Start and run your vehicle rental business

A CRM for vehicle rental is a customer relationship management system designed specifically for the rental business. It combines bookings, contracts, payments, asset tracking, and analytics in one place. Modern CRMs like Ownima are cloud-based, accessible from any device, and automate routine operations: document generation, notifications, deposit tracking.

To launch a car rental, you need to: register a legal entity, obtain a license, purchase or lease a fleet, arrange insurance, connect a CRM for booking management, launch a website and marketing. The minimum budget to start with 3-5 cars is from 500,000 THB. Full payback usually occurs within 12-18 months with proper management.

The launch cost depends on the scale and type of vehicles. For a motorcycle rental of 5-10 units, 200,000-500,000 THB is enough. For a car rental of 3-5 cars, you need 500,000-1,500,000 THB. Additional costs: insurance (5-10% of fleet value per year), marketing (20,000-80,000 THB/month), CRM (from 0 to 5,000 THB/month).

A rental contract should contain: parties' details, vehicle description, terms and cost, insurance conditions, deposit amount and return conditions, liability for damage, dispute resolution procedure. Modern CRMs allow you to generate contracts automatically from templates, sign electronically, and store in the cloud. This reduces processing time from 30 to 5 minutes.

The choice of CRM depends on the business size and rental type. For small and medium businesses in Thailand, Ownima is optimal: free tier, PromptPay support, GPS monitoring, multilingual. For large businesses with branches, Enterprise solutions with customization are suitable. The main thing is to choose a system with API, payment integrations, and a mobile app for managers.

In Thailand, popular methods: PromptPay (QR codes, instant transfers, 0% fee), credit cards via Stripe or Omise (2.5-3.5% fee), cash (with passport or deposit), bank transfers. For tourist flow, a combination of PromptPay + cards is optimal. Ownima supports all methods and automatically confirms payments in the CRM.

Yes, a website is mandatory. 70-80% of clients search for rentals through Google. Without a website, you lose organic traffic and customer trust. The minimum website should contain: a catalog of vehicles with prices, a booking form, contacts, legal information. Optimally — a full-fledged platform with online payment and personal account, like Ownima.

In Thailand, compulsory insurance includes Compulsory Motor Insurance (Por Ror Bor). Additionally, Voluntary Insurance (comprehensive) is recommended — covers vehicle damage, theft, third-party liability. Cost — 5-15% of the vehicle value per year. In the rental contract, clearly specify who pays the deductible in case of an accident.

Algorithm: 1) ensure people's safety, 2) call police (191) and ambulance (1669) if there are injuries, 3) record the accident scene with photo/video, 4) contact the landlord, 5) file a report. The Ownima CRM has a built-in chat with the client and an SOS button. In case of breakdown — evacuation at the rental's expense, vehicle replacement, or refund.

Growth strategies: 1) fleet expansion — add vehicles as demand grows, 2) new locations — opening points in other areas or cities, 3) additional services — delivery, child seats, GPS, insurance, 4) B2B segment — long-term rental for hotels and travel agencies, 5) franchise. Important: scaling requires automation — without CRM, growth leads to chaos.

VAT — 7% of turnover, if VAT registration is mandatory (turnover > 1.8M THB/year). Corporate income tax — 20%. Social security — 5% of employee salary. Additionally: municipal license fees, property tax. It is recommended to hire an accountant or use services like FlowAccount.

Yes, if you have: a motorcycle business license, insurance for each motorcycle, a bilingual rental contract, verification of the renter's license (international license category A). Important: many tourists ride without a license — this is a risk for the business. In Ownima, you can upload license photos and verify them before handing over the vehicle.