A new damage reporting tool to help prevent customers paying unnecessary vehicle damage charges has been launched by Nexus Vehicle Rental. Developed in response to rising damage costs, the new tool is part of the company’s IRIS rental booking and management system and has been designed to make it easy for clients to immediately report vehicle damages on delivery.

The tool is thought to be a first in the rental industry, with IRIS automatically sending an SMS link to customers prior to vehicle delivery, enabling them to upload photographs of any damage to their rental vehicle on receipt. This aims to help avoid discrepancies in damage logs on return of the vehicle.

“We are constantly looking to develop our services with new and innovative software. The launch of our pioneering damage reporting tool is part of a streamlined system that helps flag any vehicle issues immediately, preventing costs from being passed on to our customers,” said David Brennan, CEO at Nexus Vehicle Rental.

Vehicle damage costs have increased by 32% over the past three years and are likely to escalate further as safety technology in modern vehicles becomes more expensive to replace, according to the Association of British Insurers. Similarly, earlier this year Nexus revealed the number of damage claims it has processed due to potholes has risen by 40% since 2016 alone.

Nexus works closely with its suppliers to save customers money on their damage claims, which has resulted in 36% of damage claims being closed. Moreover, in 2017, Nexus saved one of its biggest clients £350,000 in damage claims.

Nexus provides access to more than 550,000 vehicles from more than 2,000 locations across the UK, enabling customers to make bookings within seconds at the click of a mouse or via smartphone.