Inspiration
Online check-in for rental cars is supposed to save time. Instead, you're hit with a wall of options: 14 insurance tiers, 8 car upgrades, fuel packages, GPS add-ons, child seats, winter tires... By the third dropdown menu, you're just clicking "no thanks" to everything because you have no idea what you actually need.
We asked ourselves: can we make check-in hyper-personalized, fast, and actually fun to use? Can we add gamification that's only possible in an app? What if the AI got to know you the way a human agent would: remembering your preferences, learning from your trips, and just getting it?
What it does
SIXTy Seconds replaces decision fatigue with single, smart recommendations.
Smart Recommendations: The AI generates a custom decision tree based on your current booking and trip context: destination, passengers, luggage, weather. Driving to Sölden with 3 friends and ski gear? It knows the Ibiza won't cut it and shows you the BMW X3 with AWD. Over time, it learns your preferences like a human agent would.
Quick Questions: Still not sure? Swipe through a few simple cards and get a personalized match in seconds.
The Lucky Spin: Declined the upgrade? Pay 20% for a 20% shot at getting it free. This kind of gamification only works in an app and makes check-in a lot more fun.
How we built it
- Next.js 16 + React 19 with TypeScript
- Tailwind CSS for rapid UI development
- Framer Motion for smooth card animations and transitions
- Rive for the fortune wheel
- Stripe + Apple Pay for seamless payments
- SIXT API for real booking and protection data
Built as a PWA with proper iOS safe area handling - feels native on any device.
Challenges we ran into
- Nailing the PWA experience on iOS (safe areas, viewport quirks)
- Making animations feel smooth without killing performance
- Designing gamification that's fun without feeling pushy
- Merging stuff at 4 am
Accomplishments that we're proud of
- The swipe card interaction feels really satisfying. We spent way too long tweaking the spring physics
- Apple Pay working end-to-end in a PWA, including the full payment flow
- The fortune wheel animation is extremely smooth thanks to Rive
- The whole check-in flow can actually be done in under 60 seconds
What we learned
- will-change is your friend for animation performance
- 100dvh solves mobile viewport headaches
- Hackathon partners who build fortune wheels at 2am are keepers
What's next for SIXTy seconds
- Integration with the full SIXT app
- Expand to upgrades for other add-ons
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