Cheap Car Renting App: Core Features and How To Build One

JenifferfosterJuly 12, 2023

Why is there a growing demand for developing a cheap car renting app? The reason is this – the car rental industry is performing well and growing in several countries across the world. The data and projection on this industry’s growth has an increasing aspect. And it is vital that businesses focusing on this sector need to develop a best car rental app.

Prospective customers will always need the best car rental finder, car rental software, or an online car rental system for the same. This sector is essentially a growing market with billions of dollars in potential revenue when determined by factoring in the growing mobile audience. So, companies interested in this niche offline can make more money if they invest in a seasoned car rental app development service. This way, companies can offer customers a smooth and simple rental experience by adding key car rental app features into a car rental app, making it easy for customers to hire a car from anywhere at any time.

And it just doesn’t stop there. The platform will also require services such as digital marketing for car rental apps as a marketing and promotion approach to help them get their app to the right audience. It will also act as an efficient method that will help car rental companies in building a competitive online brand presence.

So, without further ado, let’s go over all the key elements that your cheap car renting app will be needing such as core features and how to develop one with proper guidance.

Key Features to Include in a Cheap Car Renting App

Although car rental app features are multiple, we will identify a required set that must be met at its inception or shortly after the product’s release.

User Profile/Account (Personal)

The best car rental app may have a traditional authorization approach that uses email or social network confirmation. Although you may additionally provide your users both possibilities to pick from your online car rental system using professional web development services.

The following features should be included in the user profile of the car rental app:

user/customer photo/video
uploading of scanned document (ID, driver’s license)
address and other personal information
the option to select a preferred payment method
booking activity history (current and previous)

Considering the nature of the above-listed information, it is advised that you ensure in implementing suitable data security measures for your car rental finder app.

Integration of Global Positioning System (GPS)

You can solve a lot of crucial tasks through the use of the GPS capabilities in your cheap car renting app. Users can use this tool to quickly figure out the nearest available cars depending on their location, order a car without having to input their address every time, and follow its progress.

An app administrator of your car rental software can track a user’s trip behavior if required, which is important for security.

Catalog of Available Cars

Specific areas of the general list of available cars may include “premium” and ordinary cars while you go for expert car rental app development services. You may also include a filter for customers that contains multiple criteria such as brand, price, fuel efficiency, user rating, and so on as one of your car rental app features. This will be vital in improving your app’s user experience.

Vehicle Specification Card

The following key details should be shown in the car description:

Make and model of car
real photos
passenger seat count
transmission/gearbox type
fuel consumption
ratings/reviews/feedback from other users

Price/Rate Setter

Allow your prospective clients to rapidly assess car rental fees based on the distance they want to drive, rental period, car model, and so on. And never forget to opt for services that have a focus on digital marketing for car rental apps to make your app stand out among the competition.

Booking Routine

On the server side, this function handles a big volume of data, yet everything should be as easy as possible for users in your cheap car renting app. Allow customers to book a suitable car with the press of a button, change the waiting point and other settings as needed, and cancel the booking if wanted.

Payment Methods

Include online payment options in your car rental app without any second thoughts. PayPal and credit cards are the most often used payment methods among the best car rental apps. If the user picks up or returns the car to the rental center, you may additionally provide the option of paying in cash.

Push Notifications

This essential feature is a must-have if you’re developing a car rental finder app, since it helps both customers and company owners:

Send a reminder one day and 5 or 6 hours before the exact time if the client placed a rental booking far in advance
Send another reminder if the rental time is about to expire in your online car rental system
You may also remind your clients to provide a review/rating after the ride

This is a highly effective digital marketing for car rental apps. You can add the following car rental app features as extras:

Loyalty program: You can award your customers extra points for their first ride or for a set number of rides in your car rental software. They can use these points to pay for their upcoming rides entirely or partially. Additionally, you may use unique codes as part of promotional actions or giveaways.
Referral program: Allowing customers to share a referral link to the app download page with their friends is a dependable and reasonably affordable strategy to rapidly build your client base. Both parties receive benefits as a reward for using the service.

Another key goal is to develop the admin panel. Your app will be inefficient and difficult to manage without it. This is a rarely discussed practice, yet developing such a component takes time. So, make sure you speak about it to your chosen car rental app development partner.

A web interface is used to build the cheap car renting app’s admin panel, which should have the following features:

Information on rental and idle cars
Tracking the location of vehicles
The ability to add or delete a vehicle from the system, as well as modify and describe data
User profiles
Statistics on transactions and bookings
Statistics regarding real-time processes in general

These, in our opinion, are the key car rental app features that admins should have access to. Of course, you may extend, optimize, or enhance them over time.

How To Develop A Cheap Car Renting App?

Coming up with the best car rental app necessitates an in-depth understanding of the industry and the competitors, as well as the technical expertise required to create a successful and secure platform. Several critical steps are involved in the car rental app development process:

Begin by conducting market research to better understand your target audience and their demands

Understand the car rental finder app features of your competition

Following the completion of market research, establish the online car rental system’s functionalities using the optimal technology stack (programming languages, frameworks, tools, etc.)

A well-designed user interface is essential for generating a good user experience, and the app’s front-end should be built using the chosen technology stack. Go for expert UI UX design services for this

The backend infrastructure (server, database, APIs, etc.) that guide the cheap car renting app’s functionality is equally important as well

To verify that the car rental software works as intended and is bug-free, rigorous testing should be performed

Lastly, your online car rental system/app must be released on the Apple App Store or Google Play Store and constantly monitored to identify and resolve issues, as well as to introduce updates to improve the user experience

To develop a high-quality and best car rental app that satisfies the expectations of customers, it is critical to devote the required time and resources. It is also important to stay updated on industry trends and best practices in car rental app development. And make sure you carry out professional digital marketing for your car rental app with the help of an expert marketing agency

The Round-Off

A cheap car rental app helps business owners to become closer to their clients while also providing extra competitive benefits.

You may always start with the MVP and progressively add more features, continuously monitoring how your audience reacts to them. Analyze your competition, understand their app’s flaws, and apply them to better your product. This will benefit you in the long-run and help you tackle the fear of the same.

And if you partner with an established car rental app development expert, they will develop an optimal and competitive solution for you. So, make sure you carry out deep research before hiring one as well.