A few tips from Uzair

Here are a few tips from Uzair, one of our top car owners 🚙

We love hearing stories of when members in our community form friendships through car sharing. Just before the festive break, we met with Uzair, whose car is always out on hiya. We had a quick chat about what made him list his car, top tips for other owners, and the friendships he has made.

How did come across Hiyacar?

I was bored in between jobs and decided to research how to make money from hiring out my car. I came across Hiyacar and found that a popular and cost-effective car to buy and rent out was a Toyota Aygo. I bought one, kept the price down and I got my first rental the day after listing my car.

Have you had the same drivers hire out your car more than once?

Yes, lots of regulars. One guy called Rob travels an hour to get to my car because we have built up a really great friendship. On one occasion he needed to use my car but I had to get some repairs done so I told him he wouldn’t be able to hire it out. Rob told me that he was a mechanic and could fix my car for me, so he used it for free (using mates rates) and I got a free repair on my car!

Any top tips for other owners?

• Don’t price your car too high, if someone is paying £30 for a car why would they pay any more than that for something similar? What you could do is discount the price for the first couple of months to get your first hires and reviews and then increase your price a little bit to see if people still book your car.
• Be nice to everyone, I always try to be home, or my mum is there to greet the drivers. Spend time with them and take them through the different features of your car.
• Keep your car clean (it makes the experience even nicer for drivers)
• Be honest, I always highlight the dents on my car and advise the drivers to take pictures of any original damage upfront so they don’t get stressed at the end of the rental.
• Understand that you need to take some hits on your car, it’s how peer to peer works. You will get a few scratches here and there but you’ll also make lots of money by renting out your car. Hiring out your car regularly definitely covers the cost of your car.