5 Car Rental Business Success Stories [2024]

Pat Walls

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Updated: November 1st, 2023

Start A Car Rental Business

Starting a car rental business can be a profitable venture for those interested in the auto industry.

Retail and corporate are the main segments within the car rental industry. Retail car rentals focus on individuals who rent cars for shorter periods, while corporate car rental targets companies that want to transport clients or employees.

If you are starting a car rental business , target airports, hotels, railway stations, commercial offices, and other high-traffic areas.

Market your business, hire employees who will manage the operations and keep records, and purchase business insurance for both cars and employees.

Here are some real life success stories of starting a car rental business:

1. ROAMERICA ($120K/year)

After experiencing the discomfort of traveling in their old Toyota Tacoma, Taylor and Gretchen began dreaming of a vehicle that could keep them dry and comfortable during their adventures. One night, Taylor suggested the idea of renting campervans, and both instantly knew it was a great idea. They started with one campervan and quickly realized the demand was high, leading them to expand their fleet and build their own campervans in-house.

How much they make: $120K/year
How much did it cost to start: $25K
Current team size: 5

How We Started A Camper Van Rental Business and Quit Our Full Time Jobs

ROAMERICA, a campervan rental company founded by Taylor Hood and Gretchen Bayless who quit their full-time jobs to focus on their business and have expanded their fleet quickly to meet the demand of adventure-seeking customers, with most of their web traffic coming from organic Google searches and a focus on social media and brand awareness.

About

Gretchen started ROAMERICA over 8 years ago

Revenue

Gretchen grew the business to $10K/month

Costs

It cost Gretchen $25000 to start the business

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2. Coastr ($7M/year)

How much they make: $7M/year
Current team size: 41

Coastr: All-in-One Rental Management Solution Providing a Connected Ecosystem for all Vehicle Rentals

Coastr secures £1.4M from GroVentive and grows its customer base fivefold over the last few months by innovating and reimagining the car rental industry.

About

Biswajit started Coastr over 6 years ago

Revenue

Biswajit grew the business to $583K/month

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Learn more about starting a car rental business:

Where to start?

-> How much does it cost to start a car rental business?
-> Pros and cons of a car rental business

Need inspiration?

-> Examples of established car rental business
-> Marketing ideas for a car rental business
-> Car rental business names
-> Car rental business Instagram bios

Other resources

-> Profitability of a car rental business

3. Subskryb ($24K/year)

How much they make: $24K/year
Current team size: 5

They want to rent out your luxurious car using software, hit first $24k in ARR

Subskryb is a luxury vehicle subscription service founded by Giovanni Smith, Kendell Johnson, and Preston Martelly that allows car owners to rent their high-end cars and renters to book them daily, weekly, or monthly, building a VAAS model with car owners and renters.

About

Giovanni started Subskryb over 3 years ago

Revenue

Giovanni grew the business to $2K/month

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