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Amidst a rental shortage, this popular carsharing service has now expanded to all 50 states

Chris Dong
Articles
Chris Dong was a reporter at The Points Guy, where he covered the intersection of credit card rewards and travel.
June 09, 2021
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2 min read
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Amidst a rental shortage, this popular carsharing service has now expanded to all 50 states
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As the summer travel season heads into full swing, the car rental shortage across the U.S. persists.

Thankfully, there is at least one area of the U.S. that may get a slight reprieve from sky-high car rental prices and scarce availability — New York.

Turo, a popular carsharing service, has announced its return to New York state after more than a seven-year absence. Back in 2013, the company was banned by the New York Department of Financial Services for failing to comply with state insurance laws.

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(Photo courtesy of Turo)

However, starting June 9, 2021, Turo will have cars available again in New York — including all five boroughs of New York City. With this launch, Turo is now available to users across all 50 U.S. states.

Initially, Turo guests in New York will only be to book with "Commercial Hosts," essentially independent rental companies who provide their own insurance and are registered with the state.

This is different from Turo's service in other parts of the country where commercial rentals and peer-to-peer carsharing are both available.

(Photo courtesy of Turo)

Related: Are Turo car rentals covered by credit card insurance?

In a statement to TPG, Turo CEO Andre Haddad said that the company is "continuing to work with legislators to bring car-sharing and the complete peer-to-peer Turo marketplace back to New York."

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Even though it will not be the full Turo experience, having another car rental-like option will be a welcome addition for travelers this summer and beyond.

Haddad added that he is "incredibly excited to reach this significant milestone" and bring Turo back to the state. At one point, the New York City area accounted for 20% of Turo's business and was a top-five metro area by revenue.

Related: Can’t find a car rental? Here are 7 secrets that may help

Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.