Is the AI Rental Scanner wrongly billing you for damages? There's an AI solution for that.

      Ravin AI

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      Considering current trends, it seems likely that when you next rent a car, there won’t be a human evaluating its condition upon return. Hertz and Sixt are increasingly incorporating AI-driven vehicle inspection scanners at their locations, prompting competitors to pay attention. Additionally, if you wish to dispute any damage claims from these companies, AI might assist you in that process as well.

      Since we first reported on this trend, several digital inspection startups have contacted us to explain their use of this technology, albeit differently than UVeye and ProovStation, the firms collaborating with Hertz and Sixt. By using just your smartphone, this software enables you to take photos and videos to establish your own digitally verified record of the car’s condition at pickup and drop-off. Therefore, if the rental agency accuses you of causing a dent that is merely a bit of dirt, you will have evidence to support your case—assuming the customer service representative is willing to listen.

      Interestingly, one of these startups, Ravin AI, has experience in the rental industry, having worked with Avis in 2019 and Hertz in 2022 as those companies experimented with AI inspections for the first time. Currently, Ravin is shifting its focus away from rentals to concentrate on partnerships with insurance firms and dealerships. It has teamed up with IAG, the largest insurance company in Australia and New Zealand, enabling customers to scan their vehicles for quick damage repair quotes using their smartphones.

      ProovStation claims their rental scanners can be set up in three hours and take around 250 pictures at 4K resolution to identify damage.

      Ravin’s choice to pivot towards insurance, rather than rentals, is partially based on the concerning stories that have emerged recently, as explained by founder and CEO Eliron Ekstein.

      “When you work with a car rental company, if you handle this incorrectly, you’re acting against their interests. Ultimately, you’re opposing their customers,” Ekstein noted. “We quickly understood that maximizing our revenue in that sector would mean going against their customers and the companies themselves.”

      Ekstein believes there’s still an opportunity for rental agencies to utilize AI to enhance efficiency without antagonizing consumers, but currently, they impose excessive fees for minor blemishes, likely to “justify the cost” of their scanning technology. Companies developing this technology are quite open about its potential; ProovStation’s About Us page states that the company’s “cutting-edge AI-powered technology [enables] businesses to transform routine inspections into gold mines of untapped opportunities.”

      “It’s essential to maintain transparency with your customers,” Ekstein emphasized. “Those who genuinely damage the car will ultimately admit to it if [the rental company] has evidence, but it has to be significant damage that incurs economic impact. Going after minor scuffs contradicts the service culture of these companies. I just won’t rent from you again. However, if I damage the door in a way that costs you at least $700 or so to fix, it’s reasonable for you to pursue compensation. I’ll also want to see the estimate; I’m not just going to pay a flat fee.”

      Ekstein mentioned that Ravin has invested 10 years of data and two billion images into training its system to accurately assess exterior damage costs. Due to recent reports of negative customer experiences with rental scanners, he decided to open up Ravin’s technology for public use, allowing anyone to access it for free on their smartphones.

      In the image below, you can see how Ravin’s scanning process operates. You align your car within the outlined frame, which turns green when the system can correctly capture the vehicle. After doing this several times around the entire car, it will indicate areas of damage and prompt you to examine them more closely if necessary, even guiding you to the location with onscreen arrows.

      I tested it myself (accessible via the “demo” link on Ravin’s homepage) and found it user-friendly, though not entirely precise. The system failed to identify two visible chips on my car’s driver’s side front fender but mistakenly categorized a reflection on the hood as “minor damage.” My car was somewhat dirty during the test, which likely affected the results—though rental vehicles won’t be in pristine condition either. Conditions and lighting during photo capture present significant challenges in this area, according to Ekstein, as factors like “who takes the image, what time, [and] what angle” can lead to drastically varying outcomes.

      Ultimately, Ravin provides a report highlighting the differences between your photos taken before and after the inspection, which you can share as you wish. Ravin is not alone in this endeavor; another startup called Proofr serves a similar purpose, also catering to rental properties and vehicles. I tried Proofr’s app as well, and while its interface was polished, it crashed multiple times while saving images. Unlike Ravin’s