Top 3 Reasons You Should Rent Your Next Car Through Turo

 

With the price of rental cars still sitting sky high, I am getting a lot of questions about how to find a more affordable rental car. My go-to is usually Costco.com since you automatically get a second driver, can cancel up to the last minute and I find it has the best rates.  

But on a recent trip to Raleigh, North Carolina, the rates on Costco.com were sky high. So I decided to try using the rental car platform Turo.com. You can picture Airbnb.com for rental cars. And unlike a traditional rental car company, you actually look through a catalog of the cars being offered by the owners on your specific dates and location. So if you have always wanted to try driving a Tesla, you could choose one of those if it's being offered. 

You can filter the cars by all star hosts, delivery options, number of seats, model of car and much more. Keep in mind, you are renting someone's personal car and not a car from a rental car fleet so that's a big difference. Then you communicate with the owner of the car on the platform to make the arrangements. 

For my trip to North Carolina, I looked through the catalog and found a Hyundai Elantra 2017 for rent for $45 per day plus taxes, insurance fees and drop off and pick up at the airport. The total came to $160 for Saturday to Monday. I paid $10 per day for insurance, $40 for airport drop off and pick up and $15 for a mysterious trip fee. I messaged Michlyn who wrote back within minutes. We confirmed the rental and she asked for flight information.

A day before, Michlyn confirmed the reservation and asked me to text her when I walked outside baggage claim. 

My flight was right on time and I walked outside of baggage claim and text Michlyn. She arrived within minutes, greeted me by name, checked my driver's license, advised me to check the car and take photos. 

Once I let her know that everything looked okay, she handed me the keys. So awesome! No rental car shuttle, no rental car line, no waiting. Within 15 minutes, I was checking into the hotel. Michlyn also included a cord for my Iphone. Nice touch. 

Turo.com requires you to purchase a level of insurance through their platform because most credit cards will not cover a non traditional car rental in their coverage. You have a few choices so whatever level of coverage you are comfortable with. I chose the minimum coverage and it said it had a maximum of $3,000 that I would have to pay out for a fee of $10 per day. 

I have heard that if you have an accident, it can be a hassle to deal with the insurance. 

Some of the rentals include a certain amount of mileage in the rental. This car included 600 miles and came with a full tank of gas. The penalty for not returning the car with a full tank was the cost of a full tank of gas plus $10. I'm not sure if that's Michlyn's policy or Turo.com. 

All in all, my top three reasons for using Turo.com:

1. I loved the easy pick up and drop off. 

2. I got to choose the exact car. The car was a bit worn, but it worked well 

3. And I'm supporting a small business owner. The host was communicative and on time. 

I would definitely use Turo.com again.