Imagine cutting smoking in your vehicles by 90%. Imagine earning real revenue from enforceable fines—without the headaches of disputes or chargebacks. Now imagine doing all this while building a reputation for consistently clean, smoke-free vehicles.
That’s exactly what Zubie’s new Smoke Detection powered by Bosch makes possible. Available for pre-order now, this innovative solution offers proof of in-vehicle smoking, making it easier than ever to hold renters accountable and ensure you get paid.
For car rental operators, this isn’t just a new sensor. It’s a new revenue stream, a better customer experience, and a powerful way to protect your fleet.
Why Traditional Smoking Fines Don’t Work
Most rental companies currently charge high smoking fees—often $450 or more. But let’s face it: these steep fees are hard to enforce without proof, and they often backfire. Customers dispute the charge and banks side with them, leaving you with friction, frustrated renters, and lost revenue.
Worse yet, these high fees don’t actually deter smoking. Without proof, you’re stuck cleaning out smoky vehicles, pulling them out of rotation, and comping upset customers with last-minute vehicle swaps.
Average Operational and Financial Impacts of Smoking in Rental Vehicles
Smoking in vehicles leads to frequent vehicle downtime and high cleaning costs. Smoking can also lower a vehicle’s resale value by 10–15%, further eating into profits. For smaller fleets, these issues can result in 2–5% annual revenue loss, while large car rental companies may face up to $1 million in smoking-related costs every year.
Here’s what customers say about their car rental experiences:
Zubie’s Smoke Detection Powered by Bosch: How It Changes the Game
With Zubie’s upcoming Smoke Detection solution, everything changes:
- Evidence of Smoking: The system detects and logs smoking events in real-time, including the duration, intensity, and background air quality —giving you rock-solid proof when enforcing smoking policies. Multiple smoking events can occur within a single day.
- Enforceable Fines: With this level of documentation, you don’t need to charge a one time $450 smoking fee to protect your fleet. In fact, we recommend a lower daily smoking fine of around $100 per smoking day—a price point that’s more acceptable to renters and far less likely to be disputed.
- High Success Rate: Early users report a 90% success rate on smoking claims when using this system—compared to an uphill battle with traditional, unproven fines.
- Big ROI, Fast: On average, Zubie detects between 2–3 smoking days per month. At a $75-$150 fee per smoking day, that’s between $165-$330 in revenue per vehicle each month.
- Reduction of Smoking Events: Once renters know that smoking fines are enforced, behavior changes. Rental operators have reported up to an 86% reduction in smoking events within six months of implementation. Even as smoking events decrease, most fleets still detect an average of 2.2 smoking days per vehicle, per month. That’s ongoing ROI for years to come.
Long-Term Benefits That Pay Off
Beyond revenue from smoking fines, this feature pays for itself in time saved, inventory preserved, and brand reputation:
- Fewer vehicles pulled from rotation for deep cleaning
- Fewer last-minute vehicle swaps due to smoke complaints
- Cleaner fleet reputation leads to better reviews and higher repeat rentals
Seamless Integration with Zubie
Smoke Detection Powered by Bosch is fully integrated into the Zubie platform for a frictionless experience:
- Easy Install: The Bosch-powered device installs in under 15 minutes and easily pairs with your existing Zubie-connected vehicles or new vehicles.
- Real-Time Alerts: Receive instant alerts that enable you to warn renters, fine once per day, or charge per smoking incident.
- Downloadable Reports: Access smoking history, air quality, and event details with downloadable documentation.
- Front-Desk Friendly: The Zubie Rental Agent browser extension makes it easy for counter staff to view smoking data at return and apply fees on the spot.
Zubie will alert you to every smoking event in your vehicles:
Downloadable reports are available for every smoking event:
Be First in Line — Pre-Order Now
Zubie’s Smoke Detection powered by Bosch is coming soon—and we’re opening it up for pre-orders today.
This is more than a feature—it’s a shift in how rental companies enforce smoking policies, reclaim lost revenue, and elevate their customer experience.
Ready to protect your vehicles, reduce disputes, and bring in new revenue? Contact us to pre-order today.