If you are wondering what Turo is, what it’s used for, or how it works in 2023 then you are in the right place. One year ago I was also asking myself the exact questions when it was introduced to me. After spending nearly $2,000 on a rental car on a vacation, I wanted to know more about what carsharing was and how I could use it.
In summary, Turo works by allowing users to rent a car from a host, similar to how Airbnb works. Hosts can rent out their personal car if it meets certain requirements and in return can earn income by allowing others to rent it for a trip. All of this can be done in a mobile app in several countries around the world. Turo is an alternative to using traditional rental car companies such as Hertz, National, or Enterprise.
Traveling and figuring out your transportation can be stressful. Well, regardless if you are in the United States, United Kingdom, or now, Australia, you can take advantage of using Turo to ease your stress with transportation. Now a year later I am an all-star host on the platform and have learned the good and the bad of using Turo to share with you.
What Is Turo?
Turo is a carsharing platform that was founded in August 2009 by Shelby Clark who was replaced by Andre Haddad only a couple of years later as CEO. Since then, Turo has earned hundreds of millions of dollars and has probably passed the billion-dollar mark. While filing for an IPO in 2021, which has still yet to happen, Turo disclosed they earned more than $300 million in the first nine months of 2021. With an army of more than 85,000 hosts on the platform, I would consider Turo a success so far.
The largest carsharing company relies on peer-to-peer sharing for its rental car availability. Turo, in my opinion, does a great job for both hosts and renters by providing an easy-to-use mobile app. Turo is a competitor to traditional car companies, but instead of relying on procuring a large fleet, they rely on peers to rent out their own cars.
The crazy thing about Turo? It’s actually working.
How Do People Rent From Turo?
The process to rent from Turo is very simple:
- Enter the location, time, and date of your rental trip. Once you have done that a list of available vehicles will appear. (Head here if you want additional tips when booking.)
- Create and verify your account.
- Enter your payment method and pay what is due.
- Pick up your car and follow the instruction in the app especially if you use Turo Go. You will want to take lots of pre-trip pictures, record the mileage and fuel levels, and write down any other notable blemishes on the car.
- After your trip, fill your car up with gas or charge your electric vehicle, and drop the car off at the same spot. It’s important to take lots of post-trip pictures of the vehicle and document the returning mileage and fuel levels.
- Optional: Leave a rating for the host (they really appreciate it).
Is using Turo safe?
Using Turo is generally safe, but it’s best to always stay cautious. I personally have never heard of anyone getting hurt or assaulted because of using Turo. Sure, there are always scams out there, but you can expect a trustworthy trip on Turo.
Aside from scams, how safe is Turo if you get into an accident or damage a Turo car? After having two guests cause damage to my own Turo car, I have learned that Turo treats any accident or damage with proper care.
With the combination of speedy customer service and great protection plan selections for renters and hosts, Turo has set a great foundation for a safe platform for users. Personally, I have reached out to customer service several times in the past year, and have always been answered quickly and kindly. In addition, my Turo protection plan has saved me hundreds of dollars of deductibles from two claims that were filed in the past year. As long as you have enough proof of before and after pictures and documents, you shouldn’t have a problem with Turo.
Customer service and great protection plans are only a couple of benefits of Turo.
There are many benefits to using Turo
The benefits of using Turo are cheaper prices, a wider selection of cars, and the personal help of a host.
Price
On average, Turo is $10-$40 cheaper daily compared to traditional competitors. There are several cars available on Turo such as a compact Prius, Fiat 500, or other very compact cars that get great gas mileage and have a very low day rate. These cars aren’t available at rental car companies as far as I’ve seen. In fact, Turo has a much bigger variety of cars for you to choose from.
Variety
Whether it’s a brand new Ford Lightning electric truck, a three-wheeled Vanderhall Venice, or a brand new Rolls Royce, Turo has many options to choose from. Not only is Turo a good platform to get a car if you need to get around town, but it’s also great if you want to experience or test drive a luxury sports car.
Reviews
You also get to choose which host you want to rent from. Renting from a host that has a lot of 5-star reviews can give you a completely different experience compared to a host that doesn’t have any reviews. In fact, one of my friends told me the other day that they rented a Tesla on Turo from a host with no reviews and the host ended up ghosting them. There was no car for them after all, but Turo stepped in and booked them another car.
Turo is by no means perfect though.
Drawbacks of using Turo
The drawbacks of using the Turo platform are fees and renting older cars.
Fees
Unlike traditional rental car companies, Turo lets drivers as young as 18 rent from Turo. The negative side is that Turo will charge up to $50 extra per day for a young driver fee. This is not uncommon but Turo fees are bigger than other platforms.
Fees may also add up if your previous driving history with Turo has resulted in claims or accidents. If you have a good driving history, you should not see any additional fees on your booked trip.
Older Cars
If you have ever rented a car from Hertz, Alamo, or one of the other competitors, the car they gave you was most likely newer with few miles on it. This is one difference from Turo’s policies.
For example, my 2016 Chevy Suburban with 107,000 miles on it would qualify for Turo. As long as the vehicle is maintained, less than 12 years old, and has less than 113,000 miles on it, it would qualify for Turo.
Hosts generally do a good job at keeping cars well maintained but driving an older car regardless of the maintenance always has a higher risk of breaking down when rented. I can imagine that Turo will make these requirements more strict down the road once they are more mature in the peer-to-peer carsharing market.
Turo is business as usual for 2023.
Overall, renting and hosting on Turo is the same as it was one or two years ago. There are just a few policies that change every few months as Turo tries to tie up any loose ends.
In fact, just this morning I received an email saying they are no longer going to allow third-party companies, such as the popular tool Carsync, access to Turo accounts. As a result, Turo will be releasing more features such as toll road management, bulk price editing for large fleets, and more.
As an all-star host on Turo, I have been impressed with how well their customer support is for hosts and renters. Turo is a great platform for hosts to rent out their personal cars on the app for renters to book for trips. Policies on the app will continue to change, but the overall carsharing business will continue as usual for 2023.
