Table of contents
- What is Ekar Car Rental App?
- Must-Have Features in the Car Rental App like Ekar
- What are the Factors Affecting the Cost to Develop a Car Rental App Like Ekar?
- How Much Does it Cost to Develop a Car Rental App like Ekar?
- Develop a Feature-Rich On-demand Car Rental App with Us!
- Frequently Asked Questions
There are on-demand apps for everything. These apps' quality, speed, and convenience make on-demand a highly popular and profitable business strategy in all industries. One such sector is car rental.
The demand for car rental apps like Ekar has skyrocketed because of the expanding market for car rentals in the United Arab Emirates and other Middle Eastern countries. In 2021, it was valued at $885 million, and by 2029, it is expected to reach $1729 million.
However, developing an app like Ekar requires a significant amount of time and money. So, if you are thinking of developing a car rental app like Ekar and would like to know about it, its features, how much it costs to develop an app like Ekar, factors affecting mobile app development cost, etc - then we have curated this comprehensive blog for you.
Let’s dig in!
What is Ekar Car Rental App?
Ekar is a popular on-demand smartphone self-drive taxi booking app in the Middle East. It was developed by a self-drive mobility firm called Ekar LLC in Dubai in 2015 with the goal of revolutionizing the way that UAE residents can access transportation.
With over 500,000 users nationwide, the app swiftly rose to the top of the automotive rental app market in the Middle East and the United Arab Emirates.
With this app - the consumers can book, pay, and unlock the taxi rental services and you have to pay for the time, you have used the car. Initially, users have to find out which cars are available in their area. Next, they can reserve the self-driving car based on their needs and wait for delivery to their destination or arrive by walk-in. Then they can use the Ekar app to unlock the ride.
Its pay-as-you-drive business plan provides convenience with a variety of payment choices. Users can pay by the minute, hour, day, week, or month. Now that Ekar's services are accessible outside of Dubai, and users in Riyadh, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Sharjah can easily book a ride.
Must-Have Features in the Car Rental App like Ekar
User-side features in the Car Rental App like Ekar
1. Personalized rides: Passengers should be allowed to customize the ride settings. To improve client satisfaction and loyalty, they should have more options regarding language, driver gender, pickup and drop-off locations, and pickup times.
2. Real-time ride-tracking: Every ride should be trackable, from the arrival until the completion of the trip. These should also be shareable, as passengers want to share the live status of their journey with their loved ones for safety reasons.
3. Multiple payment options: Don't limit the ways your customers can pay. Include as many as you can, such as cash, app coins, UPI, debit cards, credit cards, and so on. Also, over time - you can understand your client preferences and pick the best ones to enhance user experience and streamline the checkout.
Also Read: 7 Profitable Business Ideas in Saudi Arabia!
4. User-friendly Interface: The success of any software that rents out cars is greatly dependent on how well-designed it is. In order to guarantee effective reservation operations, improve customer satisfaction, and encourage repeat visits, the software should be simple to use, enable users to examine available cars, and facilitate appointment scheduling easily, effortlessly, and quickly.
5. Channels for Communication and Help: Chatbots, in-app messaging, and user support hotlines are a few instances of effective channels for communication that enable users to ask questions, receive assistance, and have their issues resolved quickly. It increases customer trust and encourages more reservations.
6. Booking and Reservation Management: Users should be able to make reservations in advance, select the days and hours of their rental, specify pick-up and drop-off locations, and view contract terms and confirmations of reservations straight from the app.
Driver Side Features of Car Rental App like Ekar
1. Driver Registration and Verification: The very first driver-side feature is driver registration and verification. The drivers must go through a thorough registration process that includes submitting personal information, vehicle details, and relevant car documents like insurance, care papers, and other required documents to ensure only qualified drivers join the platform.
2. Profile Management: Profile management is another crucial feature that is much-needed in car rental app development like Ekar. It helps the drivers to seamlessly manage their profiles, including updating personal information, vehicle details, and payment preferences. They can also view their driving history, earnings, and ratings received from customers. This comprehensive data helps them with proper management.
3. Vehicle Management: Vehicle management is yet another important feature. Drivers need tools to manage their vehicles, including uploading and updating vehicle documents, scheduling maintenance, and reporting issues. It ensures that all vehicles listed are in good condition and compliant with regulations.
4. Booking Management: Drivers should have a system to manage booking requests, including accepting or declining rentals, viewing upcoming bookings, and checking rental history. All in all, they need real-time updates on reservations and cancellations to stay updated and schedule other rides accordingly.
5. Vehicle Tracking: GPS technology helps drivers track the location of their cars and optimize routes for convenient pick-up and return locations. This feature ensures smooth coordination between drivers and users, allowing for seamless transactions and optimal utilization of vehicles within the Ekar network.
6. Driver Support: Drivers require access to support services for assistance with any issues they encounter, whether technical problems with the app, customer-related issues, or vehicle troubles. This can include in-app support, hotlines, and detailed guides or tutorials. It ensures seamless operations and prompt problem resolution.
What are the Factors Affecting the Cost to Develop a Car Rental App Like Ekar?
1. Features & Functionality of the car rental app development
The features and functionality you wish to incorporate into your taxi booking app will determine how much it will cost to build one. At the absolute least, users should be able to safely make bookings, browse the available cars, and make purchases through your app.
Consider including features like GPS navigation, driver authentication, digital key access, and real-time vehicle tracking to enhance the user experience. Given that the complexity and extent of these features will have a significant impact on mobile app development costs. However, you must prioritize the right features based on the needs and preferences of your target audience.
2. The Tech Stack
The technical stack you choose has a big impact on your taxi booking app’s performance and pricing. Consider factors such as backend architecture, database management, third-party integrations, and platform compliance (iOS, Android, or both).
While native app development may offer a better user experience and efficiency than cross-platform development using frameworks such as React Native or Flutter, it can be more expensive and time-consuming. In a similar manner, selecting reliable car rental software solutions can ensure that your program operates well and is constantly updated, but it comes at an additional cost.
3. The App Development Agency's Location and Hourly Rates
The cost of car rental mobile app development like Ekar varies significantly depending on the hourly rates of app developers around the globe.
For example, hiring a developer in the US may cost you from $150 to $250 per hour, whereas in Europe, the same work may cost you from $120 to $180. Surprisingly, the cost of hiring a coder in India ranges from $40 to $80 per hour.
It is important to clarify that a lower price does not always translate into a lesser quality or higher price and also does not ensure the best results. So, you need to choose the best development company by evaluating their experience, portfolio, developers' skills, etc.
4. Data privacy and security
Any app that contains financial transactions or personal information must prioritize the security of user data and transactions. Although putting strict security measures in place and adhering to data protection laws raises the overall cost of development. It is a crucial part of winning over your users' loyalty and trust. So, while considering the total app development costs, you need to consider security and data privacy as well.
5. Quality Control and Testing
A thorough testing process is essential to producing a remarkable user experience. It takes time and money to incorporate functional, performance, and security testing; however, by investing early in the quality assurance process, issues can be found early in the development lifecycle and fixed more affordably.
6. Integration of APIs
An app that allows users to rent cars requires a variety of third-party services as well. So, you need to integrate API for added features and services which includes cloud integrations, email service, payment gateways, maps, SMS, push notifications, and more. While certain APIs may be available for free, others can have a pay-as-you-go or subscription model, which increases the overall cost of car rental mobile app development like Ekar.
How Much Does it Cost to Develop a Car Rental App like Ekar?
It may appear easy to estimate the cost of developing an app like Ekar, but it is not that simple. The app platforms, features, tech stack, organizational structure of the team, and overall complexity level are just a few of the many factors that significantly affect overall mobile app development cost.
The car rental app development cost is further influenced by the variable hourly rates of developers worldwide and their experience as well.
If you are looking to get a detailed estimate on how much it costs to develop a car rental app like Ekar, then you can reach our mobile app development company in Saudi Arabia. Our team can understand your requirements well and can provide you with a comprehensive cost estimate. Get your free quote now!
Develop a Feature-Rich On-demand Car Rental App with Us!
Here’s a wrap on the ultimate guide on how much does it cost to develop an on-demand car rental app like Ekar. By now, you might be aware of the fact that the rental car app business is growing at a never-before-seen rate.
Given the state of the automobile rental market, both now and in the future now is the ideal moment for you to enter the market with a killer mobile application. But in order to create a solid application, you need to work with a seasoned on-demand app development company like Sufalam Technologies.
You can hire app developers from our team to create a highly, functional and easy-to-use taxi booking app.
So, what are you waiting for? Schedule your free consultation now, get a comprehensive quote, and let’s get started.
Frequently Asked Questions
What cutting-edge features ought to be included in a taxi booking app?
For the protection of both clients and drivers, you can permit in-app calls and panic buttons so that they can alert managers right away in the event of an emergency and do not have to disclose their actual phone numbers. Make the app easily accessible and well-designed to enhance the user experience.
What role does an MVP play in the creation of apps for vehicle rentals?
A minimum viable product, or MVP, enables you to release a basic version of your app. It should include all the elements that are most important to you to test your concept, get user input, and create an app that consumers will love. It minimizes the risks connected with investing in a full-scale app while assisting in the reduction of development expenses and time-to-market.
