A car is stopped most of the time. According to the data provided by the company Amovens, private vehicles are parked or in disuse, on average, 95% of their lives. If we add to this the increase in the price of cars (both new and used), fuel, repairs or insurance policies, the result is that it is increasingly less economically profitable to have your own vehicle. .
In fact, in recent years alternatives to private transport have proliferated, especially in large cities. In addition to public transport, options such as sharing, subscription, renting and leasing, personal mobility vehicles (VMP) and bicycles have emerged as leading players in the mobility of our cities.
Betting on these solutions allows you to save money. However, they all have a common element: giving up the private car or condemning it to residual use. A decision that many drivers are not willing to make, since owning a car has advantages that cannot be quantified with a calculator.
Thus, all of them have an option that offers them to earn additional money while their car is parked. A tempting proposal that, yes, is linked to a series of requirements. It is about the rental of vehicles between individuals, an idea that aims to take advantage of the cars that are stopped most of the time and, at the same time, have more space and free parking spaces in the streets of the cities.
Along these lines, there are different companies in Spain through which we can lend our car in exchange for money. Some of the most popular are Getaround (formerly Drivy), Amovens and Socialcar. These websites and applications have some characteristics that differentiate them, although the operation is similar in all of them.
If we want to rent our car, the first thing we must do is register with one of these companies and provide the details of the car, as well as a photograph, in order to advertise it. Then, we choose if we want to rent it by the hour, day or week (usually with a maximum of 30 days) and the price for which we will do it. If we are not clear, the companies recommend a figure based on market criteria.
In all web pages we must have all the documentation of the vehicle up to date. If we want to advertise our car on Amovens, it cannot be more than 15 years old or have a new car value of more than 60,000 euros. In Getaround, it is only requested that it be a 4-wheeled vehicle, weighing less than 3.5 tons and occupying a maximum of 13 square meters. Socialcar does not have important requirements, beyond requiring good care and maintenance of the car.
Drivers who want to rent our vehicle must also meet certain conditions. Often, they must be a minimum of 21 years of age and have had a driver’s license for 2 years. However, to rent a certain class of vehicle, older people (25 years or even 28) or more driving experience are required, as well as other requirements: having a minimum of points, no criminal record, etc.
Likewise, it is possible that a maximum number of kilometers traveled per day may be established. It is also likely that a cash payment of an amount of money will be required as a franchise. However, it is highly recommended for drivers to carefully read the conditions and requirements of each owner.
Once we have our car in one of these portals, we can rent it. When a client chooses it and contacts us, we can agree on the dates and times of delivery and return of the vehicle. We can meet the driver at the fixed address to give him the keys personally or, if we prefer, both Getaround and Amovens offer a faster alternative: the keyless service.
With this option, the renter can directly find and access the car through a mobile application. For this to work, it is necessary to install a small device in the vehicle, an operation that the companies take care of and that does not imply any cost to the owners. It is a new system with which we can close deals more frequently.
Whenever we rent our car to a lessee, both parties will sign a contract at the beginning and at the end of the loan. In this way, we will make clear what the conditions of the vehicle are, the possible damage it may have, the fuel level and the number of kilometers traveled before it is rented.
Later, as owners, we must verify that the car is returned in the same state in which it was delivered. We must recover the car with the same level of fuel that it had when we delivered it and without exceeding the limit of kilometers traveled previously established. If this is not the case, the company will charge the corresponding expenses to the lessee’s credit card.
The rental contract offers special insurance for that period, so we should not worry about the policy we have contracted for our vehicle. The insurance covers any damage caused by the driver during the rental, either to our car or to third parties. It also offers a roadside assistance service in case there is a breakdown. From Amovens they indicate that only 2% of their rental contracts require the use of the policy.
Logically, the rest of the expenses that occur during the course of the rental, whether it is the payment of a toll, a fine for parking incorrectly or any other traffic penalty that is the responsibility of the driver, will be borne by the lessee.
The money that we can earn thanks to renting our car depends on various factors and can vary greatly depending on the conditions we have, such as the fixed price, the frequency with which we rent it, the area and the dates. However, to make an approximate calculation, we can take into account that the owners will keep about 80% of the amount that the client pays to use our vehicle.
