Judging from the speed of uptake for some other Apple Pay or Wallet undertakings, that brave new future of unlocking your rental car with an iPhone or Apple Watch is still some time in the future, but now that more and more companies are falling for the digital lock concept, the adoption of this new technology may be faster than expected.
Apple’s digital car key now supports a very limited number of brands, such as BMW, Mercedes, cars from the Hyundai/KIA agglomerate, the world’s second-largest EV maker BYD, and some niche brands like Lotus or Rivian.
This is a far cry from a widespread Apple digital key usage, as the cars need NFC or UWB connectivity that not even all models from the brands that officially support Apple’s digital vehicle unlock can offer.
Still, the Apple digital car key endeavor brings many other conveniences than a simple hands-free unlock as it also authenticates you to start your vehicle when inside, or to lock it automatically when walking away. That’s not even mentioning the ability to remotely lock, unlock, or start the car, so uptake is bound to increase as more and more suitable vehicles come to market, including in rental fleets.
