Drivy – private car rental
At a time when the collaborative economy is taking on incredible proportions, the concept of the decade is car sharing, or car rental between private individuals! The model? Amortize the use of a vehicle by allowing it to be used by different drivers in turn. Like Airbnb for accommodation, it’s now simple and easy to rent a car for a short period of time, in any city in France.
The Drivy website, Europe’s market leader, is riding this wave perfectly. This model is doubly effective: it allows renters to rent a car easily and at much lower rates than a professional car rental company, and owners to earn extra income or simply finance a vehicle they don’t use all the time.
But how does Drivy work? What are the pros and cons? Generation Voyage’s editorial team looked into all these questions: opinions and tests, here’s our Drivy review!
What is Drivy?
Photo Credit: Facebook – Drivy by Getaround
In 2010, Paulin Dementhon – a young French entrepreneur – decided to launch his start-up to facilitate car rental between private individuals on the Internet. Initially called Voiturelib, it became Drivy in 2013. The concept is simple and the pitch well crafted: « renting a car that you only use occasionally is a way of earning additional income that enables the owner to break even ».
With Drivy, from an app or the website, owners can share their vehicles and drivers can access self-service vehicles around their homes. Since 2016, Drivy has expanded even further and now has a more varied fleet of vehicles, now combining professional and private owners, but without increasing its rates. Building on its success, Drivy is available in 6 European countries: France, Germany, Spain, Austria, Belgium and the UK.
Today, Drivy has 130 employees, offers over 50,000 cars in Europe and connects over 2 million users! In a bid for even greater growth, Drivy was acquired in April 2019 by Getaround, an American car-sharing platform. For the time being, Drivy is not changing its name, but that shouldn’t be long…
How does it work?
Photo Credit : App Store
Drivy is simply an online service that lets you rent or lease a car anywhere in France.
You choose your vehicle based on 3 criteria: location, price and user reviews.
Since 2015, Drivy has introduced » Drivy Open » technology. This option allows owners to rent their vehicle remotely, without having to be present to hand over the keys.
Drivy benefits from a partnership with Allianz to insure all cars against all risks with a contract adapted to rental, and offers 24/7 assistance.
On Drivy, there are 2 typical user profiles: owners and renters.
Become a Drivy renter with Drivy Open
- Choose a vehicle from those available in your area (filter by vehicle type, price and other features).
- Create your profile by uploading photos of your driver’s license and identity document
- Access the vehicle with your smartphone
- Use the app to take stock of the situation and open the car with a single click, then retrieve the keys inside.
- You are entitled to 200km per day and additional drivers
- On the return journey, return the vehicle to the point of departure, leave the keys in the car and lock it with your mobile phone.
- The rental price will be automatically adjusted if you’ve driven more than expected or if you haven’t put in enough fuel.
If you reserve a vehicle without the Drivy Open application, the only difference is that you will meet the owner to hand over the keys and documents (license, ID).
Become a Drivy owner with Drivy Open
- Register your car on the site, then you will receive a call from Drivy to schedule the installation of the « Drivy Open » box.
- Enter the availability of your vehicle
- Receive reservations (if the vehicle is available at the time of reservation, it will be automatically accepted)
- Renters locate, unlock and lock your car with the Drivy app
- You receive a bank transfer 5 working days after the end of each rental (including any extra fuel or kilometers).
If you don’t choose to have Drivy Open technology installed in your vehicle, you’ll have to go to the place where your car is parked when you exchange the keys. Together, you’ll take stock of the car’s condition.
Drivy: advantages and disadvantages
Photo Credit: Facebook – Drivy by Getaround
For the owner
Benefits
- Additional income (70% of rental price)
- Remote rental with Drivy Open technology
- Flexible rates
- All-risk insurance by Allianz
- Unallocated insurance bonus in the event of tenant accident
- Automatic verification of tenant identity
- Dedicated rental support team available to answer questions Monday to Saturday
- Simple management from the application or website
- Available in 6 European countries
- Possibility of leasing vehicles registered in several European Union countries
Disadvantages
- Cars over 13 hp cannot be rented out
- Drivy Open system uninstalled for vehicles reaching 200,000 km
For the tenant
Benefits
- Attractive price
- All-risk insurance by Allianz (with deductible)
- Deductible reduction option available)
- 24/7 assistance included
- Dedicated rental support team available to answer questions Monday to Saturday
- Self-service vehicles accessible 24/7 from the app
- Numerous rental outlets throughout the city
Disadvantages
- A smaller offer in smaller towns
Drivy: the editor’s opinion
Clear, simple, useful and efficient. These are the 4 words that define this private car rental site, according to our opinion and test! Drivy is the market leader in private car rental, and for good reason. At Generation Voyage, we love the car-sharing principle and the collaborative economy.
Like Airbnb, this concept is becoming an integral part of our lives, and not just our vacations! The costs associated with owning a vehicle can be considerable, so this is a practical way of financing its upkeep. Especially if you don’t use it every day!
Of course, it’s best to live in a city or tourist area to take advantage of the rich supply and demand. If you’re located deep in the Creuse, you might not want to rely on that to finance your next vacation.
Whether you’re on vacation or just planning a last-minute outing, you can rent a car near you in just a few clicks. That’s what we like about it: simplicity means freedom!