Whether you own an Airbnb property or not, you can learn how to rent your vehicle to Airbnb guests.
So how do you rent your vehicle to Airbnb guests?
Renting your vehicle to Airbnb guests is easy through the car-sharing app, Turo. Whenever guests book your Airbnb property, you can share a link to your available car rental and even offer them a discount. Even better, you can park the car rental at the property your guests are staying at!
Being able to rent a car as an Airbnb host is similar to having your hotel save a car for you once you arrive or better yet, ready at the airport.
Airbnb Vs. Turo
Turo, or Airbnb for cars, is a peer car-sharing entity that’s separate from Airbnb.
Its practices are like Airbnb, although, in terms of renting the property that you own.
Instead of renting out a home, cabin, or some other real estate for guests to stay in, you are renting out your vehicle to guests to drive!
Peer car sharing, like Airbnb, is a booming business that more and more people are finding out about in contrast to using a traditional rental car company.
It’s often cheaper with a much better variety of cars.
In short, if you are looking to rent a car then use Turo.
If you are looking to rent a property then use Airbnb.
How To List Your Vehicle On Turo
Head over to turo.com and select “become a host.”
If you are using your personal vehicle for it then start filling out the application.
However, if you are looking to buy a new vehicle for your car rental then I would recommend doing some market research beforehand.
To qualify to become a Turo host you must meet the following requirements:
- Your car must be less than 12 years old
- Have less than 130,000 miles on it
- Have a clean title
- Be at least 21 years old (US and Canada)
You must also be aware that some wear and tear will happen to your vehicle when renting out.
But, as an all-star host myself, I have never had a problem filing a claim and being reimbursed.
Utilizing Turo For Your Airbnb Car Rental
There are two major ways to utilize Turo with Airbnb:
Number 1: Offer Delivery
Offering delivery is something that traditional rental car companies don’t offer for guests.
But, you can offer delivery to your guests who book your Airbnb as an incentive.
Many people, like myself, have flown out of town and stayed at an Airbnb.
We needed to rent a car to get to our Airbnb rental.
As a Turo host, you could offer delivery, drop the car off at the airport for your guests, and then have them leave it at the airport when they are done.
Most guests rent a car anyways, so why not get a rental car from you?
You can earn some extra money by offering delivery, but if you don’t want to spend the extra time dealing with logistics for delivery then there’s another option for you to leave the vehicle at the property.
Number 2: Leave Your Rental Car Onsite
Not every guest will need delivery, but luckily there is another option for them.
If you have a garage on your property, then this is perfect for you.
Parking your car on your driveway or in your garage will give guests easy access if they want to rent from you.
Instead of offering a traditional car or SUV, consider renting a fun sporty vehicle that helps the guest enjoy their experience the most.
If your Airbnb is in the mountains, consider offering a Jeep for offroading, or a convertible sports car like a BMW 3 series to enjoy the mountain scenery.
Or, if you are in the city, consider getting a Polaris Slingshot or Vanderhall that allows guests to travel the city in style.
Whether it be delivering your car rentals to the guests or parking your car onsite, renting your car to Airbnb guests can help your guests enjoy their experience to the fullest.
How To Rent Your Car To Airbnb Guests
Now that you have listed your vehicle and have a Turo listing, you are ready to rent to your Airbnb guests.
All you need to do is share your Turo listing link with your guests.
An easy way to do this is with scheduled messages!
As a manager for super host properties, I have scheduled messages set up for every single guest.
Messages are sent out when a guest books, a week before they stay, the day before with the passcode and instructions, and then a reminder to leave a review after they’ve checked out.
When a guest books your Airbnb, include a link to your Turo car in the automated messages that allows the guest to book it during their stay.
You can also leave instructions at your property to book the car there too.
If they want to rent your Turo car, then you can open the dates for them, adjust pricing, and more.
What If I Don’t Own An Airbnb?
If you don’t own an Airbnb property, you can still take advantage of this process.
Becoming an Airbnb co-host is one way to rent your car out to Airbnb guests, but reaching out to Airbnb hosts can also be successful.
If you don’t want to rely solely on bookings from Airbnb guests, you can message hosts in your area and see if they are interested in collaborating.
A collaboration would allow Airbnb hosts to share your Turo link with all of their guests at an agreed-upon rate.
For example, because the properties I run are in the mountains, I would gladly send our guests a rental car link to a Jeep or other offroad car (especially if I didn’t have to do any maintenance on the car).
I would expect a small cut of the profits, but it would be an easy way for the Airbnb host and Turo host to earn some additional income.
Should I Rent Out My Car?
Car sharing has its pros and cons.
After being in the sharing economy for several years now I can confidently say it is a fantastic way to earn some extra income as a side hustle.
Renting out your vehicle is easy through Turo!
I firmly believe everyone should give it a try.
Whether you collaborate with an Airbnb host, or use the vehicle at your own rental property, renting your car on Airbnb through Turo is a great side hustle to earn some extra money.
