Have you ever thought about listing your car for rent on Turo? You choose the daily rental and get complete control over who rents your vehicle.
Turo calls it hosting, and it’s a great way to earn money from your car when you’re not using it!
But what actually goes into renting your car to a stranger? How does auto insurance work, and what about all the logistics of renting?
Read on to learn what it really takes to be a Turo host and all the steps you’ll need to take to rent your car.
Renting out your car on Turo: Steps from beginning to end
- List your car on the Turo app or Turo.com
- Communicate with potential renters and approve or decline requests
- Arrange to meet your renter: Have them come to you, or choose to offer delivery to Turo-approved locations
- Meet the renter and verify their info. You can assign a designated custodian to meet the renter, or you can use Turo Go to remotely give your renter access to the vehicle
- After the rental, meet the renter at the pickup spot
- Verify the condition of the car and take photos
- Clean the car
- Get paid!
- Arrange your next rental
See how much your car can earn on Turo
Turo has a ‘Carculator‘ that estimates how much your car might earn if you rent it out on Turo. It’s a good general guide that will let you know if renting is right for you.
After you list your car, you can set your vehicle rental price, but the Carculator will generally show the average earnings for your vehicle in your city.
Vehicle requirements to list your car on Turo
- Vehicle can be gas, diesel, hybrid, or electric
- Maximum vehicle age is 12 years old
- Fewer than 130,000 miles
- Clean title: No salvage, rebuilt, or branded titles
- Vehicle value up to $200,000
- Ineligible vehicles: Motorcycles, limousines, box trucks, RVs, construction/farm equipment, vehicles requiring a commercial license, and more
Requirements for speciality/classic vehicles:
- Must be at least 25 years old
- Must be in excellent mechanical and cosmetic condition
- Market value up to $85,000
- Will be subject to additional review before acceptance
Does Turo require a vehicle inspection?
Turo requires an annual vehicle inspection in some locations. See complete inspection info here.
How to list your car
To list your car on Turo, head to Turo.com or the Turo app and create a Turo account.
Enter information about your location and your car:
- The location of the vehicle
- The vehicle’s VIN
- Vehicle make, model, and color
- At least one photo of your car
- Miles on the odometer
The first step of the Turo application is to fill out info about your car
Verify your identity
Turo asks you to verify your identity by entering some basic personal information. You can’t create an account on someone else’s behalf — the account must be for you.
- Enter driver’s license number, date of birth, and your name
- Enter your current address and the last four digits of your social security number
- Answer verification questions: Where your SSN was issued, info about past addresses, things like that
Enter the vehicle location
After you verify your identity, Turo asks you to enter your vehicle location and license plate number. Renters will only see that information after they confirm their trip.
Set your vehicle availability
Choose when you want to rent your car using Turo’s calendar feature.
You can set general periods, or you can individually select days or ranges of dates.
The initial options on the application are:
- Every day
- Weekends only
- Weekdays only
- Decide later
Upload photos of your car and create a description
You’ll only need to upload one photo of your car to get started, but you’ll need to upload several good pictures of your vehicle if you want your listing to be attractive to renters.
There is also a checklist of special features like hybrid, GPS, manual transmission, convertible, etc.
Turo asks you to write a brief description of your car that will give potential renters information and attract them to your car.
Vehicle dashboard: Manage your vehicle listing
After you complete your initial listing, you will have access to a vehicle dashboard.
On your vehicle dashboard, you can edit info, check how much your car will earn, update your availability, and explore other options like vehicle protection and maximum rental distance.
Your dashboard to set your availability and edit other settings
How much should you charge for your car?
The price that you can charge for your car depends on the vehicle model and year and your location.
Use Turo’s Carculator to see the suggested pricing for your vehicle
Turo automatically prices your car for you with the Automatic Pricing system. You can opt out of Automatic Pricing if you’re more comfortable choosing your own pricing.
How far can renters drive in your car?
The maximum rental distance is up to you. Maximum distances start at 200 miles/day, but you can allow unlimited miles if you want to.
Renters will pay an additional mileage fee if they exceed your maximum distance. The additional mileage fee is typically around $0.50 per mile.
How to handle rental requests
When a potential renter wants to rent your car, you will get email, text, or Turo app notifications to let you know.
You will see the rental dates, information about the renter, and any message the renter wrote for you.
Use the messaging system to answer & ask questions and further coordinate the rental.
How to meet your renter and hand over the keys
The renter can come to your location to pick up the car, or you can make the vehicle available for delivery at a Turo-approved location.
For in-person meetings, arrange a location and a time using the Turo messaging system.
At the meeting, use the Turo app to check the renter’s driver’s license. Then, verify the fuel level, mileage, and condition of your car. Hand over the keys when you’re ready!
For remote verifications, the biggest challenge is figuring out a way to safely give the keys to the renter.
Some hosts use a trusted custodian or a lockbox to deliver over the keys. Others opt for Turo Go; a remote lock/unlock technology that you can install in your vehicle.
Delivering your car: Arrange pickups at airports, hotels, and other locations around town
Some renters will choose to pick up the rental from your location, but others will pay extra to have the vehicle delivered to a more convenient drop-off location.
When you set your vehicle as available for delivery, renters can choose from drop-off locations at airports, hotels, and other popular spots around town.
You can select the delivery fee or use Turo’s suggested fee if you’re not sure how to price the delivery.
Turo Go: Remotely lock/unlock your vehicle
Meeting up with renters can be a big inconvenience for Turo Hosts. In some areas, Turo offers Turo Go—a device that allows renters to lock and unlock your vehicle with the Turo app.
After unlocking the car with Turo Go, the renter finds the keys in a protective pouch and goes on their way.
See if your vehicle is compatible with Turo Go here.
After the trip is over: Returning the vehicle
Your renter will drop the car off at your location or at the delivery location.
You’ll be able to communicate with your renter through Turo all along the way, so you can message any special instructions if necessary.
Snap photos to verify that your car is in the same condition as before, then clean your car.
How insurance works for Turo hosts
Turo offers $750,000 of liability insurance for all rentals. They also provide ‘protection plans that’ cover damage to your vehicle and theft.
The protection plans are 60, 75, 80, 85, and 90:
- 60 plan: Earn 60% of the trip price. $750,000 liability, no collision deductible. Exterior wear and tear, loss of income or replacement vehicle is covered
- 75 plan: Earn 75% of the trip price, $750,000 liability, $250 collision deductible
- 80 plan: Earn 80% of the trip price, $750,000 liability, $750 collision deductible
- 85 plan: Earn 85% of the trip price, $750,000 liability, $1,625 collision deductible
- 90 plan: Earn 90% of the trip price, $750,000 liability, $2,500 collision deductible
See more detail here: Turo protection plans
Does personal auto insurance cover Turo, and do you need your own auto insurance?
Turo protection plans only apply to trips on Turo, so you will still need your own auto insurance to cover the vehicle when it isn’t being used on Turo.
Most personal auto insurance policies won’t cover incidents that are related to Turo. Contact your insurer for more info about the specifics of your policy.
Another rental service to check out
HyreCar is another peer-to-peer vehicle rental service to look into if you’re interested in renting out your car. HyreCar helps gig economy drivers rent vehicles for apps like Uber, Lyft, DoorDash, and Instacart.
You can earn up to $720 per month by listing your car on HyreCar.
MD says
DON”T DO IT!!!! Do not rent your car out. I rented my car out and the renter damaged it. When they returned the vehicle I was out of town. Turo never mentioned anything about a 24 hr. damage reporting window. I arrived and sent the damage claim as soon as I could and they denied it because it wasn’t withing 24 hrs. Total BS!! Rent at your own risk.
katie says
hi there!
what is the policy for damage that happens to your car while it is being rented? even something small like a scratch? how much does the insurance cost? what happens if the rentee totally wrecks your car?
thank you!
katie says
thank you so much for this post!
I want to do this while I’m traveling for 2 months. how will I handle giving the keys and doing the checkin process if I am out of the country? am I allowed to have someone else do it for me? thank you!
DougH says
You could have someone else do it for you. When I rented my car a different person than the owner handed me the keys and it was fine. But make sure to let your renters know what to expect, or they might be a little weirded out when someone other than you hands over the keys.
Kathryn Scott says
thank you so much! this is so helpful!
how often did you have people renting? how did you compensate.the.person doing the work? I don’t really have a partner / family where my car is that would help me easily. I will be gone for 2 months. Was thinking I’d offer to give a portions of the car rental to the person scheduling and giving off the keys. I just don’t know which percentage or what incentive to give. thanks again <3
DougH says
If you don’t have anyone who can meet with the renter, I’m not sure what you could do. Try to email Turo, they have probably had some rental scenarios like yours.
sam says
Hello
I have a question I have a SUV car in excellent condition and I will be traveling for 6 months
What is the best system for rent out my car for a long time ?
What is the number of miles on the car that will be added ?
how much in average i will get every week ?
What is your advice to me
thank you
DougH says
Turo is good for renting your car out for a long time. You can set the minimum and maximum reservation time. It would be good to set up a minimum of a week or more so you don’t have to deal with it as often. It’s hard to say how many miles the car will get, but you can set a maximum number of miles for each trip.
Donnie says
Question 1: So I am trying to pay off my parents for Their 08 infinity g35 (the own). If I get the premium package, that protects from wear and tear from renting it out? I read somewhere that turo does not cover that but I could have read it wrong. I’m leasing from uber xchange and would hate to sell the infinity, especially since it’s paid off and if it may benefit from renting it out. (As long as everything is covered.)
Question 2: if I notice later that something was broke or not working right due to the previous renter, would I be able to get that fixed though turo?
Question 3: oil changes, tired etc will all be one me correct? So I should stash some money aside from earnings to take care of maintenance
Thanks
David says
Thanks for the article.
Two questions:
1) How does ownership (or lack of) of car affect Turo eligibility? If someone leases car – through Uber Xchange Leasing, can he/she “sublease” through Turo?
2) Does personal insurance have to include surcharge of leasing vehicle through Turo?
DougH says
Interesting questions! If I recall correctly, when I signed up for Turo I did not have to provide the registration card, just the VIN. So I don’t think there is a way for Turo to ‘know’ that your vehicle is leased. BUT — the ‘sub lease’ idea may violation your Xchange Lease. Look into that and be cautious.
I’m not sure I understand your insurance question, but one thing is usually for sure: Your personal insurance doesn’t cover car-sharing or ride-sharing marketplaces like Turo, Uber, Lyft.
Brian says
How secure is it if you don’t have On Star or they steal it?
DougH says
The insurance policy will cover that. It would be a very dumb crime because they have to pass their own motor vehicle record check, which uses their identity.