DriveNow vs. Car2Go: what’s under the UI/UX hood

Tobi
Tobi
Sep 5, 2018 · 5 min read

Doing most of my commutes by bike, I don’t own a car. If I am in need for a ride I am using BMWs carsharing service DriveNow, until recently, when I also registered for Car2Go by Daimler.

Playing around with the Car2Go app my first impression was that the app is a little more efficent in cases of UX and a little nicer in case of UI. This only being the first impression, I really wanted to find out where the differences are out of a UI/UX perspective. Maybe rated a little subjective around the persona of: me.

With Car2Go having 3.3 million worldwide users and DriveNow recently hitting the 1 million mark, they are among the biggest players in German major cities. Currently both companies are working on a joint venture offering only one service in the future, but so far there a no news if this will affect the apps. Both apps are constantly evolving, so the moment I am writing this, there might already be a newer version available. The versions I had a look at was Car2Go: 3.25.0 and DriveNow v.4.14
(1)(2)(3)

1 — Starting the app

Being a registered user and already logged in

In both apps, all functions can be reached straight from the start screen. Differences can be found in the details. DriveNow is focusing on the closest car nearby, pointing out the way with a dotted line, giving you time and distance. You can immediately make a reservation on the first screen. That’s exactly what I want. Me, as a user, in most cases I want the closest car right now. (For all other cases I might use the new radar function — see point 5)

Car2Go provides you with a kind of dashboard which lets you access all functions right away. For me the point goes to DriveNow, as you won’t need this functions every time you use the app and I get the information needed a tick faster.
(Special kudos for Car2Go putting the loading bar above the iOS status bar
👍)

2 — The marker

Yes, this one is indeed very picky and only a small detail, but with big impact. DriveNow is showing right in the marker which kind of car you will find. If there are many cars nearby, this makes it easier to decide without activating the filter. Different cars mean different prices. Car2Go only shows a special “Grey” marker for the exclusive AMG CLA 45 or or to indicate parking spots.

The Car2Go-Team on dribble shows some more marker options, but I haven’t found them in the app so far.

3 — Selecting a car

Tapping on a marker to get more details about the car

When looking at the details I immediately fell in love with the way Car2Go displays their info. The car is beautifully shown on a stage, one layer above the map, giving you all the information you want in this moment and adding some depth to the whole app. Additionally providing information about distance, number plate and car model what matters most for me is the price, ranging between 30%. Car2Go shows this info right away when selecting one marker. DriveNow hides it in the details.

So the clear winner for me is Car2Go because of beauty and information.

4 — Filter

Both apps offer the chance to filter for specific cars. DriveNow hides the option under the adjustment button, Car2Go shows this option directly on its start screen. Car2Go is giving you a list with toggle buttons and an info icon, opening a new page with plenty of facts.

But … no images. That’s something DriveNow offers. I don’t know the difference between CLA or GLA and between all the different Mini types, but I can tell you if the car is big or small enough when seeing it. Also, DriveNow offers the chance to filter for gas or electric, shifting mode or fuel level and to remove all filters at once with a single button, Car2Go doesn’t. Also the indicator at Car2Go for “active” filter on the start screen is just a minor change of the icon and the first moment I forgot that filter was active and just wondered why I don’t see any cars. DriveNow shows a green highlight, which is slightly more visible.

Point for DriveNow for the visual filter and overall filter solution.

5 — Car Radar

A nice new feature giving you an alert as soon as a car is available in a certain range around your current position. Both apps provide this feature. DriveNow is hiding the icon under the adjustment button, Car2Go is giving you direct access from the start screen. I am a big fan of it and prefer the way DriveNow built it. You can adjust the radius with a handle on the outline and zoom out and in with it. The “set specific time“-button is a simple small icon, next to the “activation”-button. As mentioned before, I want a car right now, so I won’t need the timer too often. Excluding the timer function and adding the radius adjust handle, DriveNow gets the point, because there’s plenty of map left and it is more fun drawing the circle.

Round-up 4:1

Both apps are doing a superb job and with the upcoming joint venture I think pulling the best out of each app, it will be even harder to complain about a thing. For now, DrivenNow won on points by 4:1 with faster and easier to use patterns. But maybe already with the next update things might change.
Also I am pretty excited about the third big player in the game, VW and their service that will most likely be available in 2019. They had plenty of time to learn from these two opponents and make the best out of it. (4)


Tobi

Written by

Tobi

Visual Designer @IBM iX 👁🐝Ⓜ️ / 📍 Hamburg

Welcome to a place where words matter. On Medium, smart voices and original ideas take center stage - with no ads in sight. Watch
Follow all the topics you care about, and we’ll deliver the best stories for you to your homepage and inbox. Explore
Get unlimited access to the best stories on Medium — and support writers while you’re at it. Just $5/month. Upgrade