Car rental, at least at the airport, hasn’t really changed in a long time. Texas-based Silvercar is looking to change all that.
The company just launched in Chicago, and to date has grown from two airports in Texas to nearly 10 in the past two years.
The service uses a fleet of their own Audi A4 vehicles and an application platform to make sure that you always have a ride.
See, Silvercar isn’t necessarily interested in reducing the cost of a car by all that much. Instead, the company focuses on ensuring a high-quality experience — users can specify in the app when they land and Silvercar valets pick them up curbside — as well as a luxury car in the form of the A4.
When you rent from a traditional car rental vendor, you usually have to choose to upgrade to a Nav system or a connected audio system, and the list goes on and on. All of Silvercar’s A4s come pre-loaded with all the goodies, and are rented at a flat price. So while the Silvercar price isn’t originally as low as the cheapest car on a regular rental lot, you’re likely saving when you choose Silvercar over a comparable option at a traditional rental place, according to the Silvercar founders.
The company is currently toying with the idea of opening up Silvercar beyond the airport use-case, offering a fleet of A4s at various pick-up locations, not unlike Zipcar. Silvercar is also working on integrating corporate accounts onto the platform, which is currently done manually on the back-end.
The company has raised more than $14 million in funding.
You can learn more about Silvercar here.