How to make an app for a car rental

A car rental business lives on knowing which car is out, when it comes back, how many kilometres it ran and whether the deposit was returned. An app for your office keeps the car calendar, handover and return checks, deposits and service dates in one place.

Updated 2026-11-09

Who uses the app

Usually the owner and the office staff who hand over cars. If more than one person books cars or does handovers on their own phones, connect your own Supabase database so the car calendar is the same for everyone.

The screens a car rental app needs

Car calendar: Every car by date, showing free, booked, out on rent or in the garage
Bookings: Customer, car, pickup and return date and place, self-drive or with driver, rate and advance paid
Handover: Km reading, fuel level, photos of the car attached, documents seen and deposit taken at pickup
Return: Km and fuel at return, extra km worked out, any damage noted, and the deposit returned or held
Cars: Each car with number, type, and dates for insurance, permit, PUC and next service
Customers: Search by name or phone; past rentals, licence noted, and any unpaid amount

Features worth asking for

A car calendar that blocks a car once it is booked, so it isn't given twice
Extra km and late return charges worked out from the handover and return readings
A rental receipt PDF with km, fuel, charges and deposit, to share on WhatsApp
A WhatsApp button that sends the pickup time, place and documents to bring
A list of cars with insurance, permit, PUC or service due soon, shown when you open it
Deposits held and returned, with the reason for any deduction
Driver assignment for with-driver bookings

Where the data lives

If one person runs the office, the data can stay on that phone. If staff book or hand over cars from their own phones, connect your own Supabase database from the chat; to collect advances online, connect your own Razorpay account as well.

How to make it with AppCub, step by step

Decide what the app does. List the screens you need, for example: Car calendar, Bookings, Handover, Return, Cars.
Describe it to AppCub. Paste the request below, changed to your own business and details.
Check the plan. AppCub shows the screens and features it will build. Change them in the chat until they are right; seeing the plan is free.
Try it on your phone. The app runs live next to the chat. Scan the QR code to install it, and ask for changes.
Share it. Share it as a web link, an APK file, or publish it on Google Play from your own developer account.

Copy this request, change the details to match your car rental, and paste it into AppCub:

Make an app for my car rental office, Konkan Wheels in Panaji, Goa, with 14 cars. Screens: car calendar, bookings, handover, return, cars and customers. A booking has customer, car, pickup and return date, time and place, self-drive or with driver, day rate and advance. At handover note km, fuel level, deposit and attach photos of the car. At return note km and fuel, work out extra km at ₹10 per km and late charges, note damage and the deposit returned. Each car has insurance, permit, PUC and service dates with a due-soon list. Make a receipt PDF. Blue and yellow colours.

Tips for a car rental app

Start with the car calendar, bookings and handover. Add service dates and reports once the staff use it daily.
Ask for at least four photos at every handover and return, front, back and both sides, attached to the booking.
Customers' licence and ID details are private. Keep sign-in on if the data is online, and don't share it outside the office.
Write your charge rules once, such as extra km rate, grace time for late return and fuel charge, and give them to AppCub so every receipt adds up the same way.
Run a week of real bookings in the app alongside your register and compare the totals.

What it costs

Describing your app and seeing AppCub’s plan for it is free.
A new app usually takes 60 to 110 credits. Start with the 2-day trial for ₹99 (150 credits, enough for one app and a few changes) or the one-time App Pack for ₹499. Starter is ₹1,599 a month for 700 credits.
Google Play needs a paid plan (it includes the Play Store bundle and your app’s signing key) and your own Google Play developer account, a one-time US$25 fee to Google.
Work that fails or is rolled back costs no credits.

See all plans

Good to know

AppCub doesn't connect to GPS trackers or toll tag accounts, and doesn't read km from the car. Staff type in readings and attach photos, and reminders go out when someone taps the WhatsApp button.
AppCub builds Android apps. You can also share the app as a web link that opens on any phone; for the iPhone App Store, AppCub’s team can do it for you.

Questions

Can the app show which car is free on which date?

Yes. The car calendar shows every car as free, booked, out or in the garage, and a booked car can't be given to another customer for the same dates.

Can the app track where my cars are?

No. AppCub doesn't connect to GPS trackers. It keeps the booking, the customer's details and the km at pickup and return.

Can the app work out extra km charges?

Yes. Staff enter the km at handover and return, and the app works out extra km over the daily limit and adds them to the receipt.

Can I keep car damage photos in the app?

Yes, photos can be attached to the handover and return of each booking, so you can compare them if there is a dispute.

Can the app remind me when a car's insurance is due?

It shows a list of cars with insurance, permit, PUC or service due soon each time you open it. If you ask for it, the installed app can also show a reminder on your own phone at a set time; it doesn't message anyone else by itself.

Can customers pay the advance or deposit in the app?

Yes, with a payment button on your own Razorpay account, after you connect Razorpay and Supabase in the chat. The money goes to you, not AppCub.

Make your car rental app

Seeing the plan is free. Building starts with a 2-day trial for ₹99.

Start building