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.
Harry says
Quick question can I rent a vehicle on turo that has a Rebuilt title
DougH says
I believe that you can
Pablo says
I have 2 cars that i don’t really use. Can i rent 2 or what’s the limit???
DougH says
I’m not aware of a limit on cars you can rent out. You can definitely do 2
Omar says
I live in Hoboken NJ, I would like to know on average how often will a car be rented on turo, for example if my car is available for 31 days out of a month what is the likelihood of it being rented out for all 31 days?
DougH says
It’s really hard to say. Ever market is quite different. But it is pretty unlikely it will be rented out for the full 31 days. Most people need the car for only a few days.
Elijah Romero says
Can you do this with a leased vehicle or does it have to be owned?
DougH says
It depends on your lease terms. Many leases may not allow it. Here’s Turo’s article on leased cars.
Ryan Jackson says
I can unlock my car with my phone. would I be able to leave my keys in the car and lock them in there and unlock it once the renter gets to the car? this would allow me to keep my car in a busier city.
DougH says
I think that could work as long as the tech doesn’t ever fail
roy Wilkie says
yes, I rent my car on Turo & do that with OnStar all the time. it’s a godsend.
just make sure the form gets filled out, photos etc, because it’s really easy to get lazy about it.
Matthew Rickett says
How has this been going for you? I will live overseas for a year and am considering using Turo to rent out my minivan.
DougH says
It may be hard to do that because you need to hand off the keys to the car to the person renting your car. You could have someone else do it though.
Chuck says
Quick question – Do I leave my personal insurance documents and ownership in the card with the renter?
DougH says
You definitely leave the registration info in the car, but likely not insurance. Drivers will need their own proof of insurance. To be 100% sure, ask Turo.
roy Wilkie says
Turo gives you a card for their insurance to keep in the car.