Turo offers flexibility and reliability, unlike the big brand car rental companies like Hertz, Enterprise, etc. They provide an incredible selection of cars from everyday to luxury, from their easy-to-use app. They have availability in several destinations around the world, and just about anywhere. It gives you the option to enter a delivery method that works best for you, eliminating the hassle of waiting at the rental car counter. Most common deliveries are to airports, hotels, or train stations, but can even enter a custom location for your convenience.
To book through their platform, you need to create a Turo account (which is free), have a valid driver’s license, get approved to drive via Turo and be 18 years or older in the United States. Once you make your first booking, you’ll go through a quick approval process by entering your driver’s license and some other personal information. The approval process is almost immediate and you’ll be ready to book any upcoming adventures.
The platform offers insurance coverage, for a fee, with any trip that is booked. There are three levels of coverage – Minimum, Standard, and Premier. Keep in mind that in the US, any personal insurance you may have that covers damage to the host’s vehicle would kick in before the Turo protection plan. For all my trips, I have declined the Turo coverage and used my personal insurance for any related damages. I only had damages one time, and it was due to a rock that slightly chipped the windshield. It was 100% covered by my private insurance, so make sure you check your coverage before deciding to purchase the protection plan.
Turo offers a Help Center to provide resources to most frequently asked requests and issues. They have detailed articles that help assist with how to cancel a trip with your host to how to add a driver to your reservation. If you had any damage during your trip, you have 24 hours after the trip has ended to report it and must provide photo documentation. It is important that your before trip and after trip photos are covering you for any damages. It is possible that the damage was there prior to your booking.
One of my favorite parts about Turo is the ability to have multiple approved drivers for the rental car. With most larger companies, only one driver is approved for the vehicle. Turo allows multiple guests to drive the rental vehicle as long as they have a Turo account, are approved to drive with a valid driver’s license and meet the minimum age requirements. There are no additional fees or charges for this flexibility, but only the primary driver can add drivers to the reservation.
The cancellation policy is reasonable and I’ve never had an issue with receiving a refund if the host cancels the trip. A full refund is issued up to 24 hours before your trip starts unless you opt to receive a non-refundable trip discount when you book. For bookings that are made with less than 24 hours’ notice, you have an hour after booking to cancel free of charge. In the instance a host cancels the trip, you’ll be notified immediately so you can book another car. This has happened a couple of times when the cars have unexpectedly been in accidents with previous trips. We never had an issue finding a replacement car for a similar price. In some instances, customer service will even price match if it’s a similar vehicle.
When looking for your perfect booking, the app provides helpful filters to help narrow down your search. Most often my location is the airport I’m flying into with the dates and estimated arrival time. I usually filter by price and cars that offer free delivery to the airport. By offering various filters, it makes it easy to match your specific criteria.
Whenever we need to rent a car, Turo is the first place we look. Around 95% of the time, their prices are more competitive than the bigger names. Every host we’ve booked with has made the process seamless and easy. Your first trip could quality for a coupon, so make sure you don’t miss out to save and give it a try!
