Turo Review: Is This Car Rental Option Legit?

Deciding to forgo car ownership can save you money on recurring expenses like gas, insurance, oil changes, etc. However, you’re still likely to find yourself in situations where a car is necessary.

Previously, renting a car meant going to a rental location and using rental car companies like Enterprise or Avis. Unfortunately, opting for rental cars often resulted in paying exorbitant rental prices and hidden fees. 

Luckily, Turo can help you rent a car at an affordable rate. This Turo review will discuss how the platform works, how much it costs, its key features, and more.

What is Turo?

Turo car rental is a peer-to-peer vehicle rental service headquartered in San Francisco. It is essentially Airbnb for cars. The company allows people with unused vehicles to rent them to people who need them. This service presents opportunities for both car owners and drivers. 

First, people who are paying for a car they don’t use frequently can rent it out for extra cash, which can be a way for them to earn passive income. On the other hand, someone who needs a car for occasional use while traveling or doesn’t want the responsibility of owning a car can easily rent a vehicle when needed.

Better yet, renting vehicles through Turo can be more affordable since local car owners tend to charge less than major rental companies. Whether you need a replacement vehicle, a vacation rental, or a car for your next business trip, Turo offers excellent car rental options.

Is Turo Legit?

Yes, Turo is the world’s largest car-sharing service. Turo has set itself apart from any competition with an excellent near 5-star app rating and over 300k reviews between Google Play and Apple App downloads. Turo offers an in-depth terms of service outlining its use policy, eligibility, requirements, legal matters, and more.

You can book any car you want, wherever you want it, from a vibrant community of trusted hosts across the US, Canada, and the UK. They are in over 7,500 cities.

Additionally, they have a vested interest in the sustainability of the environment. Turo offsets 100% of our estimated global carbon emissions by investing in greenhouse gas-reducing projects,

How Does Turo Work?

Turo is a peer-to-peer service, meaning customers rent vehicles directly from car owners through an app. This lets them avoid using a traditional car rental service.

For Car Owners

For car owners, Turo presents an opportunity to earn money by renting their vehicles to customers. Essentially, it’s a passive income stream.

Turo can generate some extra cash for people who aren’t using their vehicles regularly. Other business-minded people may see Turo as an entrepreneurial venture, buying vehicles to make money by renting them out on Turo.

To list your vehicle on Turo, it must be no more than 12 years old unless it qualifies for an exception as a specialty vehicle. It must also have fewer than 130,000 miles and be well-maintained. 

When you’re ready to list your vehicle, you must verify your identity with Turo. 

To list your vehicle, you’ll have to provide your:

• License plate number
• Vehicle make, model, and year
• Vehicle identification number
• Description of your vehicle
• Photos of your vehicle

When you list your vehicle, Turo will use automatic pricing to set your rate based on your location and changes in supply and demand. Drivers can turn off automatic pricing and set their own flat prices within a minimum and maximum threshold. 

You can offer discounts for long trips and early-bird bookings, but you don’t have to.

Once customers start renting your car, you’ll start getting paid. Payment will be sent within three hours of the end of your first booking. 

For extended bookings, you’ll receive weekly partial payments until the end of the trip.

For Drivers

Turo car rental allows drivers to rent cars directly from owners rather than through a vehicle rental company. 

Before renting a car on the Turo app, you must be approved as a driver. You’ll share a profile photo, your contact information, and your driver’s license to do so. You can usually be approved immediately, but if your account is missing information, it may take as long as 24 to 48 hours.

To rent a car, you must be at least 21 years old. However, for specific vehicles, you must be 25 or 30. For trips with peer-to-peer hosts, you may be able to rent as young as 18 years old. 

You’ll also need:

• A valid driver’s license
• Proof you’ve been driving at least two years if you’re under 25
• An auto insurance score that meets specific benchmarks

The booking process is fairly straightforward. Once your account has been approved, you can browse vehicles and book a trip. Rates start at just $25 per day but will be higher for newer or premium cars. 

You can cancel your trip for a full refund up to 24 hours in advance, making Turo an excellent option for flexible car rentals. When it’s time to start your trip, you can pick up your vehicle directly from your host or have it delivered.

How Much Does Turo Cost?

Both vehicle owners and drivers will be subject to certain costs and rental fees when they use Turo. 

For Car Owners

Turo can be a great opportunity to earn extra money, but you’ll also have to split some of your earnings with the car-sharing company.

The host’s take rate is the percentage of each trip that you earn as the host. Your take rate depends on the protection plan you choose, with rates ranging from 60%-90% of the total trip price. 

A host’s take rate doesn’t just include the daily cost. It also includes fees for additional distances or usage, or fees for late returns. Ultimately, Turo ends up taking anywhere from 10%-40% of your earnings.

For Drivers

Renting a car starts at just $25 per day. Drivers can search based on daily rates to find a rental fee that fits their budget. While older and more basic vehicles might be priced in a lower range, others can cost hundreds of dollars per day. 

For example, someone in Chicago a 2021 Tesla Model S can rent for more than $400 per day, but a decade-old Honda or Ford sedan could rent for less than $40. In addition to the rental cost, you’ll also be subject to a trip fee. This is a percentage of the trip price. 

Your trip fee is calculated at checkout and depends on the vehicle’s value, how far in advance you booked, the length of your trip, and other factors. Another cost driver may be the protection plan they choose. You can decline protection altogether. 

However, if you do choose to purchase insurance coverage, it will cost between 18% and 65% of the trip price, with a minimum daily charge ranging from $10 to $14 per day.

The final fee drivers may have to pay is a young driver fee. For drivers between the ages of 18-20, the young driver fee starts at $50 per day. If you’re 21-25, the fee will be a minimum of $30 per day.

Key Features

Turo has plenty of exciting features, making it an excellent option for car owners and drivers.

Turo Carculator

The Turo Carculator is a tool built into Turo’s website. It allows vehicle owners to determine how much they might earn by renting their cars on the Turo website. 

You can filter results by region and vehicle budget range. From there, you’ll see vehicles priced in that range, the expected annual loan payments, and the average annual earnings. Finally, the Carculator will show you your estimated annual return on your investment.

Prospective drivers can use the Carculator to determine their expected earnings. However, it’s primarily geared towards people who want to establish this as a more substantial passive income stream.

Host Tools

Turo offers a variety of tools and resources on the website to help automobile owners boost their earnings.

Getting Started Guide

The Getting Started Guide teaches car owners everything they need to know about creating listings, optimizing their schedules, and more.

Photography Guide

Pictures are everything. To help increase the odds that a vehicle owner’s listings will be noticed, Turo offers a photography guide that teaches best practices.

Cleaning & Disinfecting Guide

This guide teaches owners about best practices for cleaning their vehicles, helping to protect the health and safety of both drivers and owners.

Contactless Check-In Guide

This guide teaches hosts how to maintain physical distance from their renters by checking in with their guests remotely.

Vehicle Protection Guide

This guide helps hosts navigate the different protection plans available and choose the best one.

Deals & Discounts

Turo hosts have access to various discounts on services such as Jiffy Lube, Meineke, YourMechanic, and more.

Turo Talk

All Turo hosts can join Turo Talk, a moderated Facebook group for discussing everything related to renting out a car on Turo.

Turo Incident Info Card

Turo provides every host with an incident information card and insurance card to keep in their vehicle’s glove box.

Insurance and Protection

Turo offers third-party liability insurance through Travelers to help hosts protect their vehicles and finances. Each protection plan comes with $750,000 in liability protection. 

Every host can choose their own level of comprehensive and collision coverage car insurance. This pays for damages that happen during a rental trip. 

There are five different protection plans available for Turo hosts:

	60 plan	75 plan	80 plan	85 plan	90 plan
Host take rate	60%	75%	80%	85%	90%
Third-party liability coverage	$750,000	$750,000	$750,000	$750,000	$750,000
Deductible	$0	$250	$750	$1,625	$2,500
% coverage above deductible	100%	100%	100%	100%	100%
Replacement cost	$50 per day	$30 per day	X	X	X
Includes exterior wear and tear reimbursement	✓	X	X	X	X
Includes loss of hosting income during repair	✓	X	X	X	X

With many plans, you’ll have no problem selecting one that meets your needs and budget.

Sustainability

Turo became the first car-sharing marketplace to become carbon-neutral, meaning it offsets 100% of its estimated global carbon emissions.

Turo buys carbon offsets by investing in emission reduction projects through the carbon offset developer Bluesource to meet this commitment. 

The money goes toward projects that fight climate change, reduce carbon emissions through forestry, and improve commercial trucking efficiencies.

Turo Shop

The Turo Shop offers a couple of resources for vehicle owners. 

First, it has a Spiffy Complete disinfectant kit that includes:

• A bottle of disinfectant cleaner
• Microfiber towels
• A cleaning checklist that drivers can hang in the window

The other product Turo sells in its shop is a no-smoking sign that hosts can hang in the vehicles to remind customers not to smoke. The sign also reminds customers that smoking in the car will result in a fine and a ban from Turo.

Turo Car Rental Reviews

Before using any service, it can be helpful to know what other customers have to say to ensure it’s legit.

Here’s how Turo stacks up across the various rating websites:

Website	Rating	Total Reviews
Google Play	4.9 out of 5	147k
Apple App Store	4.8 out of 5	178k
Trustpilot	4.6 out of 5	28k
BBB	1.04 out of 5	350

These are a few of the Turo reviews from customers:

“Using Turo was fantastic. The host was wonderful, the car was perfect for us, and so easy to find and return.” – Bron L

“Terrible. This app allows scammers to work freely and openly with no regard for the customer.” – Jon M

“Everything was simple and seamless! I will certainly use Turo again.” – Amanda G

“After having the worst rental experience of my life, I looked at my bank this morning and realized you guys charged me an extra fee…. I’m so disappointed in your business ethics. Definitely appears like you do not value your guests!” – Augustine

Alternatives to Turo 

If you aren’t sure that Turo is the best option, there are plenty of other platforms to consider. Here are a few alternatives to Turo.

Getaround

Getaround offers peer-to-peer car rentals. Like Turo, it operates both in the U.S. and internationally. Using Getaround is quite similar to Turo but has some important differences. 

First, Getaround has a feature that allows customers to rent cars for the specific purpose of driving for Uber. In fact, the two apps connect seamlessly.

Additionally, rather than taking a cut of the profits, Getaround charges drivers to list their vehicles. Hosts will pay $100 for each car listing and $20 per month. 

Getaround encourages hosts to use the service as a business opportunity and provides tools for managing fleets. It also offers an account manager for hosts with two or more cars.

HyreCar

HyreCar is designed to connect drivers with vehicles for rideshare and delivery services. People who own a car can earn extra money by listing their vehicles on HyreCar, while drivers earn extra money with their side hustle. 

HyreCar can connect with any major rideshare or delivery platform. It’s easy and flexible to rent a car when needed and even extend your rental while you’re out doing your side hustle. Get 10% off your first HyreCar rental with code HYRE10 at checkout!

ZipCar

ZipCar is a platform that allows you to rent a car by the hour or day, depending on your needs. It operates in the U.S., Canada, and other countries. Unfortunately, it doesn’t cater to people who want to earn extra income using their cars.

It’s easy to sign up for the service, drive on demand, and then return the car. Rates vary by the type of car, how long you need to use it, and how far you plan on driving. With ZipCar, you’ll pay anywhere from $11 per hour to $133 per day to rent a car.

FAQ’s About Turo

Before you sign up for Turo car rental, these frequently asked questions can help you determine if the platform is right for you.

Summary

Turo brings together those who need vehicles with those who have them, allowing individuals to bypass traditional rental companies and rent cars directly from one another. 

It can be an earning opportunity for hosts, whether you’re just listing a vehicle you don’t use often or are starting a full-fledged business.

Alternately, drivers can rent vehicles just to get around for the day or for a long road trip. Whether you are looking for a way to earn money renting out a car or save money on a rental, Turo is worth checking out.

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