In this article we will tell you all about how to search for a car, which filters you can use, and our recommendation for finding the best car for your trip.
SnappCar exists in three countries, The Netherlands, Sweden and Germany.
You can find all the cities we have cars in through these links:
Searching for a SnappCar
SnappCar search is based on 2 search inputs: the location where you want to pick up your car and the date of your rental period. On our website, click on the search bar and input the desired location. After that, please indicate which date and time you want to pick up and drop off the car. You will then be shown all cars available in that area on those dates.
On our apps, tap the hourglass on the bottom left. Here you can input the desired location and pick-up/drop-off times. If you don't see the hourglass, first go to the Profile and make sure you are logged in as a "renter".
What is the best way to find a SnappCar?
To help renters find the cars they need on SnappCar, we have 6 tips when it comes to searching and requests:
- Start looking for a car as early as possible. If you are using the service for the first time, send a request at least 10 hours in advance. Are you not bound by one exact pick-up/drop-off time? Use the ‘I am flexible’ option. Read about it here.
- Make sure to upload a profile pic and a short bio on who you are. This is important to help owners feel safe renting out to new users.
- Contact the owner with a personal message stating your purpose when sending a rental request. If you are flexible with your time: indicate this.
- Send out multiple requests for the same rental period. This increases your chance of finding a car on our platform.
- If you want to know for certain you will have access to a car, look for cars with the ‘Direct Booking’ option. The owners of these cars keep their calendars up to date at all times, meaning that you can immediately pay for the car. Direct Booking can be used as a filter in search. Read more here.
- Cars with the option Keyless can be opened with the SnappCar app, meaning that the owner does not need to be present during check-in. These cars often have a very high availability, so look for that option. Keyless can be used as a filter in search. Read more here.
What filters can I apply?
SnappCar allows several filters to display cars that best fit the reason for your rental.
- Direct booking (link)
- Keyless
- Price per day
- Distance from the location indicated
- Make & Model
- Type of car
- Free kilometers per day (more information about kilometers can be found in this article)
- Fuel type
- Transmission type
- Maximum number of passengers
- Options allowed by the owner (children, going abroad, pets and/or smoking)
- Accessories
- Year of manufacture
Are all the cars I see available?
Yes, all cars presented to you in the search results are indicated as available by their owners within the period you searched for. However, if you do not indicate pick-up/drop-off time and dates, you will see all cars available at your location but not necessarily on specific dates. The search will narrow when you input more information. Next to that, not all owners keep their calendar up to date, so keep in mind that you might need to send several requests.
What if I don’t really know what time?
If you are not bound to a specific pick-up/drop-off time, use the ‘I am flexible’ option. This option will display cars available not just at the exact time you entered, but also around that time. More information about ‘flexible booking times’ can be found here.
How are the recommended cars decided?
SnappCar has an extensive algorithm that decides which cars are recommended in which search. Some factors taken into account are:
- Distance
- Number of previous rentals
- Acceptance rate of the owner
- Response time of the owner
- Number of pictures Instant booking
Renters can also sort the cars shown in the search results by distance or price by clicking the button on the top right.
What is instant booking? What do the lightning bolts mean?
The lightning bolts next to cars in the search results indicate that the owner of that car has enabled Instant Booking. Instant Booking is a feature for owners which allows renters to directly pay for a rental period if the car is available. After payment, the rental period is confirmed. Compared to a non-direct booking car, the user doesn’t have to wait for the owners approval on a direct booking. By enabling Instant Booking, an owner ‘promises’ to keep their availability up to date at all times.
Are all cars checked mechanically?
No, SnappCar does not do a mechanical check on all vehicles. However, we are a peer-to-peer carsharing platform meaning that cars available on our platform are also driven by their actual owners. Next to that, owners are responsible for providing mechanically sound and safe cars. If you encounter a car that you believe is unsafe, please contact us using the contact form.
What does ‘I am flexible about my times’ mean?
If you are not bound to very strict pick-up/drop-off times, we recommend clicking this check box. This means that if you put for example 13:00 as your pick-up time, you will see cars available at 13:00 but also those that are available at 12:00 and 14:00. If you do not use this option, you will only see cars available at 13:00.