Lyft News

Lyft Partners with SIXT to Expand Friction-Free Car Rentals Nationwide

Zachary Kizer - Jul 30, 2020

Following the success of Lyft Rentals in California, we are excited to bring our best-in-class car rental experience to more travelers across the US through a new partnership with SIXT rent a car. With more than 280,000 premium vehicles worldwide, SIXT stands for a consistent customer focus and culture of strong technological innovation. Starting this August, Lyft riders in Seattle, Las Vegas, and Miami will be able to rent a SIXT car through the Rentals tab in the Lyft app or on web. Following this three-city launch, we plan to expand to all cities within the SIXT rental network in the US in the coming months.

We have reimagined what renting a car should look like, solving for common pain points like long wait times at the rental counter, uncertainty on which car renters will leave with, and stress getting home after returning – we’ve tackled these head-on by eliminating lengthy paperwork, contact reduced and expedited pickup and dropoff, allowing renters to select the exact car they’ll leave with, and by providing Lyft credit to get home after the rental is complete. SIXT has established digital mobility services for their customers allowing us to seamlessly integrate their premium fleet into our model for friction-free car rentals. SIXT is present in the major airport and downtown markets across the US with further expansion planned, unlocking nationwide access for Lyft Rentals.  

Since launching Lyft Rentals last year, renters have shared that they love being able to select the exact car they’ll rent, the easy-to-understand insurance and add-ons, the seamless pickup and drop-off experience, and subsidized Lyft ride. We’re bringing all of this to the next phase of our rentals program, as we expand in partnership with SIXT. Reservations are simple and can be made directly from the Lyft app and soon the brand new Lyft Rentals website. We know that people expect an experience that also focuses on health safety, which is why with Lyft Rentals we are prioritizing a contact reduced pickup and dropoff experience and enhanced health standards. 

We continue to strengthen our personal transportation options through our investments in bikes, scooters, rideshare, transit, and rentals, making it easier than ever to get around without the burden of owning a personal car. The average US household spends over $9,000 per year on car ownership, yet the car is only utilized 5% of the time, remaining parked and unused the other 95%. Lyft has lower-cost transportation options to meet your most common transportation needs, whether that’s a rental car for a weekend getaway, a quick bike or scooter trip across town, a Lyft ride home from the grocery store, or an easy way to explore your transit options – all in the Lyft app.

“Lyft is leading the charge on offering our riders a range of transportation options on top of our core rideshare offerings, such as bikes, scooters, and transit and now we are doubling down on that effort with the expansion of Lyft Rentals,” said Cal Lankton, Lyft’s VP Fleet & Global Operations. “Partnering with SIXT enables us to rapidly expand the reach of our rentals in a time when customers are looking for hassle-free and intuitive transportation solutions. With our vision for car rentals, we are offering a completely integrated, frictionless, and transparent experience for transportation that renters have come to love.”      

“As a matter of principle, SIXT pursues a partnership approach to meet the challenges of modern mobility,” said Sebastian Birkel, President SIXT United States “With Lyft, we have an innovative partner at our side with whom we are already working successfully – since 2019, SIXT customers in the USA have been able to use Lyft's service under the "SIXT ride" tab via our SIXT App. We are now very excited to expand this cooperation by the integration of our rental products into the Lyft app starting in August.”

Here is how it will work: 

  • Now when you open your Lyft app, you’ll be able to see a selection of cars from Lyft and SIXT available to rent directly from the Rentals tab. You can also rent a car on web. At booking, you’ll just need to select your vehicle class, reservation dates, location, and any applicable add ons. 

  • However, unlike other rental services, you’ll have the option to select the exact make and model of vehicle you’ll drive off the lot within thirty minutes prior to your pickup time. 

  • After inputting your reservation details you have the option to add insurance coverage using the same user-friendly language we’ve been using since the launch of Lyft Rentals – this way all of the details are clear and easy to understand.

  • Once on the SIXT rental lot, you’ll be able to expedite the rental counter experience. Since you selected your car ahead of time with Lyft, the exact car you chose is waiting for you.

  • We’ll also provide a $10 Lyft credit to get you home after you drop off your car back to the SIXT rental lot.

With the existing Lyft Rentals fleet in San Francisco and Los Angeles, California, we’ve implemented new safety protocols in all of our open-air rental lots to protect our renters. This includes contactless pickups and returns, enhanced cleaning protocols, and a commitment to helping our renters with prevention by offering disinfectant to renters upon request at no cost to them.

SIXT has similarly introduced additional measures so that they always provide the healthiest possible environment for customers and employees. This includes increased hygiene measures for employees, social distancing inside rental branches, and a multi-step cleaning process incorporating the latest products, including disinfectants, to minimize the risk of germ transmission.