10 digital startups striving to organise the fragmented automobile repair services market in India

The huge demand for car spare parts has gradually given shape to the vehicle repair industry, which allowed people to avail hassle-free, fast, affordable and quality services.

The Indian automobile industry has witnessed an annual production of 23.37 million vehicles in FY 2014-15, and it contributes to 7.1 percent of the country’s GDP, as revealed by India Brand Equity Foundation. The automotive aftermarket comprises manufacturers, distributors, retailers, service providers and garages, which collectively spell opportunity for automobile repair services market in India.

However, India is yet to witness any specific government body or association backing automotive maintenance and repair industry, and is, therefore, still lacking in quality and is fraught with price disparity. So we decided to bring a handful of online car repair services startups that have managed to organise this fragmented market to the limelight.

CarZippi: Founded in August 2015 by Suman Howlader, Bengaluru-based Carzippi offers comprehensive doorstep car care services at any location within a 30-km radius of the city. Customers can avail its services at market rates. The turnaround time varies based on the size and condition of the vehicle and the service selected, but on average, it takes 30 to 45 minutes. The price range of the services is between Rs 450 and 5,450.

MeriCAR.com: Founded in 2008 by Rakesh Sidana, NCR-based MeriCAR.com is a marketplace and aggregator for the after-sales automotive market in India. MeriCARS is backed by a large international automotive corporate, to serve customers pan-India 24×7 for roadside assistance or emergency breakdowns. The app enables users to locate car repair shops in the area, either manually by name or automatically within a radius of upto 20 km through GPS.

Bookmycarservice: Founded in 2014 by Raj Hasan Nagaraja, Bengaluru-based Bookmycarservice allows service centres to get listed on its platform, and customers can choose the nearest service centre. It charges nominal fee for per service lead, pre-owned car leads, tyre replacements, battery replacements, and on accessories. Bookmycarservice has a call-back feature through which it can specify the area of inquiry and other required details and contact the customers.

Autoyaar: Founded in October 2015 by Bharat Ostwal, Sunil Gupta, Amisha Shah and Abhishek Gupta, Ahmedabad-based Autoyaar.com is an aggregator platform with more than 1,000 automobile service providers. It allows users to find service providers for two-wheelers, four-wheelers, and car spa in their vicinity. Service providers include names like Bosch Car Service, CarzSpa and Castrol Pitstop.

SpareHub.com: Founded in December 2013 by Tapas Gupta, Diptanu Bhadra and Arijit Chakraborty, Pune-based SpareHub.com is an e-commerce marketplace for automobile parts and services. It currently offers more than 40,000 car parts across multiple brands and models and has partnered with more than 25 car service centres across west India. Recently, the startup raised an undisclosed amount of pre-Series A investment from Hyderabad Angels and Singapore-based M&S Partners.

21North: Founded in July 2015 by Praveen Surendiran, Nitin Mehra and Sreekumar, Bengaluru-based 21North provides vehicle owners assistance in using, maintaining and managing their automobile properties through a mobile platform. An automobile marketplace for service centres, 21North executes over 2,000 transactions a month and is currently operational in Bengaluru and New Delhi.

Zonnett: Founded in August 2015 by Abhijit Saxena, Vishwajeet Sukhija, Kanishka Garg and Vikrant Pawar, Mumbai-based Zonnett allows customers to map the best garage in their vicinity through its network of franchised and non-franchised car repair and service shops. The company currently entertains over 400 inquiries on a daily basis. Zonnett plans to expand to some other cities in the next two to three months. It raised seed funding of Rs 2.5 crore and plans to raise $10 million in Series-A funding.

Clickgarage: Founded by Shashwat Yadav and Bhuvan Batra, ClickGarage is an organised and user-friendly platform that provides cars and bike owners with a complete range of post-sales services, be it regular maintenance, denting and painting, diagnostics, repairs or roadside assistance. The ClickGarage Android app has been equipped with customised service options, real-time alerts and upfront estimates, to assist customers.

CarXpert: Founded in October 2015, CarXpert is a Gurgaon-based online car repairs and maintenance venture. It addresses the core issues faced by car, owners like lack of transparent and up-front pricing, use of genuine parts, warranty, convenience of booking an appointment. It enables Delhi NCR residents to avail these services at any of its 35 CarXpert managed workshops or CarXpert-partnered authorised service centres.

Gaadifix: Founded in February 2016 by Nitesh Jain and Nitin Bahl, Delhi-based Gaadifix is a marketplace for mechanics and branded automobile spare parts. It has so far brought on board 1,300 mechanics and its app has witnessed more than 1,000 downloads. It is planning to expand to Bengaluru, Mumbai and Chandigarh by 2016.

According to an ICRA report, out of the total estimated turnover of $8 billion of the automotive replacement market, excluding the sales of batteries and tyres, around 75 percent is contributed by passenger vehicles and two-wheelers. The report also estimated that the size of the replacement market, including sale of auto spare parts and labour charges for car servicing, is estimated to have grown at 15 percent CAGR over the last five years. The growth curve clearly indicates the industry is likely to invite some more players.