Silvercar
Silvercar is a private Austin-based airport car rental company founded in 2012, serving connected business and leisure travelers through a digitally enabled, contactless rental experience featuring a premium Audi-anchored fleet at major U.S. airports.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2012
- HeadquartersAustin, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Silvercar does
Silvercar is a private airport car rental company headquartered in Austin, Texas, founded in 2012. The company targets the "connected traveler," offering a digitally enabled, contactless rental experience at airport locations that strips out the traditional counter-based handoff in favor of a mobile-first booking and pickup flow. Its fleet skews premium, anchored by Audi vehicles following Audi's strategic investment in 2016. The company employs 51-100 people and serves individual business and leisure travelers arriving at U.S. airports.
Silvercar's revenue mechanics are per-rental, with travelers paying directly through the company's digital channel; there are no disclosed enterprise contracts, subscription products, or B2B revenue streams in the available data. The company has raised approximately $65 million across six disclosed funding rounds between October 2012 and January 2019, with investors including Austin Ventures, Andreessen Horowitz, Velos Partners, Audi (lead in the 2016 Series C at $28 million), Archangel, Tuesday Capital, Slow Ventures, and KSV Global. Audi's lead position signals an OEM-aligned fleet strategy that differentiates Silvercar from independent rental startups reliant on third-party fleet financing at market interest rates of 7-8% in 2023-2024.
The company operates within a global car rental market projected at $216.1 billion in 2025 and $337.1 billion by 2033, with U.S. air passenger throughput of 840 million in 2023 serving as the primary demand driver. Leadership is founder-anchored, with CEO Matt Carpenter leading the executive team alongside CFO Jefferson Macks and EVP of Corporate Communications and Brand Kerry McGowne.
Silvercar firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Silvercar
- Website
- https://silvercar.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2012
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Silvercar is a private Austin-based airport car rental company founded in 2012, serving connected business and leisure travelers through a digitally enabled, contactless rental experience featuring a premium Audi-anchored fleet at major U.S. airports.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Silvercar industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Airport Car Rental Services
- NAICS
- Passenger Car Rental (532111), Passenger Car Rental and Leasing (53211), Automotive Equipment Rental and Leasing (5321)
- SIC
- Services-Auto Rental & Leasing (No Drivers) (7510)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Luxury Sedan & Executive Car Rentals (THADAMAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Off-Airport / Neighborhood Car Rental (THADAAAB), Luxury SUV & Performance SUV Rentals (THADAMAC), Premium / Luxury & Exotic Car Subscriptions (THADACAH)
Keywords
Where Silvercar is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Austin
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
Silvercar business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Silvercar product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Silvercar operates a premium airport car rental service targeting connected business and leisure travelers. The offering replaces traditional rental counter friction with a digital, app-driven experience and a standardized fleet of premium vehicles (predominantly silver Audis) available at major U.S. airport locations. The service is built around streamlined mobile booking, paperless pickup, and contactless vehicle access.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Airport Car Rental Service Premium airport car rental service offering a standardized fleet of vehicles (predominantly Audi) at U.S. airport locations, delivered through a digital/app-based booking and pickup experience for individual business and leisure travelers.
Companies that use Silvercar
Customer profileIdeal customer profiles1 record
Silvercar technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Silvercar partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators4 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Silvercar competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Avis Budget Group: Parent of Avis, Budget, and Zipcar; offers premium airport rentals and corporate mobility programs that directly overlap with Silvercar's target traveler and enterprise channels.
- Hertz Global Holdings: One of the largest airport-focused car rental operators globally; competes directly with Silvercar for premium-segment travelers at major U.S. airports and has aggressively pushed digital and loyalty upgrades to counter the Silvercar value proposition.
- Enterprise Mobility: Operates Enterprise, National, and Alamo brands with deep airport concession presence; competes for the same business and leisure rental demand that Silvercar targets.
- Sixt: European-rooted premium rental brand rapidly expanding in the U.S. with a fleet skewed to premium/luxury vehicles — closely comparable to Silvercar's premium Audi positioning.
- National Car Rental: Airport-centric brand within the Enterprise ecosystem with strong business-traveler and Emerald Club loyalty — overlapping heavily with Silvercar's frequent-traveler customer base.
Emerging players
- Getaround: Peer-to-peer car-sharing platform that competes at the margin for short-term, app-driven urban and travel rentals that could substitute for Silvercar's airport demand.
- Turo: Peer-to-peer car-sharing marketplace that includes a wide selection of premium and luxury vehicles; competes with Silvercar for travelers seeking differentiated, app-based rental experiences.
- Kyte: Digital-first rental delivery startup focused on airport and city drop-offs; mirrors Silvercar's connected-traveler thesis with a mobile-first, counterless experience.
Broad incumbents
- Avis Premium / Avis Luxury: The premium tier within Avis Budget's portfolio offers luxury vehicle selection and counter service at major airports — overlapping with Silvercar's high-end daily-rate positioning but as part of a broader multi-brand portfolio.
Others
- Dealerware: Dealership mobility SaaS enabling rental, loaner, test drive, and subscription programs on dealer fleets; adjacent rather than directly competitive, but signals how OEMs and dealer networks are building in-house premium-fleet rental capabilities that could substitute for Silvercar-style services.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Silvercar social profiles
Digital presenceSilvercar financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Silvercar leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Silvercar funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds6 records
Investors8 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Silvercar M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Silvercar
What does Silvercar do?
Silvercar operates a premium airport car rental service targeting connected business and leisure travelers. The offering replaces traditional rental counter friction with a digital, app-driven experience and a standardized fleet of premium vehicles (predominantly silver Audis) available at major U.S. airport locations. The service is built around streamlined mobile booking, paperless pickup, and contactless vehicle access.
When was Silvercar founded?
Silvercar was founded in 2012. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Silvercar based?
Silvercar is headquartered in Austin, United States, in the North America region.
Who are Silvercar's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Avis Budget Group, Hertz Global Holdings, Enterprise Mobility, Sixt and National Car Rental. Emerging players are Getaround, Turo and Kyte. Avis Premium / Avis Luxury is listed as a broad incumbent. Dealerware is listed as an others.
Does Silvercar have an API?
No public API is recorded for Silvercar.
What industry is Silvercar in?
Silvercar's product category is Airport Car Rental Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THADAMAB, Luxury Sedan & Executive Car Rentals, with a secondary code of THADAAAB, Off-Airport / Neighborhood Car Rental. Its NAICS code is 532111 and its SIC code is 7510.