How to Create a Car-Sharing App Like Turo: A Detailed Guide

Published on November 13th, 2024

The idea of car-sharing has taken to itself an old concept. The availability of car sharing is worth reconsidering in the manner of dealing with the urban landscape, and it presents a beacon light of getting out from transportation difficulties in big city crowds. With several taps on the smartphone, one can easily find, book, and access the vehicle, while usage of only what one pays for increases the popularity of such platforms. Such a demand boom yields a great business opportunity for entrepreneurs and developers.

If you are interested in developing a car-sharing app like Turo, then you’ve come to the right page. The next section is an all-inclusive guide that will walk you through all the necessary steps required to make sure you create a successful car-sharing platform. Right from doing market research to understanding the needs of users, designing a friendly interface, and putting in robust security measures, everything will go into making this app come alive and thrive in this competitive market. Buckle up for a thrilling ride into the world of car-sharing!

What is a Turo App?

Now, let’s dive down and build a car-sharing app, but first, let’s learn what Turo is and how it works. Turo is a peer-to-peer car-sharing platform that enables users to rent out their vehicles to others on an hourly, daily, or weekly basis. It provides a way through which car owners can capitalize on their unused cars, while for the renters, it is a hassle-free yet pocket-friendly alternative to using traditional rental car companies.

Turo a car-sharing app was launched in 2009; it has come of age significantly in the past years and is now the biggest car-sharing company. Today, the company is operational in over 5,500 cities across the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. The automobile marketplace comprises more than 10 million users and has over 350,000 vehicles on its listing. Its well-built user interface and very efficient booking process coupled with excellent customer service make Turo very successful.

Also Read: Top 15 Car Rental Apps You Need to Check Out

Market Stats Analysis

• The car-sharing market will be approximately around $12 billion in 2025, with a CAGR of 24.3%.
• Half or more of the car owners in cities are eager to get some extra money by getting out of the car.

Global Car Rental Market

• The global car rental market is estimated to grow by some $20 billion in size between 2021 and 2026.
• Some 25 percent of the users are millennials and this seems to suggest car sharing is increasingly appealing to more young people.
• The number of vehicles on the roads of San Francisco and New York would decrease by over 15 percent with car sharing which also reduces carbon emissions.
• More than 70% of the users said they would prefer car-sharing services compared to traditional rental as it is convenient and inexpensive.
• Turo has seen a 30 percent year-over-year increase in listings, which illustrates that personal vehicle renting is becoming increasingly accepted.

Top 5 Apps Like Turo for Car Rental

Here are the top 5 car rental apps like turo available in the market, along with the rating and popularity of users:

7 Essential Steps to Develop a Car Rental App Like Turo

Do you aim to get your hands in the car-sharing business and develop an  App Like Turo;

Here are 7 essential steps that may guide you through the process :

1. Extensive Market Study

Conduct ample market research in advance to know the prevailing trends and demands in the market. It would let you know what the market is missing out on, and accordingly, you would align your app to fulfill the requirements.

2. Tech Stack 

The right tech stack for your app: It’s probably the most critical aspect that will decide the fate of your app. You need to make a clear decision regarding compatibility with different platforms, simplicity in scalability, and various security options while deciding on the tech stack.

3. Create a UI/UX Design

To build a great app, user-friendliness as well as the proper navigation process should be there. Invest to ensure you are designing an attractive interface that is easy to use to improve the user’s experience further.

4. Development

Finalize the tech stack and design of the project t, andhen it’s time to start coding and app development. This important development stage focuses on the crux of making your application engaging and easy to use. Ensure the changes are not too overwhelming with the help of best practices in the industry, like clean, readable code, and its maintenance along with proper versioning.

It consists of running regular checks with regard to bugs or defects in the development cycle of your application. With unit testing, and also user testing, bugs can be easier to pinpoint for successful deployment and an even more pleasurable experience for your users.

5. Testing and Quality Assurance

Actually, one of the most important development stages for an app is not skippable and happens to be testing. This is not only a way to ensure that the app performs well, but it also allows bugs in the process of development. This process goes on to play a very significant role in the overall experience of the user. It’s not just technically checking, but quality assurance also includes some user testing sessions to gather feedback from real users.

This would make it an indispensable tool to understand how the app performs in real-life and where developments are required. Systematic rectification of any bugs and implementation of user suggestions can thus make the app more useful, reliable, and a successful launch with sustained user engagement.

6. Launching and Marketing

Once the app has been developed and tested, it is ready to be launched into the market. That action to complete this step is developing a strategic marketing plan to target that desired audience for your app. All digital marketing techniques, from social media campaigns to email marketing and influencer partnerships to app store optimization, play to more visibility and downloads for good. Then you can solicit reviews by reaching out to technology journalists or bloggers and requesting them to cover your app on appropriate platforms with an intention to generate publicity in the market.

7. Maintenance and Updates Over Time

The release of the app is not an endpoint of app development but is a starting or an entry point for ensuring that the app will continue to be under surveillance, maintained, and updated so that it remains valid, operational, and safe for use. Countless bugs will probably be discovered, some new features will have to be added based on public opinion, and compatibility issues will have to be sorted out with newer devices or operating systems.

Suggested: Steps To Build A Car Rental App Like Enterprise

Key Features of Apps Like Turo

A car rental app development solution, to be successful must comprise a lot of features within it to meet the satisfaction of service providers and users. While developing such an  App Like Turo, some of its principal elements mentioned below must be included:

For Renters

1. Advanced Search Filters

The application should allow a user to filter his results so that he can give meaning to the facts of his desired vehicle, including type, location, range, and availability. This way, the user will find his rental car within minutes.

2. Clear Pricing

Users must be aware of the amount that a specific car rental will cost, including additional surcharges or taxes, before making a reservation. This would then ensure a maintained relationship with users and opposed to surprise at the checkout point.

3. In-app Navigation

The in-app navigation will facilitate users to the location for rental car pick-up with real-time directions

4. Secure Payment Processing

Need to have the facility of secure payment by credit/debit card, PayPal, or any other digital wallet for ease of easy and secure transactions.

5. Powerful Review System

Facilitating the facility of reviews and ratings for the users for their rental experience will create trust in the application and yield precious feedback for the service provider.

Car Owner Panel

1. Ease of Car Listing

It will be easy to list cars in the application: owners will list their cars with the need for only the basic information. What brand and model of car it is; of what year; and its location.

2. Insurance and Protection

The application will need to offer coverage and insurance to all those who are owning a car so that they are protected from any form of damage or accidents of their vehicles in the period of rental.

3. Two-way Communication

There must be a messaging system between the owner and the car renter in a manner that every question or query reaches the appropriate party within the proper time.

4. Secure Payment Gateways

The dashboard of the car should display the dashboard of the renter. It must allow safe payment options so that all transactions go smoothly.

5. Rating System

They should be given a chance to give review and rating to their renters as well so that some precious feedback comes for the future rentals. It would bring up a certain amount of trust within the app both for the owners as well as for the renters.

Admin Panel

1. User Verification

An admin panel should have a check on the identity of a renter as well as the car owner so that it becomes utterly safe and secure for all users.

2. Geolocation Services

The rental app must have services related to location for ease in searching and booking of nearby rental options.

3. Dedicated Customer Support

The admin panel of this app should provide a dedicated support team that should ensure response to any queries about the operations of the app from the users.

4. Content Moderation

The Admin panel of the developed app should have built-in tools for content moderation watching the created content by the users and removing any inappropriate or offensive material.

5. Data Analytics and Reporting

The admin panel needs an application that tracks and analyses data to gain insight into how the user experience can be enhanced and thus inform business decisions.

How Much Does It Cost To Develop A Car Rental  App Like Turo?

The cost of developing a car rental  App Like Turo can be estimated through such multiple features, the complexity, and technology used. Nevertheless, here are general estimates for several components forming part of the mobile app development process.

How much does it cost to maintain an App Like Turo?

Of course, well disguised in the first costs of application development lie its maintenance and support over time, which more often than not measures well its continued success. Examples of these include work such as debugging while maintaining the smooth functionality, addition of new features and improvements with constant updates, and giving customer support to handle inquiries and issues from users.

It’s not, however, a one and done effort; there does exist a constant need for attention and resources in order to keep an app healthy. The cost of maintaining the applications appears to fall in the range of between $1,000 to $3,000 per month depending on the complexity of the apps, the volume of the users and the support level required. With that said, in such a way, the developer would know an approximate notion of the level of in-app functionality and what is the user base demand.

Must Read: 15 Best Ride-Sharing & Carpooling Apps

Why should entrepreneurs invest in car rental application development?

Regarding entrepreneurs, investing in car renting App Like Turo development offers many opportunities. First and foremost, it unlocks the growing market of peer-to-peer car sharing and allows entrepreneurs to seize those opportunities-for instance, more and more people seek alternative ways of travel because of ride-sharing services like Uber and Lyft.

1. Ride the Wave of Expansion

Car renting is also expected to continue growing in the coming years. Indeed, it has managed to bank an estimated $124 billion by 2024. Therefore, investing in app development for this market places entrepreneurs in the right position to ride the wave of expansion and find a good stronghold in the industry.

2. Getting a Leg-up Over Competitors

With car sharing and ride-sharing on the rise, a highly developed app can be the competitive advantage for entrepreneurs. Other than an enhanced user experience, it most definitely keeps the business head in line from others within the car rental sector.

3. New Revenue Streams

An automobile application can bring new revenue streams to entrepreneurs. Other than the rental income, developers of the application may integrate ad-generating capabilities and other partnerships to increase revenue.

4. Scalability and Growth Potential

Further, they have a lot of headroom for scalability and growth, bringing many more customers while scaling the services up into different cities and countries with opportunities to increase their scale of profits. 

5. Valuable Data Insights

A ride-sharing application will bring to the forefront an advantage in relation to having valuable insights on the data. This one can be utilized for a better understanding in terms of user behavior, preference, and trends, thus allowing the entrepreneur to make good decisions in the business.

How can iTechnolabs help you build a car-sharing app like Turo?

iTechnolabs is the best mobile app development company. When they build custom mobile applications for a variety of businesses such as car rentals, entrepreneurial minds with our know-how and experience could be of help in developing an application similar to Turo tailored to suit their specific needs.

Our application developers and designers work in unison to develop an intuitive app, with an aesthetic quality that exceeds the present-day standards and expectations. Applying the leading-edge technologies and the best practices of the industry to your benefit, we ensure that the apps are not only up to the mark but exceed your expectations.

• Custom Development: We come up with a unique solution directly based on your business requirements, so it is guaranteed that the application follows your vision and objectives.
• User-centric designers: That core is intuitive and engaging user experiences, and our design team never complicates it for the user to move around the app efficiently.
• Strong tech stack: Ensure that your app would be right at the helm of scalability, security, and efficiency through latest technologies and frameworks.
• End-to-End Support: Full support throughout the development cycle, starting from the very concept through the actual deployment process. So, you are never at sea.
• Integration of Advanced Features: The value-added features include payment gateways, real-time tracking, customer reviews, and loyalty programs, all on demand, to make user experience and operations more efficient.
• Maintenance and up-gradation after the launch: We will support and update continuously after the launch of your application to make it perform efficiently and can introduce fresh features on the basis of responses received from the users and market trends .

Related: How to Create a App Like Zipcar: Car Rental App

Conclusion: 

Our wide experience and result-oriented efforts can help in transforming your innovative idea into successful reality. In essence, co-create the concept and the app like Turo – a combination which will not only differentiate it from the rest of competition that throngs the market today but give major business growth to your business.

Our designers are just a step away from working on the ideas we would generate with you so that every feature and design element can be aligned according to what your vision might be. A focus on UX and robust functionality. Your car-sharing platform is certainly a product that meets all the requirements of your target audience. Contact us today, take the first steps on your interesting path toward creating a top-tier car-sharing platform that will make its way to markets and, eventually, realize your vision.