FULL-SCALE SOLUTION FOR LARGE CAR RENTAL COMPANIES

INTRO

Even though car rental business is growing in many countries, large operators and vendors face different challenges in managing orders and fleet assets. Business owners need to be more efficient, innovative, and competitive while saving resources. Therefore, a comprehensive, affordable, and customisable tracking solution, combined with process monitoring and automation, is becoming not only an attractive option but also a necessity.

CHALLENGE

According to ZIPPIA research, the global car rental market generates USD 40.65 billion in revenue annually. Its market size is expected to be worth USD 144.21 billion in 2027 and accommodate 602.2 million users by 2026.

These are very impressive figures, but the car rental industry, like any other, also faces considerable challenges. For instance, tracking bookings from start to finish, providing competitive customer service, transparency and a simple booking experience all the time, inappropriate driving challenges, and rising fleet maintenance costs, to name a few.

Let’s discuss a fairly common situation. Usually, business travel or holiday starts with picking up a booked vehicle from the car rental desk at the airport, or choosing and paying for it, if a person hasn’t done so in advance. The most annoying thing is arriving at the destination with hundreds of other people going to the same car rental company and then waiting for about an hour before you finally get the car keys. Later, a person also has to figure out which car in the bunch of white or grey ones in the car park is the right one and so forth.

Is it a customer experience one can dream of? Nope, the process is frustrating, time-consuming or even confusing, especially for foreign clients who hardly speak the local language. For the car rental company, this means more complaints, negative reviews on relevant online sources, reputational risk, fewer bookings, potentially higher operating costs, etc.

Is it possible to avoid this irritating queuing and confusion harmful to a car rental business by utilising IoT technology? Yes, absolutely. To address these major challenges and assist large car rental businesses, Teltonika offers a sophisticated and comprehensive solution.

SOLUTION

To demonstrate the solution, we choose the ADVANCED category vehicle GPS tracker Teltonika FMC150 – a compact 2-in-1 model with an integrated CAN bus data processor with more than 25 trackable parameters, a list of over 1,500 supported vehicles, 4G LTE Cat 1 connectivity, and the latest generation electronic components. This tracking device is also complemented by the wireless Teltonika EYE Beacon accessory with a dedicated app to ensure maximum results and efficiency.

FMC150 model should be installed and configured in every rental car. For a fleet of petrol vehicles, managers will be able to track and monitor fuel level (percentage or litres/gallons), total mileage, engine temperature, RPM, acceleration pedal position, vehicle speed, battery voltage, and seat belts, to say at least. For a fleet of electric or hybrid vehicles (EVs/HVs), managers can track battery level, voltage, current, and power.

EYE Beacon should be zipped on each set of keys given to customers. To make it work, the solution should also include an automated key distribution machine with lockers for keys and a dedicated mobile app.

How it works:

Step 1. A customer who booked a car arrives at the rental outlet and opens the dedicated smartphone app next to the machine with lockers. The app generates a code, which the customer enters, and the electronic box pops up to receive the set of keys with EYE Beacon zipped to it. Conveniently, the exact parking location of a rental vehicle will be shown on the app map.

Step 2. The customer walks up to the car and taps the same app to see a checklist of it, showing all scratches, dents, and damage. If the person finds an unregistered one, he/she can take a photo and add it to the app’s booking library.

Step 3. The customer puts luggage in a boot, unlocks the door and gets in the car. EYE Beacon allows him/her to start the engine while FMC150 tracker recognises the ID of the Bluetooth® beacon on the key fob. The journey begins.

If the original key is missing in the event of a car theft attempt, the GPS tracker will override the Bluetooth® beacon and lock the ignition, so that the criminal will at least have difficulty starting the car and, most likely, the element of surprise will scare him/her away saving the precious company asset and insurance agency money.

What is the result then? Teltonika tracking device helps automate the billing routine by being able to read the distance driven and the amount of fuel consumed. On top of that, fleet owners and managers will always be informed of any unforeseen situation, such as a car accident, excessive idling and other inappropriate driving behaviour, or facilitate fleet maintenance by notifying the owner, for instance, of the oil level and any other car parameters of interest in real-time. This helps to maintain the appropriate condition of rental cars and reduce self-insurance losses.

From the customer's perspective, the solution works on a self-service basis - no guesswork, no complaints. From the business perspective – the process is fully automated and accountable, significantly reducing labour costs, and saving valuable company resources and reputation. It’s a win-win situation.

Finally, Teltonika FMC150 firmware updates and configuration changes can be made remotely using FOTA WEB tool – a powerful software solution helping to manage these devices with maximum efficiency while saving precious time and corporate resources.

TOPOLOGY

BENEFITS

• Smart and highly efficient car rental solution – full accountability of everything important to the business: valuable assets, processes, and patterns are being tracked, monitored, and optimised. Maximum results with a minimum effort to ensure company competitiveness and profitability.

  
  

• Far-reaching Teltonika FMC150 tracker functionality – 2-in-1 device with built-in CAN bus data reading processor, its low-cost installation, flexible configuration, multiple usage scenarios, and plentiful features to choose from to optimise fleet management lower its running cost, and significantly improve ROI.

  
  

• Cost-effective fleet maintenance and timely service – fleet owners can be sure that cars for hire are being kept in the right condition, secure, and fully operational. Tracking vehicle maintenance scheduling becomes a hassle-free automated process, saving precious time and resources.

  
  

• Redundant expenses of the fleet are avoided by reporting vehicle breakdowns, auto theft attempts, providing timely assistance, reducing downtime, complaints, and unplanned repairs and saving running costs and budget.

  
  

• Customisable solution for every rental company’s needs – to get the maximum value out of it, FMC150 configuration and EYE Beacon signal strength and data transmitting intervals can be configured to exact needs and used in any size of fleet and outlets.

  
  

WHY TELTONIKA?

Teltonika's telematics division provides a complete IoT solution tailored to the evolving needs of large car rental companies. Our feature-rich GPS trackers, accessories, and intelligent software tools provide businesses with real-time fleet data, fuel monitoring, geofencing, and remote immobilization capabilities. Designed for high-volume operations, these solutions help rental companies gain better control of their fleets, protect their assets, and effortlessly refine their day-to-day operations.

Beyond technology, we bring reliability, scalability, and a customer-first approach to telematics. With over 160 countries served and millions of devices deployed, Teltonika is a trusted industry leader committed to driving efficiency and safety in vehicle rental management. Our tailored solutions, backed by extensive R&D and continuous innovation, ensure that rental companies remain competitive, profitable, and prepared for future challenges.