Is Turo Worth It In (2023)? Yes, Here’s Why

You may have heard of Turo before and may be wondering whether the platform is worth your while. Well, we’re here to answer that question for you!

Maybe you’re planning a road trip, but need an actual vehicle to make the trip. Or you may be going on a trip to a new city, and would love the freedom of having your own car to get around.

In both of these cases, Turo may be a great option for you!

In this article, we’ll take a look at how Turo works, as well as the benefits and drawbacks of using the platform. Specifically, we’ll cover:

• What Turo is
• How Turo works for users
• The benefits and drawbacks of using Turo
• How much Turo costs
• Alternative platforms to Turo
• Deciding whether Turo is right for you.

Let’s get into it!

What Is Turo?

Turo is an online car-sharing service where users can rent a wide variety of vehicles directly from the owners. Through Turo’s website or app, car owners list their vehicles, specifying availability, location, and rental cost. This allows individuals to rent out their cars for specific periods, catering to different needs and preferences.

To rent a car on Turo, you simply search for a car in your desired location and timeframe. The platform then shows a list of available cars. You select a car, book it on Turo, choose a protection plan, and then you’re ready to pick up your car.

The Benefits of Turo for Renters

All of this might seem quite simple, right? But now, you might be curious about how Turo differs from traditional car rental services. To clarify this, let’s explore the distinct advantages that Turo provides:

1. Variety of Car Options

One great thing about Turo is that there is a plethora of different car types to choose from to fulfill your needs.

For example, you can find anything from luxury sports cars and four-wheel drives for more adventurous journeys, to campervans for long road trips.

In addition, you can also customize your search to filter for specific features such as number of seats or electric vehicles.

In contrast, car rental services have a much more narrow range of options when it comes to selecting a specific vehicle.

2. Cost-Effectiveness Compared to Traditional Rental Services

Turo also works out to be incredibly cost-effective.

While car rental services have recently experienced a slight decrease in expense, they are still definitely not cheap. Car rentals in the US are up 37 percent compared to the same period in 2019.

In contrast, more affordable prices are often found on Turo. There is a large degree of variability in price on Turo, and bargains can often be found.

For instance, if car owners have no need for their car at certain times, then what might appear to be a small fee to you is likely a significant profit to them!

3. Customization of Rental Experience

When it comes to renting a car from Turo, there is far more room for customizing the experience to fit your needs compared to a standard rental service.

For example, many hosts will often deliver the vehicle to you where you need it (such as at the airport or hotels). 

The platform also offers a variety of different protection plans, depending on your personal budget and needs. These details that offer a large degree of flexibility can often make for a far superior rental experience.

The Drawbacks of Turo for Renters

Of course, there are also bound to be some downsides to using the platform. Next, we’ll take a look at these potential drawbacks:

1. Inconsistency in Car Availability

Firstly, there will likely be times when there is inconsistency in car availability and it may become difficult to locate your desired vehicle.

Due to the nature of the platform, hosts can add or remove their cars as they wish.

As such, there is never any guarantee that any certain type of car will be available at a particular time.

2. Rental Prices during Peak Times

As with most things, prices for rentals on the platform will go up when there is more demand.

Therefore, if you want a vehicle for a weekend getaway, you will likely be paying more than you would during the weekdays as there are almost twice as many rentals occurring.

There is also greater demand during the summer and fall months.

3. Dealing with Car Owner Expectations

Other problems that may arise are if the car owner asserts that the car has not been returned in a clean state.

In this case, if Turo deems this to be a valid claim, this will result in the renter accruing an additional cleaning fee of $150 plus a 3 percent processing fee.

For example, I recently rented a Mercedes-Benz from a Turo host in Waco, Texas. The town is rather small, but the host insisted that I find a carwash before I returned the car.

While I do understand the “why” behind the ask, this was time-consuming and frustrating. It took at least 20 minutes longer to return the vehicle because of the request.

How Much Is Turo?

Turo’s pricing consists of several components.

Firstly, there’s a daily rate for the car rental. Next, you’ll pay for a protection policy, which covers any potential damage to the vehicle. There’s also a trip fee for using the Turo platform. If you opt for vehicle delivery, an additional charge applies.

In the U.S., drivers under 21 incur a ‘young driver’ fee of $50 per day, and those under 25, a fee of $30 per day.

Alternatives to Turo

So far, Turo sounds like a pretty great option for a cheaper, flexible, and customizable rental experience! To cover all bases, let’s take a look at a couple of other similar options that are available as well:

Getaround

Getaround is a car-sharing platform that offers many of the same features as Turo.

Owners post their cars for renters to choose from, with a large range of different types of vehicles available.

This platform also offers a large degree of flexibility, with 24/7 customer support. One superior feature of Getaround is that it is available in 8 countries, while Turo is only currently available in 4.

HyreCar

Hyrecar is another car-sharing platform available in the United States.

However, Hyrecar focuses less on providing a large range of different vehicles and flexibility options. Instead, what sets this business apart is that it offers rental cars for delivery services as well!

Wrapping Up

As we’ve seen, Turo is a popular car-sharing platform that offers a large range of different vehicles alongside a great deal of flexibility in the rental experience.

It’s also usually a much more affordable option in comparison to standard car rental services.

However, when considering using the platform, it’s important to remember that there will likely be inconsistency in the vehicles that are available to you, along with a few hidden fees to be aware of.

There will also be fluctuations in prices across the week and seasons. Nevertheless, Turo is an excellent platform for those who want to ditch the regular rental car businesses and try something new!