Whenever I travel, Priceline is usually a one-stop-shop for me. I can look up cheap flights, hotels and rental cars on the website and up until recently, it’s been perfect for me so I’ve had no complaints. I’m usually pretty good at planning ahead so I can get the best deals, but this week I have an unexpected trip back to Los Angeles and the costs I see on Priceline are outrageous. I’m talking like $60 per day and up to rent an economy size car. Yes, economy. Looking at the prices on the rental car companies direct websites are even worse! I saw Hertz charging over $80 per day and up to over $100 for the same size car. That’s ridiculous.
Luckily I have a wise husband who recently found out about some app that allows people like you and me to rent out our cars. Say what now?!? Yes, it’s like the Uber of rental cars and I’m so here for it. After one last search on Priceline to see that the prices were still high as a giraffe’s toosh, I decided to try something new.
I signed up for Turo, a website that allows you to rent cars from practically anywhere and embark on adventures without all the extra fees. Instead of paying over $250 for an economy car for three days, I got a Jeep for about $140. Oh, and it has unlimited mileage. Awesome right? Not only did I save well over $100, but my host will pick me up from the airport and meet me there before I head back home so I don’t have to worry about waiting for an airport shuttle or stressing when it takes too long to pick me up.
Turo made it easier for me to rent a car because they verified my driver’s license online and I was able to pay for insurance in one small fee as opposed to paying per day like the major car rental companies try to scam you into doing. There’s also an option to decline coverage and use your existing auto insurance policy, but not all hosts will allow that so be sure to double check. All I paid was $20 for basic insurance and that’s not a bad deal. One of the coolest parts is that you can check reviews before renting to make sure you’re not getting a lemon.
I’m also in love with how easy it is to make money on Turo. With this website, anyone with a car can make extra cash if they price their car properly. Pay attention to the rental car prices in your area and make sure you’re competitively priced. This website has pretty much any type of car you can think of from lowrider to luxury so whatever you drive may be requested by others. I saw quite a few minivans listed and while I’m allergic to them, I’m sure there’s a family of five just dying to go to Disneyland in one. If you’re not quite the Uber driver type, this may be an excellent way for you to make some extra cash while making your car work for you.
Turo is everywhere you are and some of the top cities using it are Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Toronto, Washington D.C., and more. It’s definitely worth considering for your next trip if you haven’t used it already.
It’s 2017, let’s do more with our money!
Stay tuned for my review of my first Turo rental to be posted here on the blog next week. I’ll be sure to take photos and give you a detailed account of my experience. Before even getting into the car, I feel like whoever created this website is a genius who solved a major problem that many of us didn’t even realize we had. Rental car companies are going to have to get it together if they want to keep customers…. It’s going to be interesting to watch how the market responds.
If you want to rent a car and get $25 off your first trip or put your car up for rent to make some extra cash, click here to sign up for Turo.
Do you know people who are still wasting their money by renting cars the traditional way when they can save and use it for more important things? Have you ever used Turo before? If so, how was your experience? If you haven’t used it, is this something you can see yourself using in the future?
I heard about this service but was super skeptical about it; can’t wait to read your review! Have fun!
Hey there! This post is pretty old so I rented from them already and it was a success. I’d definitely rent using it again. I didn’t borrow someone’s personal car, there are quite a few companies doing business on there and I rented with one of them.