Published 9 July 2025 | Updated 3 November 2026
App_Development
How Much Does It Cost to Build a Car Rental App Like ekar in 2026?
How ekar Works
ekar started in 2016 as a 15-car pilot with Etihad Airways and grew into what it calls a self-drive super app, operating in the UAE and Saudi Arabia. According to the company's 2021 launch announcement, customers can book cars by the minute, day or week through car sharing, or subscribe to a car for one to nine months for a single monthly price with maintenance and roadside assistance included and no down payment. At that time ekar reported more than 200,000 customers and 1.3 million trips. Customers find a nearby car in the app, unlock it with their phone, drive, and return it to a designated zone, with fuel, tolls and fines tracked by the platform.
Quick answer
A car rental app like ekar typically costs $25,000–$45,000 for an MVP that handles bookings, verification and payments for a single city, $60,000–$120,000 for a keyless car-sharing platform with telematics, and $120,000–$250,000 or more for a multi-city platform that combines car sharing, subscriptions and corporate accounts. ekar, founded in the UAE in 2016, lets customers book self-drive cars by the minute, day or week and subscribe to a car for one to nine months, all through one app. The biggest cost drivers are keyless access and telematics integration, identity and licence verification, payments and deposits, fines and toll handling, and the number of cities and vehicle types you support.
- ekar is a self-drive platform, so you need customer, fleet operations and admin apps, not a driver app.
- Keyless entry and telematics (location, fuel or charge, mileage, remote lock and unlock) are what make true car sharing possible.
- Budget about $25K–$45K for an MVP, $60K–$120K for a keyless car-sharing platform and $120K–$250K+ for a multi-city, multi-model platform.
- In the UAE, plan for operator licensing, Emirates ID and licence checks, Salik tolls, traffic fines, 5% VAT and the UAE data protection law.
- Running costs include telematics units and data plans for every car, cloud hosting, payment fees, insurance integrations and support.
Car Rental App Business Models
| Model | How it works | Examples of the model |
|---|---|---|
| Free-floating or zone-based car sharing | Pick up and drop off cars in public zones, pay by minute or hour | ekar, Udrive, Share Now |
| Station-based rental | Book online, collect and return at a branch or delivered to you | Traditional rental companies going digital |
| Car subscription | Monthly all-inclusive plans with insurance and maintenance | ekar subscriptions, dealer and leasing apps |
| Peer-to-peer rental | Owners rent out private cars through the platform | Turo-style marketplaces |
| Rental marketplace or aggregator | Customers compare and book cars from many rental companies | Aggregator apps and booking portals |
Core Features of a Car Rental App Like ekar
| App | Features |
|---|---|
| Customer app | Sign-up with Emirates ID or passport and driving licence verification, map of nearby cars, filters, booking by minute, hour, day or month, keyless unlock and lock, trip timer, fuel or charge level, damage photo reports, payments and deposits, extensions, trip history, invoices, ratings, support chat |
| Fleet operations app | Vehicle status, cleaning and refuelling tasks, damage inspections, relocation jobs, maintenance alerts |
| Admin panel | Fleet and zone management, pricing rules by time and location, customer verification, bookings, deposits and refunds, fines and toll allocation, promotions, reports |
| Telematics and keyless layer | Bluetooth or cloud keyless entry, GPS location, mileage, fuel or battery level, remote immobilisation, geofencing |
Advanced Features That Set You Apart
Dynamic pricing
Prices that change with demand, time of day and location.
AI damage detection
Photo checks before and after trips that flag new scratches and dents.
Corporate accounts
Business profiles with central billing, spending limits and usage reports.
EV support
Charge level, nearby chargers and charging fees for electric vehicles.
Car delivery and collection
Customers book delivery of a car to their home or office.
Loyalty and referrals
Points, discounts and rewards for frequent drivers.
How Much Does It Cost to Build a Car Rental App Like ekar?
| Scope | What is included | Typical cost | Timeline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rental booking MVP | Customer app (cross-platform), licence and ID verification, booking calendar, payments and deposits, admin panel, one city | $25,000–$45,000 | 3–4 months |
| Keyless car-sharing platform | MVP plus telematics and keyless unlock, per-minute pricing, zones and geofencing, fleet operations app, damage reports | $60,000–$120,000 | 5–7 months |
| Multi-city, multi-model platform | Car sharing, subscriptions and delivery, corporate accounts, dynamic pricing, AI damage checks, fines and tolls automation, multiple countries | $120,000–$250,000+ | 8–12 months |
These are planning ranges; your estimate depends on final scope. Rates also differ by team location: an experienced team in India often costs a fraction of a US or UAE team for the same scope.
Cost by Component
| Component | Typical cost |
|---|---|
| UX and UI design for customer and operations apps | $5,000–$15,000 |
| Customer app (iOS and Android, cross-platform) | $15,000–$40,000 |
| Identity and licence verification integration | $3,000–$10,000 |
| Payments, deposits and refunds | $4,000–$12,000 |
| Telematics and keyless integration | $10,000–$35,000 |
| Fleet operations app | $8,000–$20,000 |
| Admin panel and reports | $10,000–$30,000 |
| Fines, tolls and invoicing automation | $5,000–$15,000 |
| QA, security testing and launch | 15–20% of build cost |
Monthly Running Costs to Plan For
| Cost | What drives it |
|---|---|
| Telematics units and data plans | One device and SIM per car, plus platform fees from the telematics provider |
| Cloud hosting | Users, trips and real-time location updates |
| Payment fees | Card and wallet transaction fees and deposit holds |
| Verification checks | Per-check fees for identity and licence verification |
| Maps and SMS | Map loads, geocoding, OTPs and notifications |
| Maintenance and support | Roughly 15–20% of build cost per year, plus customer support staff |
Technology Stack
| Layer | Technologies |
|---|---|
| Mobile apps | Flutter or React Native, Swift and Kotlin for Bluetooth keyless features |
| Backend | Node.js (NestJS) or Java (Spring Boot), PostgreSQL with PostGIS for zones, Redis |
| Telematics and keyless | Car-sharing telematics units and APIs, Bluetooth Low Energy keys, OEM connected-car APIs |
| Maps and location | Google Maps Platform or Mapbox, geofencing |
| Payments | Checkout.com, Network International, Telr, Stripe, Apple Pay and Google Pay |
| Verification | Document and selfie verification services, UAE Pass integration where available |
| Cloud | AWS, Microsoft Azure or Google Cloud regions in the Middle East |
UAE and Saudi Requirements to Plan For
| Area | What to plan |
|---|---|
| Licensing | Rental and car-sharing operators need permits from the relevant authority, such as Dubai's Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) or the Transport General Authority in Saudi Arabia |
| Driver eligibility | Check Emirates ID or passport, visa status and a valid driving licence; visitors' licence rules depend on their home country |
| Tolls and fines | Allocate Salik and Darb tolls and traffic fines to the right customer and trip |
| Tax | 5% VAT in the UAE and 15% VAT in Saudi Arabia on invoices |
| Data protection | UAE Federal Decree-Law No. 45 of 2021 on personal data protection and Saudi Arabia's Personal Data Protection Law |
| Insurance | Clear cover, excess and damage rules shown before booking |
| Arabic and English | Bilingual, right-to-left-ready interfaces |
Rules change and differ by emirate, so confirm current requirements with the authorities and your legal adviser before launch.
How to Build a Car Rental App Like ekar
- Choose your model and market. Car sharing, station-based rental, subscription or peer-to-peer; one city and one customer group to start.
- Line up fleet, insurance and permits. Vehicles, telematics partner, insurance cover and operating licences before development finishes.
- Design the customer journey. Sign-up and verification, finding and unlocking a car, trip, return and payment, tested with real users.
- Build the MVP. Customer app, admin panel and payments first; add telematics and keyless access once the hardware is chosen.
- Pilot with a small fleet. Launch with 20–50 cars in a few zones, track utilisation, damage and support issues.
- Scale. Add zones, vehicle types, subscriptions, corporate accounts and new cities based on data.
How Car Rental Apps Make Money
| Revenue stream | How it works |
|---|---|
| Rental fees | Per-minute, hourly, daily or weekly prices, often with mileage limits |
| Subscriptions | Monthly plans including insurance, maintenance and registration |
| Insurance and protection add-ons | Lower-excess cover and damage protection |
| Delivery and convenience fees | Delivery, collection, one-way trips and airport pickup |
| Commissions | A share of each booking on peer-to-peer or aggregator platforms |
| Corporate plans | Monthly billing for companies and their employees |
| Partnerships and ads | Fuel, charging, parking and retail partners |
Common Challenges and How to Solve Them
| Challenge | How to handle it |
|---|---|
| Fleet utilisation | Use demand data to place cars, adjust pricing and relocate vehicles |
| Damage and disputes | Mandatory photo checks before and after trips, with AI comparison |
| Fraud and unsafe drivers | Strong identity and licence checks, deposits and telematics alerts |
| Fines and tolls | Automatic matching of fines and tolls to trips and customers |
| Connectivity in car parks | Bluetooth keyless fallback when the car has no mobile signal |
| Cleanliness and fuel | Rules, incentives and operations tasks for cleaning and refuelling |
Frequently Asked Questions
Quick answers related to this article from PerfectionGeeks.
1. How much does it cost to develop a car rental app like ekar?
2. How long does it take to build an app like ekar?
3. What features does a car rental app like ekar need?
4. Does a car rental app like ekar need a driver app?
5. How does keyless car unlocking work?
6. What licences do I need to run a car rental app in the UAE?
7. How do car rental apps handle tolls and fines?
8. How do car rental apps make money?
9. Should I build native or cross-platform apps?
10. Can I start without telematics?
Conclusion
PerfectionGeeks builds rental, car-sharing and subscription apps with keyless access, telematics, payments and admin tools. Tell us your fleet size, cities and business model, and we will send a phased plan with cost and timeline.Plan Your Car Rental or Car-Sharing App
Shrey Bhardwaj is the Director & Founder of PerfectionGeeks Technologies, bringing extensive experience in software development and digital innovation. His expertise spans mobile app development, custom software solutions, UI/UX design, and emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence and Blockchain. Known for delivering scalable, secure, and high-performance digital products, Shrey helps startups and enterprises achieve sustainable growth. His strategic leadership and client-centric approach empower businesses to streamline operations, enhance user experience, and maximize long-term ROI through technology-driven solutions.