My experience with Turo: Car rental convenience at a great price
Editor's Note
Some trips don't require a rental car. If I am staying at an all-inclusive resort and don't plan on leaving my lounge chair on the beach, there isn't much need for a vehicle. But, depending on your itinerary, there are plenty of trips that do require having a car to drive around town or from city to city.
On a recent trip to Scottsdale, Arizona, I stayed at two hotels and explored several area attractions with my family. I traveled much farther than a short walk between my hotel room and the beach, and I needed a vehicle to get around.
I don't know if you've priced out rental cars lately, but I was shocked when I started researching cars for our trip. I'd used Turo a few years ago and decided to give it another try for this trip to see how it stacked up against a traditional car rental.
Turo basics
Rather than a traditional rental car company, Turo is a car-sharing service that allows car owners (or "hosts" in Turo terminology) to loan their cars to travelers (or "guests") for a set length of time.
In some ways, the experience is similar to renting a car. Utilizing Turo's app or website, you can input your travel dates and destination to receive a curated list of results that align with your search. Within those results, you'll see the daily rental rate and the total cost (excluding taxes and fees).
Turo is available in more than 16,000 cities across the U.S., U.K., Canada, Australia and France (up from 7,500 cities just a couple of years ago). So, it's easy to find the car make, model or size you are looking for while skipping the long lines at the car rental counter.
In terms of pricing, here's a direct comparison between Turo and Budget picking up and dropping off at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX) for Dec. 10 through Dec. 15. Through Budget, a full-size SUV (Chevrolet Tahoe or similar) that seats seven passengers would cost $639.
Related: Renting a car in Hawaii with Turo during rental 'apocalypse'
A similar full-size SUV, a 2023 Chevrolet Traverse, rented through Turo would run $461. That's $178 less and still includes airport pickup, minimum damage protection and free cancellation up to 24 hours before your rental period starts.
Rather than continuing to speak in hypotheticals (although Turo is looking like a pretty good option so far), let me share more about my recent real-life experience.
Choosing a car
At home, I drive a minivan out of necessity. And even when I use a traditional rental car company, I choose the car based on price rather than aesthetics. To start our search, I entered PHX as our pickup location and entered our arrival and departure dates and times.
From there, I further filtered the search results to only display cars under $75 per day that I could pick up from the airport. Turo has tons of additional filters, too. You can filter results for a specific vehicle type, make or model; the number of seats; features like Apple CarPlay, heated seats and sunroofs; and more.
Turo had so many cars to choose from that I went with one I knew we would have more fun with — a 2021 Jeep Wrangler. With a daily rate of $71.80, the total cost with taxes and fees was $527.83 for a five-day rental.
After I booked the car, I immediately received an email from the host with everything I needed to know about my rental. (You can also communicate with the host through the Turo app.) They shared general information about the car's pickup location and told me exactly when to expect detailed pickup information.
Twenty-four hours before the trip, I had to "check in." This involved verifying my identity by uploading a selfie and a photo of my driver's license to the Turo app.
Picking up your car
A few hours before my rental period began, I received a message from Turo that included the exact location of the car, how to get there using the airport shuttle and directions on how to access the car keys.
We found the car right where the host said it would be and followed the instructions for accessing the keys, which were in a lockbox attached to the car. Guests are also instructed to take several interior and exterior photos and upload them to the Turo app before driving the car. (TPG always recommends documenting your rental car's condition before you hop in the driver's seat.)
The host even included detailed instructions for finding the keycard that would get us out of the parking garage so we weren't scrambling to find our way out.
Our rental included 1,250 miles, and I knew we wouldn't be in danger of exceeding that limit.
During the rental period, driving with Turo felt much the same as any other rental car company. The one time I actually did need assistance, Turo turned out to be more helpful than a traditional car rental because I was able to message the host and get immediate help.
Because I don't normally drive a Jeep, I had trouble getting the front seat to lock into place after moving it back and forth to let the kids in the back. I messaged the host, who immediately responded with instructions to help me.
Aside from that, our entire rental was smooth sailing (or driving, as it were).
Returning your car
Similar to the check-in experience, we received a message with drop-off instructions the day before our trip ended. The host told us which section of the airport parking garage to leave the car in, and they told us to send them the parking space number after we dropped it off.
They also gave details on the closest gas station to fill up the car and how to reattach the lockbox with the car key inside. We took several more interior and exterior photos and uploaded them to the app to complete our rental process.
The final step was leaving a review for our host. After we returned home, the host sent us a coupon code to save 15% off future rentals. I doubt I'll return to Arizona before it expires, but I still appreciate it.
I've already booked our next Turo rental for an upcoming trip to Orlando, and I am really looking forward to avoiding the airport crowds and going straight to our car after we land.
Turo tips
- If you are worried about missing out on discounts by booking through Turo instead of a traditional rental car company, don't worry. Turo often has Amex Offers for eligible cardholders. I redeemed an offer for $30 back after spending $150 at Turo and paying for my rental with The Platinum Card® from American Express. When you scroll through the search results, you'll also often see early bird and multiday discounts.
- It's possible to earn points and miles on Turo rentals if you pay with a card that earns bonus points for travel purchases because Turo rentals code as travel.
- You can also earn points when you link your Delta Air Lines SkyMiles account to Turo. You'll earn 2,000 SkyMiles miles after you complete your first Turo rental and 500 miles on additional rentals.
- If you want to ensure you rent a quality car from a reputable host, look for search results marked "All-Star Host." All-Star Hosts have at least 85% overall five-star ratings, at least 80% five-star ratings for maintenance and cleanliness, a 3% or lower cancellation rate, and at least 20 completed trips.
- Turo offers a variety of add-ons, which may vary from host to host. For example, we paid $80 for prepaid refueling to save time before our morning flight. You can also pay an additional fee for one-way trips and add-ons like child safety seats, strollers and even coolers.
- One major difference between Turo and traditional rental car companies is that your credit card insurance will most likely not cover your Turo rental. Turo offers several levels of damage protection. You do have the option to decline coverage, but Turo recommends booking with at least minimum coverage.
Bottom line
All in all, I was happier with the Turo experience than a typical car rental. I didn't have to navigate the car rental counter at the airport, and I was able to choose the exact car I wanted. Plus, I could read former guest reviews to make sure I was getting what I paid for.
Once I had the convertible top off of the Jeep and the warm Arizona breeze blowing through my hair, I knew I had made the right choice.
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