SMS and car rental: boost your bookings!

The car rental market has made significant strides in recent years. Long-term rental in particular has emerged as a strong performer, now accounting for a third of the national automotive market. Short-term rental is also on the rise, representing 10% of the national automotive market in 2024, according to ANFA.

According to a Capterra study published in 2022, 81% of respondents consider shared mobility to be a good alternative, but only 23% say they prefer this type of mobility over buying a personal vehicle. However, with the explosion of the soft mobility market, rising fuel prices, and the ongoing parking shortage, owning a personal car is becoming less and less appealing, especially in cities.

At the same time, the offer has diversified: traditional rental agencies, peer-to-peer car rental platforms, flexible subscriptions, long-term rentals… Competition has never been so fierce.

In this context, SMS marketing has established itself as a strategic lever for car rental companies. With an open rate of 95% and an average reading time of under 4 minutes, SMS is the most effective channel for reaching customers quickly and personally.

Table of contents

Is SMS essential for car rental companies?
The concrete benefits of SMS for car rental agencies
How to integrate SMS marketing into your rental agency?
FAQ: SMS marketing for car rental

Is SMS essential for car rental companies?

A channel tailored to customer expectations

Customers are looking above all for simplicity, speed, and round-the-clock availability. Today, 80% of bookings are made online, and mobile apps allow you to rent a vehicle in just a few clicks. SMS fits naturally into this digital dynamic. It enables instant confirmations, interactive links (to the rental agreement, online payment, or vehicle details page), and automated reminders (pick-up, vehicle return). These features reduce oversights and significantly improve the customer experience.

A tool with multiple uses

The mobile apps of the most modern vehicle rental agencies make it easy to connect customers with available vehicles quickly. For peer-to-peer rentals, accepting a renter or a vehicle is already done by some via SMS, where the recipient simply replies “Yes” or “No.” With SMS, it is also possible to include URLs that redirect your customers to the vehicle or renter profile. On top of the customer data collected, you also drive traffic to your website.

SMS is also used for advanced features, such as remote vehicle unlocking or sending OTP codes to secure accounts. These innovations transform the rental experience into a 100% mobile and contactless process.

The concrete benefits of SMS for car rental agencies

Optimized management

Automating SMS sends allows car rental agencies to free up time for their teams, who can then focus on higher-value tasks. With a platform like SMS Partner, it is possible to schedule sends (reminders, confirmations, follow-ups), personalize messages (customer name, vehicle model, rental duration), and automate follow-ups (late returns, pending payments). Our solution connects with HubSpot, Make, or Zapier for automated workflows in just a few clicks.

A cost-effective communication channel

On SMS Partner, the cost of an SMS is €0.49 — an attractive price, especially given a 95% read rate! SMS messages are typically read within just 4 minutes, making them ideal for quick decision-making. Plus, for every new sign-up, we give you 20 free SMS credits — perfect for testing our solution.

Improved customer experience

SMS helps simplify the process for customers. They can receive an order confirmation, a link to check their booking, an SMS reminder to pick up the car, a return reminder, and more. You can also create personalized messages, such as “Safe travels, [First name]! Enjoy the road in your [model]!”, to build an emotional connection and strengthen loyalty among car renters. SMS surveys also allow you to collect feedback in real time, helping agencies continuously improve.

How to integrate SMS marketing into your rental agency?

Choosing the right platform

The first step is to select the platform best suited to your needs. Do you want to send basic SMS, or enriched SMS with links, buttons, and images? Do you need dynamic fields to personalize your messages? Are you interested in detailed statistics for each SMS campaign? Of course, the SMS marketing solution you choose must also comply with GDPR, to be fully in line with European legislation.

At SMS Partner, in addition to offering advanced features and a message delivery guarantee, we have held the GDPR Privacy Protection Pact label since 2023, ensuring that your personal data and your customers’ data are protected. As a French company, our data is hosted on servers located in France.

Obtaining customer consent

Phone numbers must be collected in a transparent and GDPR-compliant manner. Only numbers that have provided consent may be added to your database. To collect it, you can add a checkbox to your online forms or send a subscription opt-in SMS. In all your communications, you must offer an easy opt-out option — the STOP SMS. It is automatically included on SMS Partner.

Automating strategic sends

Send scenarios must be relevant and well-timed. Here are a few examples of SMS messages to automate:

• 24 hours before the rental: “Reminder: Your [Model] is waiting for you tomorrow at 10am at the agency [Address].”
• After the rental: “Thank you for choosing our services! Leave us a review: [Link].”
• For personalized offers: “Hi [First name], enjoy 15% off your next rental this weekend!”

Combining SMS with other channels

The benefits of SMS marketing in the automotive sector should not make you overlook other possible communication channels. For example, an email can provide more detailed information (vehicle details, contract, invoice), while an SMS is better suited for urgent alerts or reminders. Voicemail drops allow you to take a more human approach with your prospects or customers, encouraging them to call you back for more information. Finally, strong communication on social media will raise awareness of your car rental agency and help you reach a wider audience.

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