Drive & Share: Europcar’s Successful Car Rental + Sharing Service

After a test phase conducted in France, Europcar’s Drive & Share solution is hitting Germany and Denmark: a market expansion consistent with the group’s mobility-oriented strategy.

Drive & Share launches in Germany and Denmark following a successful test phase in France. This solution is described as a flexible tool enabling customers to drive their own car, while benefiting from the advantages of renting a car.

This rollout in Northern Europe relies on a partnership with SnappCar: the second-largest peer-to-peer carpooling platform in Europe. They mostly target occasional drivers, through a long-term leasing offer by Europcar (with rental periods ranging from three to twelve months), and SnappCar’s successful car-sharing platform (for drivers who do not constantly need their car). Subscribers have to agree to share their vehicle at least a minimum number of days each month.

Drive & Share stands out as an all-in-one solution, including basic insurance offer and car maintenance. This service is charged at least €415 per month, excluding deductions earned from rental rates, and derived from the car-sharing revenue. Drive & Share vehicles are less than one year old and long-term leasing does not require financial contribution upfront. In France, Europcar deems that their partnership with the car-sharing platform GoMore allows the users can save up to €250 per month (if they rent their car 7 days for €35/day).

Comments – Europcar still working on new mobility-related issues

In June 2017, Europcar invested in SnappCar –then depicted as the second-largest European P2P car rental specialist. In fact, Europcar acquired a 20% minority stake in SnappCar’s capital through their innovation-dedicated unit.

Their focus on proposing Drive & Share on new markets confirms the strategic viability of an innovative, hybrid model. It also highlights Europcar’s ambitions, as the group seeks to further strengthen their core business, via including additional mobility-related services (this service launch also relies on their “New Mobility” business unit). Europcar first established itself on the B2B car-sharing market, and started paying attention to new use cases, and individual customers’ needs when they partnered with GoMore.