July 15, 2026
Best Car Rental Comparison Platform and Technology Advancement Excellence - more titles for DiscoverCars.com in 2026
We are honored to share two new titles that we earned in 2026 – DiscoverCars.com was recognized as the Best Car Rental Comparison Platform, and won the Technology Advancement Excellence Award, both by the SME News IT Awards.
Why is this achievement special to us?
Despite the fact that our main industry is travel, DiscoverCars.com can be easily named as the IT industry's full-time player – our product is a combination of ideas and IT solutions offered in a structured and attractive UX way to a customer located anywhere in the world.
From creating job opportunities in the IT sector to securing user data and economic growth, there is a full range of development within the IT industry that DiscoverCars.com continues to create.
Besides that, DiscoverCars.com actively contributes to driving innovation and problem-solving, using the power of AI. As a showcase example of this, a massive IT event - DiscoverCars.com’s AI Hackathon - was successfully held at the beginning of this year.
The purpose of the event was to accelerate AI adoption and innovation across DiscoverCars.com by giving everyone – from Product and Engineering to Customer Support, Marketing, and Commercial – a hands-on opportunity to build practical, AI-powered solutions that solve real business or customer problems.
In the AI era, our company enthusiastically encourages employees of all levels to be involved in using it to find solutions and simplify the work processes, focusing on more strategic tasks. Our AI Hackathon was not just an event – it was a part of a broader shift toward building an AI-first mindset across the company, encouraging everyone to learn, experiment, and share.
With this recognition – and by taking an opportunity to share a story of our input to the IT sector and to participate in the IT Awards this year – we unlocked a broader range of awards reachable for DiscoverCars.com.
From creating job opportunities in the IT sector to securing user data and economic growth, there is a full range of development within the IT industry that DiscoverCars.com continues to create.
Besides that, DiscoverCars.com actively contributes to driving innovation and problem-solving, using the power of AI. As a showcase example of this, a massive IT event - DiscoverCars.com’s AI Hackathon - was successfully held at the beginning of this year.
The purpose of the event was to accelerate AI adoption and innovation across DiscoverCars.com by giving everyone – from Product and Engineering to Customer Support, Marketing, and Commercial – a hands-on opportunity to build practical, AI-powered solutions that solve real business or customer problems.
In the AI era, our company enthusiastically encourages employees of all levels to be involved in using it to find solutions and simplify the work processes, focusing on more strategic tasks. Our AI Hackathon was not just an event – it was a part of a broader shift toward building an AI-first mindset across the company, encouraging everyone to learn, experiment, and share.
With this recognition – and by taking an opportunity to share a story of our input to the IT sector and to participate in the IT Awards this year – we unlocked a broader range of awards reachable for DiscoverCars.com.
The entry process
Like any other awards entry, it all starts with a nomination. There are two ways to get nominated for the SME News IT Awards - self-submission and SME News team’s nomination. It was the second for us - we were offered to participate in the awards programme 2026 by the SME News team.
Once the nomination is accepted, there are several questions to answer in a written form to provide all the necessary details for jury evaluation.
The entry contained both overall and specific questions about the company, our products, and our contribution towards the IT industry - all open-ended, allowing us to share the full story.
Among the other, more detailed questions, there was a general one: ‘If you were to highlight an award winning aspect of DiscoverCars.com, what would it be?’. Our answer came naturally: Continuous learning and development. The truth is simple - if you want to grow, then you need to learn. Truth for every industry, every business, every team. The difference lies in how you are directing your opportunities to grow and managing the outcome.
Combining technical knowledge with bold ideas, ability to experiment and yet set the plan, is what makes our company successful, but also attractive and interesting in terms of employment in the IT sector.
Once the nomination is accepted, there are several questions to answer in a written form to provide all the necessary details for jury evaluation.
The entry contained both overall and specific questions about the company, our products, and our contribution towards the IT industry - all open-ended, allowing us to share the full story.
Among the other, more detailed questions, there was a general one: ‘If you were to highlight an award winning aspect of DiscoverCars.com, what would it be?’. Our answer came naturally: Continuous learning and development. The truth is simple - if you want to grow, then you need to learn. Truth for every industry, every business, every team. The difference lies in how you are directing your opportunities to grow and managing the outcome.
Combining technical knowledge with bold ideas, ability to experiment and yet set the plan, is what makes our company successful, but also attractive and interesting in terms of employment in the IT sector.
The evaluation
Entries were reviewed by a judging panel of five professionals with many years of experience in researching and evaluating business practices. Such neutral mediation helped the process of determining the most deserving winners become more efficient.
The success was not linked to the number of votes cast through a self-submission – the recognition was based on merit only.
The success was not linked to the number of votes cast through a self-submission – the recognition was based on merit only.
About the SME News IT Awards
The IT Awards programme was designed to spotlight excellence, innovation and achievement across the dynamic information technology landscape. From tech start-ups to cybersecurity specialists, software developers, and digital service providers, these awards honour the businesses and teams shaping the future of the constantly growing IT sector.
Marina Druganova
Marketing Project Manager at DiscoverCars.com
Marina has over 10 years of experience in marketing with a focus on affiliates and digital pr. You can find her on LinkedIn.
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