Booking a Car: Step by Step

From search to confirmation, here's exactly what happens when you book a car on Carvia.

Before you start

You'll need a verified Carvia account — see Creating Your Account and Verification if you haven't done that yet. If you're 18-20, note that you'll be required to select Premium protection at checkout.

1. Search for a car

Enter your pickup location and trip dates. Use filters — vehicle type, features, price range, delivery vs. airport pickup — to narrow results. Each result shows the nightly rate and whether the listing offers Instant Book.

2. Review the vehicle detail page

Tap into a listing to see:

• Photos, features, and the host's description
• The vehicle's mileage allowance and location
• The host's cancellation tier (Flexible, Moderate, or Strict — see the Cancellation Policy)
• Available extras, like a child seat or prepaid mileage package
• Whether the listing is Instant Book or Request to Book

3. Select your dates, extras, and protection plan

• Confirm or adjust your trip dates.
• Add any extras you want — up to 10 per listing, host-priced. See Vehicle Extras Explained.
• Choose a protection plan: Basic, Standard, or Premium. See Choosing a Protection Plan (Guest).
• If someone else will be driving too, add them here or after booking. See Adding an Additional Driver.

4. Checkout

Your checkout screen shows the full price breakdown before you pay: trip subtotal, our flat 12% service fee, your protection plan cost, and any extras — all added up into one total, with nothing held back for later. See Understanding Your Trip Price: Fees Explained for exactly how that math works.

5. Instant Book vs. Request to Book

What happens next depends on how the host has set up their listing:

• Instant Book: your trip confirms immediately. You're charged and ready to go.
• Request to Book: your request goes to the host, who has 12 hours to accept or decline. You aren't charged unless the host accepts. If they don't respond in time, the request expires automatically and you're free to book elsewhere.

Full detail on both flows: Instant Book vs. Request to Book.

6. Confirmation

Once your trip is confirmed, you'll get a confirmation with your trip details, the host's contact through in-app messaging, and pickup instructions. You can find this any time in your Trips tab.

Modifying a booking

Plans change. You can request a date change or other adjustment from your trip page — the host can accept or decline the change, and a modification doesn't automatically trigger cancellation fees. If you need to cancel instead, see Canceling a Trip (Guest) and the Cancellation Policy for what's refundable based on your host's cancellation tier.

What's next

Once your trip is confirmed, the next step is check-in on the day of your trip — see Guest Check-In: How To.