Europcar Mobility Group connects 260.000 rental vehicles with Geotab telematics

When Roy Tippner joined Europcar Mobility Group as Network Transformation Director in 2015, the ambition was clear: a fully connected fleet that could improve the customer experience and drive internal efficiency through data. What wasn’t clear was how to get there across 260,000 rental vehicles in six European markets, each at a different stage of connectivity maturity. 

After a comprehensive procurement process that evaluated multiple providers, Geotab was selected for both its technical capability and integration fit — and Europcar hasn’t changed provider since. Today, 100% of the UK fleet is connected via Geotab Tracking Device, overall connectivity across six core European markets sits at 67%, and the program is now expanding to Australia.

The challenge: disconnected fleet data across a global rental operation

Europcar Mobility Group operates vehicle rental, car sharing, and car subscription services across 130+ countries — serving consumers and businesses worldwide. At that scale, not having real-time data on vehicle location, condition, and on-road behavior meant decisions were reactive, customer support was limited, and operational efficiency was constrained by incomplete information.

Two pressures drove the search for a telematics partner:

• Customer experience gap — Europcar needed connected vehicle data to improve the rental journey, from smarter check-in to real-time support in the event of an incident.
• Internal efficiency gap — Operational decisions across six European markets were being made without consistent, reliable data. Automation and data-driven processes were needed to close the gap.

Once the direction was set, Tippner led a comprehensive procurement exercise across available providers. Geotab emerged as the choice on both technical and integration grounds.

“We assessed a number of providers, and Geotab proved to be the best solution from both a technical perspective and with regards to integration. Since then, we haven’t changed our provider, so it’s a good collaboration that we were able to establish.” — Roy Tippner, Network Transformation Director, Europcar Mobility Group

The solution: Geotab GO9 and MyGeotab across a 260k-vehicle fleet

Europcar Mobility Group connected its fleet using Geotab’s telematic tracking device, which plugs directly into each vehicle’s OBD II port and sends real-time data from the engine, drivetrain, instrument cluster, and other subsystems to the MyGeotab fleet management platform — along with accurate location, speed, trip distance, and time data.

Connectivity by market:

• UK — 100% of fleet connected
• 6 core European markets — 67% overall connectivity, with full connectivity targeted by end of 2024
• Australia — program just launched
• United States — under evaluation

Six operational gains from connected vehicle data

The benefits of Europcar Mobility Group’s connected vehicle program in partnership with Geotab are focused on optimization of operations and enhancing the customer journey.

Stolen vehicle recovery

When a vehicle is reported stolen, Europcar can pinpoint its exact location in real time — from the moment an alert is raised. Recovery speed and accuracy have improved significantly compared to pre-Geotab capabilities.

Real-time collision detection

Potential collisions are identified as they happen, automatically triggering business processes or initiating customer assistance. Geotab’s machine learning model reduces false positives, ensuring alerts are actionable rather than noise.

Odometer and EV charge monitoring

Europcar can remotely monitor each vehicle’s odometer reading and fuel level or EV charge state — enabling proactive fleet management and more accurate maintenance scheduling across a mixed fleet of passenger cars and commercial vehicles.

Proactive maintenance

Connected vehicle data gives Europcar advance warning of maintenance needs before they become failures — reducing unexpected breakdowns, improving vehicle availability, and lowering unplanned costs.

Sustainable driving insights

MyGeotab’s Driver Safety Scorecard ranks drivers on behaviors directly linked to fuel efficiency and CO2 emissions — excessive speeding and harsh acceleration. Europcar uses this data to guide customers toward more sustainable driving habits.

“With Geotab’s connected vehicle offering, we can provide our B2B customers with advice on implementing sustainable driving practices and enable fleets to maximize their benefit. This is value creation that Europcar Mobility Group can provide thanks to our connected vehicle data.” — Roy Tippner

B2B fleet management value

Through MyGeotab, Europcar now offers a complete fleet management solution to business customers renting more than 10 vehicles — covering productivity, sustainability, safety, and compliance. This creates a differentiated value layer on top of the core rental relationship and positions Europcar competitively in the fleet rental market.

Results at a glance

Next: keyless vehicle access

In this digitalized world, there is a great deal of appetite from consumers for a more seamless check-in experience. Europcar is piloting a keyless vehicle access solution in France — allowing customers to bypass the rental counter and unlock their vehicle remotely through their phone. Geotab has been selected as the technology partner for this initiative, with a European rollout planned pending pilot results.

This operational game-changer will save Europcar Mobility Group’s employees considerable time and enhance the customer journey.

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