Peer-to-Peer Car Rental: How the Collaborative Platform Works

Amovens, the collaborative car rental platform in Spain, is establishing a new paradigm of flexible and efficient mobility.

The company closed 2024 with a 50% growth, reaching a turnover of 2.8 million euros and tripling its profits compared to the previous year. This success positions it at the forefront of the sector, surpassing 300,000 rental days managed and 40 million kilometres driven last year.

It acts as a bridge between vehicle owners who do not use them constantly and individuals who need a car for hours or days. Owners can register their vehicle on the platform, set the price and availability, generating additional income (an average of 600 euros per month in large cities). For users, it offers a more economical and flexible alternative to traditional rental, allowing access to a car when they really need it, without the ties of ownership.

The platform verifies the identity and driving licence of all users, and each rental includes specialised insurance, ensuring peace of mind for both parties. One of the key innovations is the "Keyless Rental," already implemented in more than 3,000 vehicles, which allows booking and accessing the car from a mobile phone without the need for physical contact with the owner.

The most common profile among platform users is practical, urban, and flexible, concentrated in cities like Barcelona, Madrid, Valencia, Malaga, and Alicante. This audience, which includes both individuals and families, values the adaptability of the service, especially during peak seasons. The most rented vehicles are small cars (50%) and SUVs (21%), reflecting a preference for versatile and economical models.

Alberto Bajjali, CEO of Amovens, shares the keys to its operation and reveals its future prospects.

Firstly, the general context of the car market. The instability of the sector, the ever-increasing prices of vehicles, and doubts about the future of thermal and hybrid engines are leading many people to rethink car ownership and seek more flexible, economical, and sustainable mobility alternatives.

Secondly, as we do not need to increase our own fleet, we can scale the business much more efficiently. We take advantage of the cars already in cities, which reduces costs and allows us to invest more resources in marketing and innovation to reach more people.

And thirdly, the cultural shift we are experiencing regarding ownership. More and more people realise that having a car parked most of the time makes no sense. Amovens allows them to rent a vehicle when they need it or make use of the one they already have. It's a more practical way to move, adapted to their real needs.

What makes the business model special and different is that we do not need our own fleet of vehicles. Instead of increasing the number of cars on the streets, we make use of those that already exist. In Spain, there are more than 37 million cars, which spend 95% of the time parked. What we do is precisely give them use, which greatly reduces costs and allows us to operate much more efficiently.

We have been strengthening the pillars of our project for years, with a clear and strong proposal for marketing. This has facilitated the progressive adoption of the model by users, both owners and renters, who find in Amovens a more economical and flexible way to move, while contributing to the decongestion of cities.

This model is already established in countries like the USA or Australia, and in Spain, it is gaining more and more traction thanks to solutions like ours. The result is a profitable, scalable formula aligned with what people are looking for in urban mobility.

Trust between users and the platform is key to its proper functioning. That's why we take security very seriously and work on several fronts to maintain it. Every user who wants to rent a car must register on the platform, upload their official documentation (ID or passport and driving licence), and go through an internal validation process. Only after this filter can they rent cars on the platform.

Additionally, each user has a profile with reviews and ratings from other people they have interacted with. This helps build trust, as anyone can see how others' experiences have been before deciding whether to rent or lend their car. As it is a platform between individuals, much of the success depends on the commitment and behaviour of those who use it.

Just as we have socially accepted sharing flats or buying second-hand items, at Amovens we have helped break the stigma of sharing cars with strangers. And it has worked: growth is sustained, and we expect to reach 500,000 rental days in 2025.

Keyless has transformed the user experience by offering a 100% digital and autonomous solution. Thanks to a device installed in the vehicle, drivers can open and close the car directly from the app, without needing to meet the user for key handover or collection. This makes everything much easier and more flexible, both for those renting out their car and for those using it.

From an operational point of view, this technology also greatly improves efficiency by eliminating logistical barriers and allowing owners to generate income without leaving home. In fact, users with the Keyless system earn on average 50% more than those with traditional rentals.

In 2024, the number of vehicles with this functionality grew by 60%, and there are already more than 3,000 cars operating with the system. The short- and medium-term goal is to continue promoting this mode until it becomes the majority option within the platform, betting on an increasingly digital, efficient, and frictionless experience.

It is a trend that has emerged completely naturally and organically. We do not promote any specific type of vehicle, but rather adapt to what people are really looking for. The predominance of small cars responds to the majority profile of our users: urban people who do not own a car and are looking for an economical and practical solution for occasional mobility needs.

This type of vehicle, more affordable both in price and consumption, fits perfectly with those who need to rent for a few hours or days without incurring high costs. In summary, we offer an accessible alternative that adapts to what our users really need in their daily lives.

We have a lot of activity throughout the year, but it is true that in summer we notice a clear peak: regular platform users are joined by those who use it on holiday.

We are deploying a strategy focused on two major pillars: marketing and user experience. We want more and more people to discover that they can access a car when they need it, without the costs or responsibilities of owning one.

On the other hand, we put the user at the centre of everything we do. We have a very committed team that is responsible for providing fast, efficient, and resolute customer service. This combination of visibility, reliability, and good service allows us to continue growing both with regular users and with new profiles looking for a flexible option for their holidays.

Our focus is not only on maintaining this exponential growth but on doing so sustainably, ensuring profitability and, above all, being true to our mission: to change the relationship we have with cars. Instead of adding more vehicles to the streets, we make use of those that already exist, promoting their shared use.

As for expansion, we are currently leaders in Spain and in all the countries where we operate: Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Austria, and Switzerland. Internationally, our goal is clear, to continue bringing our proven sustainable mobility solution to new European countries where we are not yet present.

These three pillars are fundamental in the value proposition and complement each other. But, today, what users probably value most is the economic aspect: both for those looking for an accessible way to use a car without having to buy one, and for those who already have a car and are looking to make some extra money with it. This dual path, access and profitability, generates very organic growth, based on word-of-mouth recommendation and direct user experience.

Looking to the future, we believe that sustainability will become increasingly important in attracting new profiles. We are not only talking about reducing emissions through electric vehicles but also about urban sustainability: eliminating unnecessarily parked cars, reclaiming public space for green and pedestrian areas, and facilitating cleaner and more efficient mobility. Amovens is part of that change, not only as a mobility alternative but as a tool that allows living in more liveable cities.

Moreover, we are seeing how this model no longer only attracts young people or profiles familiar with technology but also people who have owned more than two cars and are now looking for more practical and profitable options. That is why our growth responds to a real need, and people adopt it very naturally.

The contribution to the circular economy is direct and foundational thanks to its model based on vehicle sharing. Each car rented on the platform can be used by up to 100 people a year, and for each one, up to 11 cars are removed from the streets, thus reducing emissions and congestion on streets and roads. In fact, the platform has achieved that 52% of its users no longer need to buy their own vehicle, reinforcing the shift towards a more responsible and efficient consumption model.

It also helps keep the money generated through car rentals in the cities, preventing it from being concentrated in large rent-a-car corporations. In the last year, owners using the platform have earned 3.5 million euros in Barcelona, 3 million in Madrid, and 2.5 million in Valencia, generating local wealth and making better use of existing resources. While a privately owned car remains parked 95% of the time, managed vehicles achieve an effective usage rate of 75% of their useful time, clearly showing the positive impact of car sharing.

Our mission is to help people share cars. That's why the incorporation of electric or low-emission vehicles into the platform occurs organically, depending on the models that users themselves make available. As these cars gain presence on the streets, they will also do so on Amovens. We do not distinguish between a Clio and a Tesla: all have a place if they help more people access more flexible and efficient mobility.

We want more people to know about our solution and understand its positive impact: fewer cars circulating unnecessarily, more free space on the streets, and also, an easy way to make extra money if you already have a car. Our system allows you to monetise your vehicle, an asset that depreciates quickly, and do so without complications: with our keyless technology, users can access a car immediately and conveniently, without needing to meet anyone physically.

In the long term, our goal is for it to be as normal as renting a house with friends today. We are committed to an ecosystem where our platform, combined with efficient and clean public transport, facilitates access to a car only when necessary. In this way, we contribute to transforming cities into more sustainable, comfortable environments with a better quality of life.