Java are the two most popular programming languages for creating native Android car rental apps.  
• Swift and Objective C are the most popular programming languages for creating native iOS car rental applications.  
• Flutter, Xamarin, and React Native are the most popular programming languages for creating cross-platform car rental apps. Android and iOS SDKs are also used.  
• MongoDB and MailChimp for databases  
• Twilio for notifications  
• AWS, Google Cloud, and Azure for storage  
• Payments: Third-party Integrations, PayPal, and E-Wallet

7 Steps to Build Car Rental App Like Ekar

In this section, we will discuss the step-by-step procedure to build a car rental app like Ekar. So let’s have a look: 

1. Define your Target Audience and Business Model

Identifying your target audience and defining your business model is the first step to building car rental app like Ekar. Understanding your target audience’s needs and wants will allow you to tailor your app so that it meets their requirements.

Decide whether you’re going to target a specific niche or provide a more general service. You should consider factors like vehicle types, rental durations, pricing models, and target locations. Market research will help you identify your competitors and their strengths and weaknesses so that your app can be differentiated from the others.

2. Select the Right Platform

Next, you need to select the platform that will host the best rental app. You can choose between a native or cross-platform application, depending on the budget and your requirements. Native apps are designed specifically for one platform such as iOS or Android and offer a seamless experience to the user with optimal performance.

Cross-platform apps are built with frameworks like React Native and Flutter. They can run on different platforms using a single codebase. This saves time and effort.

3. Designing the User Interface and User Experience

User interface (UI), and user experience (UX), are crucial aspects to develop a Car rental app like Ekar because they determine the way users interact with your application. Create a visually appealing, intuitive UI to allow users to navigate the app easily and complete tasks like vehicle browsing, bookings, and payments.

Make sure that the design adapts to various screen sizes and devices. Attention should be paid to the UX. The app must be easy to use and efficient. It should also provide a seamless user experience.

4. Frontend and Backend Development

Front-end development is the process of creating the best rental app, which includes the screens, buttons and forms. It’s important that your app is visually appealing, easy to use, and responsive. For better results, you must hire a car wash app development company who have expertise in app development. 

Back-end development is the process of building the logic on the server side that will power your app. This includes the database, the APIs, and other server functionalities. The backbone of your application is this section. It handles all the user data, bookings, and payments. You can choose the best technology stack to build your app based on your expertise and requirements.

5. Security and Privacy are Paramount

Apps that deal with personal data, payment information, or user data must prioritize security and privacy. Implement industry-standard security measures, such as SSL encryption and two-factor authentication to protect your user’s data against unauthorized access.

To ensure privacy for your users and to build trust, you should comply with privacy laws such as the GDPR, CCPA, and other applicable laws.

6. Test Thoroughly

It is important to thoroughly test your app in order to make sure that it is free of bugs, works smoothly, and offers a great user experience. Test all features, such as vehicle browsing, payment, tracking, and customer service.

Test the car rental app san francisco across different devices, operating systems, and network conditions in order to identify any problems before releasing the best rental car applications to the public.

7. Launch and Promote your App    

After your app has been thoroughly tested, it is time to release it to the public. Your best rental app should be published on Apple App Store or Google Play Store.

You can also promote it using various marketing channels, such as content marketing, email, paid advertising, social media, and more. Use search engine optimization techniques to increase your app’s visibility and organic traffic.

Cost of Developing a Car Rental Mobile App

A car rental company should determine the audience they are targeting and how many features they would like to have in the app before starting to build a car rental app like Ekar. The more complicated the app is, the higher the cost. So, when you hire an app development company, you should clear out the taxi app development cost that should be in your budget and affordable to you. 

The cost may seem reasonable if a company initially offers a small number of features. Car rental companies can Hire Drupal Developers and designers or freelancers on an hourly basis.

App development for a car rental service will cost between $8000 and $25,000. If you want to add technical parameters or additional features, the cost to build a car rental app could be higher.

Conclusion

A car rental app such as Ekar will do more than you think to transform your business. This app will open up many opportunities for growth and success.

In 2025, the total revenue in the rental car market is expected to reach $110,894.2 million, which will bring remarkable growth in this segment. This figure shows that now is the time to invest and build a car rental app like Ekar. What are you waiting for?

You can get the help of top-notch app developers to make the most out of this chance. They will ensure that you have a safe and hassle-free driving experience with an app such as Ekar. Also, if you hire a mobile app development company, it will help you streamline your growth and achieve a positive result.

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