experiences with Turo car rental

[tennisgal]

We're looking at renting a car during spring break.  Like everything else, rental cars prices have gone way up.  Someone mentioned Turo and I've only known 1 person who used it.  Their experience was just ok.  Just looking for a larger sample size lol.  Wondering if anyone has experiences with using it?  Thanks!

[sdlaura]

I rented through them once a year ago - I was going on a girls trip to Scottsdale and we forgot to rent until the day before, and there was nothing else available. We rented a luxury vehicle for the same price we would have gotten a compact car from one of the major agencies. The woman who rented to us met us as scheduled at the airport when we flew in and she was super nice. Car was great. But then she didn't show when we were supposed to meet her two days later at the airport to give it back to her. I called and texted - no answer - and my flight was about to leave. So I ultimately left the car in the cell phone lot with the key under the tire. She finally responded when I was in the air and said she had some emergency and forgot her phone - who knows if that's true or if she just overslept. Luckily she got the car and it didn't get towed or stolen. So I would also describe my experience as just so-so.

[sugarbear1]

I just rented with them for a weekend in Phoenix in March. I've heard mixed reviews but am taking the risk for the price.

[pugz]

good experience. Bonus is that my car insurance through State Farm covered it so I didn't need to get the extra coverage. Check with your insurance

[jewel]

Yes! We rented a jeep in SD and had a great experience. It was cheaper for me than the smallest compact model at a regular rental car place, and I was able to get the plug in model so we spent almost nothing on gas. Just check the reviews of the car and host to make sure they’re reliable and haven’t had any consistent issues.

[starburst604]

We used Turo when we visited Big Sky in summer 2021. Rental cars were insane at the time and we were able to get a much nicer vehicle for much less. We needed something rugged since we were going to be driving mountain roads so we got a 4Runner. Super easy experience. It was waiting in the airport parking lot and I just dropped it off back there when we left. The owner was easy to communicate with and all went smoothly.

[tacoflavoredkisses]

I used it in October for a day trip when we had a friend visit since I can’t fit a 5th person in between my kids’ car seats and needed a larger SUV. The owner was super nice, seemed thrilled I was an average mom going on a day trip to a historical site 😂 (ETA she had issues with a previous renter that involved police). I had zero issues and would definitely use it again.

[dancingirl21]

We used Turo the first week of January in California. It was a great experience. The owner (broker?) left it in the airport parking lot right after we landed and told us where to find it. He left the key in the glovebox, so we never saw him. Same with us dropping it off. We put it in the parking lot, texted him the spot number, and he came and got it. Super seamless.

We are using Turo again for spring break in Colorado. It's another dealer/owner with a fleet. He is leaving the car at the airport hotel we are staying at the night we get in, before driving up to the mountains the next day.

One way you might know it's a broker/dealer/owner with a fleet is to look at the listing. It will usually say something like, "check out my other listings", or something like that. We prefer to use this type of transaction. They do this for a living and are very clear with directions about where to go and how to drop off.

[al dente]

Feb 13, 2023 13:19:52 GMT -5 pugz said:

Check with your insurance

This is what has always given me pause when I started looking at Turo. At the time it looked like my insurance wouldn't cover these types of rentals, and credit cards don't give you the extra protection either.
Also when I've looked it price wise was about equal or more expensive then what I can get through Costco so there wasn't a huge cost savings for the risk.

All that being said I know lots of people the rave about Turo.

[tennisgal]

sdlaura, yours is similar to my friend's experience. It was fine getting the car but she couldn't get ahold of the person for drop off

dancingirl21, that is good information to look for someone who has a fleet vs just one car. I imagine the people who have a fleet are going to be more on the ball with things

And also thanks for the rec to check with insurance. I'm pretty sure our insurance covers through rental car companies, but not sure if they'd cover something like Turo.

[wildrice]

My family used it to rent a mini van when we were all traveling to the same place last summer. We had no issues, and it was really easy to add additional drivers after the fact, which was nice when my mom hurt her hand and couldn't easily be the driver anymore.

I don't think it saved a ton of money, but it was nice to have a guaranteed mini van instead of ending up with whatever the rental car company happened to have waiting when we arrived at the airport.

[SusanBAnthony]

We have done it 3 times and it has been fine every time. I do buy their insurance out of an abundance of caution, and also pay with a CC that has some insurance coverage.

All the time rentals were either astronomical or straight up unavailable.

I pick ones that will pick you up at the airport or leave the car in airport parking for you to pick up. I also always pick older/cheaper cars and have never had an issue.

[flatlan]

We just used Turo this week while at a trade show. I was a little nervous but everything went great! We also went with a person who had a fleet of almost 20 cars and a 4.9 rating. We went with a luxury convertible (dream of my husband’s to do this) and it was around the same price as some of just the mid range cars at the rental car companies.