Instant Book for Hosts
Instant Book is entirely your choice. It's off by default, and turning it on — or back off — takes one toggle.
It's opt-in, on purpose
On Carvia, Instant Book is something you turn on, not something forced on your listing. That's deliberate: you know your car, your comfort level, and your risk tolerance better than any algorithm does. Some hosts want to review every guest before committing their car for a week; others would rather fill their calendar automatically and deal with exceptions as they come up. Both are legitimate ways to host, so Carvia lets you choose instead of deciding for you.
How to turn it on
From your listing settings, toggle Instant Book on for any vehicle. Once it's on, qualifying guests can book your car immediately, without waiting for your approval — you'll get a notification and the trip is already confirmed.
What qualifies a guest to book instantly
Instant Book is only available to guests who've completed Carvia's standard verification at signup: a valid driver's license, a selfie match through Stripe Identity, and a driving-history check. Guests 18-20 must also have completed extended verification and booked Premium protection. In other words, anyone booking your car instantly has already cleared the same identity and driving-history bar every Carvia guest clears before they can book at all — you're not opening your car to unverified strangers by turning this on.
How to turn it off
If Instant Book isn't working for you — you're getting bookings you'd rather have reviewed first, or you just want more control — turn it off from the same listing settings toggle. There's no penalty, no waiting period, and no explanation required. Your listing simply switches to Request to Book going forward; any trips already confirmed through Instant Book aren't affected.
Request to Book: your other option
With Instant Book off, every booking comes to you as a request. You have 12 hours to accept or decline before it automatically expires — if you don't respond in time, the request cancels and the guest isn't charged. This gives you a real window to check a guest's profile and trip history before committing your car, without leaving them hanging indefinitely.
Keep in mind that habitually letting requests expire, or accepting and then cancelling on short notice, affects your standing on Carvia and can limit your eligibility for Instant Book going forward — see Canceling a Trip (Host) for how cancellation penalties scale with lead time.
Which one is right for you
Instant Book tends to work well for hosts with a clear set of trip rules, a car they're comfortable renting to a broader range of guests, and a preference for a fuller calendar with less manual review. Request to Book tends to work well for hosts who want to vet every trip personally, are hosting a higher-value or harder-to-replace car, or are still building confidence in how they screen guests. Neither choice affects your earnings plan or commission — see Choosing an Earnings Plan for that side of the equation.