How Carvia Works

Carvia is building one peer-to-peer vehicle marketplace across the website and mobile app. During prelaunch, browsing and invited-host listing preparation are available; live guest accounts, bookings, and trips are not.

Current prelaunch status

Anyone can browse the public marketplace and vehicle pages. New account creation is currently limited to invited hosts who want to prepare private listings. Those listings stay out of search and cannot accept trips until Carvia opens launch access and the host and vehicle complete every applicable requirement.

See Host Prelaunch Beta for what invited hosts can do now. The trip flow below describes how Carvia is configured to work when live guest booking opens; final prices, plan terms, eligibility rules, and coverage will be the versions presented for the actual trip.

Guest flow at launch

  1. Search. Browse cars by location, dates, and filters like vehicle type or features.
  2. Book. Choose your cancellation option, protection selection, delivery, and extras, then review the itemized quote. Some listings confirm instantly; Request to Book gives the host 24 hours to respond. See Instant Book vs. Request to Book.
  3. Check in. The trip's check-in action opens 24 hours before the scheduled start. The guest records the required handoff evidence before driving. See Guest Check-In: How To.
  4. Drive. The trip follows the plan, eligibility rules, and disclosures presented at checkout. See Choosing a Protection Plan (Guest).
  5. Check out. Record the return evidence and dashboard values, confirm where the car was left, and submit any supported post-trip issue through the trip. See Guest Check-Out: How To.

Messages, consented in-app voice calls, booking changes, receipts, and the car-sharing agreement all stay attached to the trip.

Host flow during prelaunch

Invited hosts can create their host profile, add vehicles and photos, set pricing and availability, choose a planned earnings configuration, and finish pickup details. Every enrolled vehicle remains a private draft. Graduation from the beta removes only the beta publishing lock; normal inspection, recall, eligibility, and listing-review requirements still apply.

What makes Carvia different

The Carvia experience is built around a few explicit rules:

  • A capped, locked Trip fee. The current prelaunch configuration is typically 8–12%, never more than 20% of the trip or $400, and locks with a quote for 24 hours. Those figures are provisional until public launch. See Understanding Your Trip Price: Fees Explained.
  • No security deposit. Carvia does not collect a cash deposit or place a separate deposit authorization hold at booking or pickup. See Security Deposits.
  • Instant Book is a host's choice, not a mandate. Some hosts want to review every request; we let them.
  • Trip-linked records. Handoff evidence, messages, consented in-app calls, receipts, agreements, claims, and payouts use the same trip and database across app and web.

Getting started

You can browse cars without an account. If you are preparing a vehicle for launch, start with Host Prelaunch Beta. Live guest signup and booking will open only after Carvia publishes the applicable launch requirements, plan terms, and coverage disclosures.