Whether your vacation is in nature or cities, having your own means of transportation gives you the freedom to explore at your own pace according to your itinerary . Especially in places where public transportations aren’t convenient or do not provide routes to the main attractions, having a car is a must. If you like to explore on your own and are not shy to drive in unfamiliar places, then renting a car with companies like Hertz, Enterprise, Budget, Alamo, Europcar, etc. isn’t new to you. However, there is another car rental platform that may not be well-known to many people. Have you ever rented homestays on Airbnb? Turo operates with the same concept as Airbnb, but for cars. Established in 2009, Turo is a marketplace that connects people who want to rent out their car with people who want to rent a car. Turo is not a car rental company; they do not have cars. They only a provide a platform for car renters and rentees to connect. Currently, Turo operates in the U.S., Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom.
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, there is a noticeable shortage of rental car. Therefore, there is a high demand which is followed by high rental rates. Sometimes, car rental companies don’t even have enough cars to rent out, even with confirmed reservations (personal experience). Even now post-pandemic, rental car shortage remains, at which case Turo becomes a handy option to consider.
Turo versus rental companies
I have used Turo several times in the U.S. and the U.K. I will make a few comparisons based on my own experiences in addition to noting the pros and cons between the two rental options.
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| Category | Turo | Car rental companies |
|---|---|---|
| Vehicle selection | Because car rental is dealt directly with the car’s owner, you will know in advance the car you’ll be getting such as the Make and Model, manufactured year, color, car condition, etc. Upon posting the car for rental, the renter is required to provide complete information about the car as well as sharing the most recent photos of the exterior and interior of the car to show its conditions. The disadvantage here is if for whatever reason (either it’s smaller than expected or the color is not as pictured, etc), you don’t like the car upon pick-up, you have no other choice. There isn’t a pool of car selection like at the rental companies. | During the reservation process, there is only options to select the car type such as compact, standard, full, SUV, luxury etc. You will only know what kind of car (make/model/color/year) you’ll be getting upon paperwork completion at the pick-up counter. The advantage of renting from rental companies is usually there is a pool of cars for you to select. Sometimes, you can pick your own car in the lot within the reserved category, or the car is assigned to you. If it is the latter, and you don’t like the car given to you, then you can return to the counter to select another car, even changing the car type if available. |
| The host/ratings/reviews | Just like Airbnb, there is also a review/rating for each renter. Therefore, you can read about the owner or the car itself in the reviews. Of course in order to become a renter on Turo, certain requirements and agreements must be met. However, each owner maintains the car in their own way, and not inspected by Turo – though there is a minimum standard they must obey. Typically, the reviews mention if the owner is easy to work with or if he/she is hard to reach, or if the car’s condition is good or not, etc. You are allowed to contact the owner for questions before making the reservation. Sometimes you can judge the owner’s personality from the communications, and if the owner is responsive or not. There’s a ranking on Turo. Those who are tagged as “All-star-host” mean they have very good ratings and are very experienced. If available, it is best to rent from these hosts. | The rental companies are rated by location. The rating for the company as a whole is not accurate. For example, Hertz at the LAX airport provides very good service, doesn’t mean that Hertz at SFO airport also provides the same level of service. Therefore, you should read the reviews of the rental company at the location you will use, instead of basing your selection from the company as a whole. |
| Mileage allowance | Car rental on Turo have two mileage allowance options. (1) Unlimited mileage (2) Limited mileage – for example, you’re allowed 600 miles for the trip; additional miles driven will be charged per mile. Some hosts offer either options or both. | At least in the most of the locations that I have used, all car rental companies provide unlimited mileage allowance. |
| Vehicle condition upon returning | You are required to return the car in the same condition as when you pick-up. Here, I’m referring to the exterior and interior cleanliness. Additional fee will be charged if the car is returned dirty. So before returning the car, you should discard all the trash, have the car washed and if possible also have the car vacuumed. If you know in advance that you will not be able to have the car cleaned and washed, most hosts offer an option to have the car cleaned (means you don’t have to clean the car before returning). | There is no need to have the car cleaned and washed upon returning. However, if the car is returned with excessive trash or stained – especially those that cannot be removed – then you will be fined. |
| Car pick-up/return location | Pick-up and return locations are more flexible. Typically, the car can be delivered or returned at any safe requested location. The most offered locations are the airport, train station, or a hotel near the airport (some airports do not allow Turo transactions, so the meeting place is typically at a nearby hotel or parking lot). You can also request to meet at a location of your choice; this is something you can arrange with the host. Usually, hosts offer free pick-up/return at airports and train stations. For other locations, they normally charge a small fee for their inconvenience/gas (this is perfectly understandable especially if they have to use taxi or Uber to arrive/return after delivering or pick-up the car). There are hosts who will personally meet you to deliver and pick-up the car. Some hosts have the car parked in the airport parking garage or at a nearby hotel. If the host does not meet you, then the car key is usually stored in some locker or at airport storage service; some cars can be opened or locked using the Turo app, then the car key is in the car waiting for you. Clear instructions will be given to you a few hours before pick-up time. One disadvantage for peer rental is the pick-up and return location have to be in the same city, unless the are you visit is very small where the cities are near each other. For example, one time when I rented a car in Big Island (Hawaii), we picked up the car from the airport west of the island, but we requested to return the car at the airport east of the island. The 2 airports are a little over an hour apart. The host gladly fulfilled our request for a small fee. | Car pick-up and return must be at the locations of the rental companies. Some companies do offer car delivery, but that’s very rare. You cannot request to have the car delivered or picked up at any arbitrary location. One advantage is you can pick up the car in one city and return in another. In case of Europe or US and Canada, it is possible to pick up the car in one country and return in another. Note that only certain companies provide this option, as they must have locations in the requested city/country. And of course, the additional fee is charged, and it’s typically not cheap if the return is across-countries (across state/city isn’t too bad). Sometimes the car pick-up is not in the airport; you must take a shuttle to the car rental center outside of the airport. Therefore, when returning, you need to reserve a little more time to return the car and then catch the shuttle to the airport. |
| Paperwork | All the paperwork can be done electronically either on the Turo website or mobile app. There’s no need to line up at the car rental counter to complete the paperwork before you can pick up the car. As previously noted, when picking up or returning the car, either the host meet you or clear instructions are given a few hours before the agreed pick-up/return time. No additional paperwork is needed before picking up the car or after returning the car. One requirement from Turo that is different than the usual rental is that when registering the driver, you need to provide (upload) a photo of the driver’s license and also a photo of the driver holder the license. These photos need to be uploaded to Turo before you’re allowed to pick-up the car. Note that the required photos are of the driver – in the case where the driver and the account holder different. | Even with confirmed reservation, you still need to line up at the car rental counter to complete the paperwork. If the pick-up location is at an airport then the waiting time could be longer than you would like! Upon completing the paperwork, you ae assigned to a car from the reserved category. The car location in the parking lot is given to you where the key is in the car. Before exiting the car rental lot, you must hand the paperwork to the agent at the gate for the final check. At some airports, some rental companies now provide contactless car pick-up where you can scan the QR code that takes you to a webpage that allows you to fill out all the information yourself without having to deal with an agent at the counter. |
| Auto insurance | Because this is peer-to-peer car rental (basically you’re renting a car from an individual), your auto insurance will not cover for any accidental damages done to this rental car nor any medical coverage in case mishaps. Therefore, when renting from Turo, it is advised that at least you purchase the minimum protection coverage (typically, there are 3 types of coverage are offered). If you know in advance that the roads during your journey are rough, prone to scratch or damage the car, then you should purchase more coverage. Note that Turo does not require that you purchase insurance/protection. You are free to decline all provided protection. | Your personal auto insurance also covers rental from companies with the same coverage limits and deductibles as your policy. But your personal car insurance only extends coverage to rental cars for personal use, such as driving a rental car while on vacation. It won’t cover business use, such as driving a rental car to meet a client for work purposes. Insurance policies may differ, but most should cover the liability when using the rental car for personal use. |
| Validate vehicle’s condition | The host is required to upload the most recent photos of the car to show the car’s condition (both interior and exterior). When picking up the car, you are also required to take photos and upload to Turo (some hosts don’t require this, but if after returning the car and the host claims there are damages to the car, then you will have no proof). If you find any damages or questionable concerns, then it is advised to take close-up photos and notify the host immediately. Upon returning the car, you also need to upload the photos of the car to show the car’s condition after your usage. These photos are especially important if you don’t meet the host upon car pick-up or return. The process is much simpler if you are able to meet the host to note any concerns. | Of course regardless if renting from an individual or a company (or even if borrowing from a friend), it is important that you check the car’s condition before and after. Upon car pick-up, you are provided a piece of paper with the car’s outline where you can mark any visible damages, so that upon returning, you wouldn’t be fined for them. However, typically, rental companies are lenient with minor scratches. |
Reservation system
You can access Turo from the website or the mobile app.
Turo‘s search engine provides more filters than the rental companies. Besides the usual filters like the city/location, time and date of pick-up and return, you can further filter by:
- Rental rate per day
- Rent fro “All-star hosts” only
- Car make
- Car model
- Car make year
- Unlimited or limited mileage allowance
- Electric or Hybrid
- Manual or automatic transmission
- 2-wheel or 4-wheel drive
- Car for disability, etc.
- Car type (Sedan, SUV, Minivan, Truck, Convertible, etc.)
- Number of seats
- Car Category (luxury, family, etc.)
- Cars that can be unlocked by Turo app
- Instant approval
Other accessories – rental companies often offer accessory rentals such as car seat or booster seats. Turo goes a step further, but the options vary by hosts. Some hosts offer other accessories such as coolers, beach accessories (chair, umbrella, canopy, etc.), bike rack, roof rack, etc.
Note: An account can only rent 1 car during a period of time. If you need to rent more than 1 car, then you’ll need to create another account. For example, if your rental period is from September 9 to September 20, then for these dates, you’re only allowed to rent 1 car per account.
Conclusion
If you think Turo is just like Airbnb for cars, then Turo‘s approach would seem more reasonable. It would be wise to compare options and rates on both rental companies and Turo before making your decision. In some destinations where rental cars are more scarce then Turo could be your solution.
One thing I like about Turo is that personal touch. We’re living in post-Covid time, some hosts go the extra mile and provide a bottle of hand-sanitizer and a box of tissue. Some hosts are even kind enough to also include a few water bottles or even phone charging cables. Personally delivering the vehicles and adding a few personal touches, I’ve had good experiences renting cars on Turo. If this is the first time you’ve heard of Turo, or if you have been on the fence about using the platform, then I hope this article could provide you with all of the informative details.
Life is a journey, right? Although the destination is important, the journey to reach your destination is an experience in itself. So the next time you travel, instead of following a tour group, perhaps opt for renting a car and explore a new city on your own! Let’s take the wheel and let the roads lead you to places unknown; the experience could be life-changing!
Making Memories 
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