Cities, which are becoming increasingly dense, are suffering from the inconveniences associated with the use of private cars: longer journey times, noise and environmental pollution.
Individual mobility is running out of steam, and a collective and connected concept of transport is emerging: car rental, car sharing, self-service bicycles, e-scooters, etc.
In 2014, a study by Roland Berger forecast carsharing sales of €5.6 billion in 2020. Today, the car-sharing sector continues to grow, with an annual increase of 30 %. Shared transport applications are multiplying and are particularly appealing to the younger generation. In 2024, the car-sharing market continued to grow, supported by the increasing adoption of electric vehicles and the expansion of the recharging infrastructure.
These new ways of conceiving our travels are confronted with a major problem: the return in good condition of the shared vehicles and therefore the taking of a deposit. Today, when a car is rented, a deposit of about €1,000 is required. It allows the hirer to be compensated in case of damage. In most cases, it comes in addition to the insurance to cover the costs of the excess or to reimburse the costs related to certain incivilities of customers (e.g.: missing petrol tank, cleaning costs, etc.). In the end, it is mainly used to make the renter of the vehicle responsible.
Bonds, the challenge for car rental companies
The new players launching themselves on the shared mobility market offer connected and automated solutions: reservation, deposit and payment everything is done instantly and by internet ! Convenient use for users and renters.
The problem of deposits therefore affects more traditional rental companies, which force their customers to go to a branch to finalise the rental file. The customer must then provide his driving licence, sign the rental contract and deposit his deposit on a payment terminal (TPE). This way of working brings many problems for customers and agencies.
Long queues and overcrowded agencies
In order for travelers to rent a vehicle easily and quickly, many rental agencies are located near train stations and airports. At each arrival, many customers want to get their vehicle and finally leave to enjoy their trip! This leads to the formation of long queues in the branch, which is not very welcoming. Managing deposits in advance limits the number of people in the agency and offers a better customer experience. Taking deposits a few days before the handover is a real time saver for everyone!
Only 30 days pre-approval
The maximum period for cashing a deposit taken with an Eftposter is usually 30 days. The renter is therefore limited in the amount of time he can claim for damages. A telling example is the cost of processing parking tickets. If a customer commits an offence, the time taken to receive the ticket may exceed the validity period of the Eftposter print. This means that the rental company will run out of options to recover its money. Long-term rentals are also a problem. After 30 days, the equipment is no longer secure and the deposit must be renewed.
Significant reduction of the bank card limit
For customers, deposit a deposit on an EFT significantly reduces the bank card limit. For a security deposit, the average pre-authorization is 1000 €. This amount is often almost half the monthly payment limit of traditional bank cards! This is problematic, especially for holidaymakers who find themselves blocked for their future expenses. This situation is all the more regrettable when you consider that the deposit is almost never cashed!
Litigation between rental companies and customers
Disputes between car rental companies and their customers are numerous. Bad faith on the part of customers or abuse on the part of car rental companies, it is sometimes difficult to decide. In any case, for the rental companies these disputes tarnish their reputation with many "badbuzz", among others, on the Internet forums.
Faced with this situation, the European and French authorities rightly tend to favour the consumer. It is therefore in the interest of the rental companies to manage the security deposits in a transparent way. Both for maintain a good brand imageThis is not only to keep the company competitive with the new Internet players. For the record, the latter have set up reciprocal rating systems which strongly limit abuses concerning the collection of deposits.
The solution: Swikly the online deposit!
Swikly is the new player specialist in online deposits. A FinTech start-up on the frontier of InsurTech, Swikly was launched almost 10 years ago with the support of the Caisse d'Épargne Rhône-Alpes, and now has more than 18,000 customers to its credit.
Swikly is trusted party and allows you to request a deposit over the internet using a bank card imprint without affecting the card spending limit. Swikly deposits are valid for up to 3 months, and partial collection is possible. This gives hirers more freedom to identify, assess and remedy any damage. In the event of a dispute, Swikly manages the disagreement and any recoveries! For their part, customers are reassured by Swikly's position as a trusted third party, verifying the validity of collections. Giving a deposit is no longer a constraint for the customer, and the rental company has a secure and reliable means of collecting the deposit. enhanced payment guarantee.
Deposits can be requested a few days before the vehicle is picked up. In this way, the rental company has the possibility to offer additional services for sale (upgrade, GPS, child seat, etc.). The agencies are less overloaded and the waiting time for customers is reduced. It is also possible to set up a service "Cutting-edge" to completely dematerialize the rental file and invite customers to pick up their vehicle directly without going to an agency!
