Car Rental Platform Development

Developing Car Rental Platform

Car rental differs from property rental in several key aspects: short periods (hours, not days), strict driver license and insurance verification, mandatory vehicle condition checks before/after rental, fuel policy. This significantly changes architecture.

Data Model

Vehicle is a specific unit with history, not just "car type":

CREATE TABLE vehicles (
    id              BIGSERIAL PRIMARY KEY,
    owner_id        BIGINT NOT NULL REFERENCES users(id),
    make            VARCHAR(50) NOT NULL,   -- Toyota
    model           VARCHAR(50) NOT NULL,  -- Camry
    year            SMALLINT NOT NULL,
    plate_number    VARCHAR(20) UNIQUE NOT NULL,
    vin             VARCHAR(17) UNIQUE NOT NULL,
    transmission    VARCHAR(10) NOT NULL,  -- auto, manual
    fuel_type       VARCHAR(15) NOT NULL,  -- petrol, diesel, electric, hybrid
    seats           SMALLINT NOT NULL DEFAULT 5,
    mileage_km      INT NOT NULL DEFAULT 0,
    location        GEOGRAPHY(POINT, 4326),
    insurance_expiry DATE NOT NULL,
    inspection_expiry DATE NOT NULL,
    status          VARCHAR(20) NOT NULL DEFAULT 'available'
);

CREATE TABLE rental_bookings (
    id              BIGSERIAL PRIMARY KEY,
    vehicle_id      BIGINT NOT NULL REFERENCES vehicles(id),
    renter_id       BIGINT NOT NULL REFERENCES users(id),
    pickup_datetime TIMESTAMPTZ NOT NULL,
    return_datetime TIMESTAMPTZ NOT NULL,
    pickup_location GEOGRAPHY(POINT, 4326),
    return_location GEOGRAPHY(POINT, 4326),
    status          VARCHAR(20) NOT NULL DEFAULT 'pending',
    total_amount    NUMERIC(10,2) NOT NULL,
    security_deposit NUMERIC(10,2) NOT NULL,
    fuel_policy     VARCHAR(20) NOT NULL  -- 'full_to_full', 'prepaid'
);

Driver Verification

Mandatory block — without document verification platform bears legal liability. Integration with Stripe Identity or Jumio:

class DriverVerificationService
{
    public function initiateVerification(User $user): string
    {
        $session = $this->stripe->identity->verificationSessions->create([
            'type' => 'document',
            'options' => [
                'document' => [
                    'allowed_types'            => ['driving_license'],
                    'require_id_number'        => true,
                    'require_live_capture'     => true,
                    'require_matching_selfie'  => true,
                ],
            ],
            'metadata' => ['user_id' => $user->id],
        ]);

        $user->update([
            'stripe_verification_session_id' => $session->id,
            'verification_status'            => 'pending',
        ]);

        return $session->url;
    }
}

Pricing: Hourly and Daily Models

Rental can be hourly, daily, or combined. Flexible calculation needed:

class PricingCalculator
{
    public function calculate(
        Vehicle $vehicle,
        Carbon $pickup,
        Carbon $return
    ): PricingResult {
        $hours = $pickup->diffInHours($return);
        $days  = $pickup->diffInDays($return);

        if ($hours <= 24 && $vehicle->hourly_rate) {
            $base = $vehicle->hourly_rate * $hours;
        } else {
            $fullDays     = floor($hours / 24);
            $remainHours  = $hours % 24;

            $base = $vehicle->daily_rate * $fullDays;

            if ($remainHours > 0) {
                $base += $remainHours > 12
                    ? $vehicle->daily_rate
                    : $vehicle->hourly_rate * $remainHours;
            }
        }

        $multiplier = $this->getSeasonMultiplier($pickup, $vehicle->vehicle_class);

        $discount = match(true) {
            $days >= 30 => 0.20,
            $days >= 14 => 0.15,
            $days >= 7  => 0.10,
            default     => 0.0,
        };

        return new PricingResult(
            base: $base,
            subtotal: $base * $multiplier * (1 - $discount),
            total: $subtotal + ($subtotal * $this->platformFeeRate),
        );
    }
}

Pre/Post Rental Inspection with Photos

Before issue and after return — mandatory condition recording. Removes disputes:

Schema::create('vehicle_inspections', function (Blueprint $table) {
    $table->id();
    $table->foreignId('booking_id')->constrained();
    $table->enum('type', ['pre_rental', 'post_rental']);
    $table->json('damage_map');      // damage coordinates on vehicle diagram
    $table->json('photo_urls');      // S3 URLs
    $table->integer('fuel_level');   // 0-100%
    $table->integer('mileage_km');
    $table->text('notes')->nullable();
    $table->string('renter_signature_url')->nullable();
    $table->string('owner_signature_url')->nullable();
    $table->timestamp('signed_at')->nullable();
});

Signature implemented via canvas on frontend (signature_pad.js), base64 image → S3. After both sign, status becomes signed and document legally significant.

GPS Tracking and Telematics

For fleets 20+ vehicles often need live tracking. GPS tracker integration via MQTT:

class VehicleTelematicsHandler
{
    public function handle(string $topic, string $payload): void
    {
        preg_match('/vehicles\/(.+)\/location/', $topic, $matches);
        $plate = $matches[1];

        $data = json_decode($payload, true);

        DB::transaction(function () use ($plate, $data) {
            $vehicle = Vehicle::where('plate_number', $plate)->firstOrFail();

            $vehicle->update([
                'location'    => DB::raw(
                    "ST_MakePoint({$data['lng']}, {$data['lat']})"
                ),
                'mileage_km'  => $data['odometer'] ?? $vehicle->mileage_km,
                'last_seen_at' => now(),
            ]);

            if (isset($vehicle->activeRental)) {
                $this->checkGeofence($vehicle, $data);
            }
        });
    }
}

Security Deposit and Charges

Deposit blocked on card on booking, charged only on damage:

$paymentIntent = $stripe->paymentIntents->create([
    'amount'         => $booking->security_deposit_cents,
    'currency'       => 'eur',
    'capture_method' => 'manual',
    'confirm'        => false,
]);

// No damage — cancel hold
$stripe->paymentIntents->cancel($paymentIntent->id);

// Damage — capture needed amount
$stripe->paymentIntents->capture($paymentIntent->id, [
    'amount_to_capture' => $damageAmount,
]);

Development Timeline

MVP with search, booking, driver verification, owner cabin: 8–10 weeks.

Adding inspections, GPS, flexible pricing, deposit logic: another 4–5 weeks.

Full launch with corporate accounts, fleet management, analytics: 16–18 weeks total.