Car rental is dominated by several big players. Sixt, Alamo, Hertz and Enterprise are just a few of the big names that come to my mind. Young people, like myself, know that car rentals don’t happen until one turns 25. However, I have experienced car rental both in the US & EU when traveling with parents or other adults. The first thing that comes to my mind when I think about rental agencies is money! Rental agencies are notorious for charging high pricing based on location. Also, do not forget to fill up before returning the car! I have written before about the best rental car company, Silvercar. However, Turo is not a car rental agency. Instead, Turo is a car sharing program. Normal people list their cars on Turo to rent out. Sounds similar to Airbnb right? For big players on Turo, they can become commercial hosts. Most people are just normal hosts.
Differences
Minimum Age
Unlike other car rental agencies, on Turo you can purchase and drive a rental over the age of 21. Extra fees are charged. This is nice because people under 25 are forced to take public transport.
Price
On Turo, you can set your own budget. Turo offers really cheap vehicles for those on a budget. For people who want a better ride, the prices are actually affordable.
Physical Locations
Turo is just a marketplace. They have no physical rental locations nor operate any shuttles. It is up to the renter to figure out how to get to the car they are renting. When renting on Turo, I would highly recommend to book with a host that offers airport pick up and drop off. I would not want to take a taxi to someone’s house to rent a car.
Size
Turo is only available in the US, Canada, UK, and Germany. Those who rent in either the UK or Germany can drive anywhere in the European Union. Turo is also greatly limited in rural areas in many parts of the United States.
Similarities
Vehicle Classes
Turo and other car rental companies offer many different types of vehicles.
Insurance
Turo has their own insurance plan just like car rental agencies. If one has a credit card with primary insurance (Sapphire Reserve) use that instead.
Jeep Experience
My first experience using Turo was on the island of Kauai. We never interacted with the owner of the car as he simply left it in the parking lot. He texted us directions to where the car was parked and we found it after five minutes of looking. From the airport, we drove to Princeville which was an hour away. In Kauai, Jeep rentals were the second biggest thing. Every other rental car was a convertible Mustang or Camero. The best part about driving a Jeep is being able to do the iconic Jeep Wave 🙂
Tesla Experience
The Tesla experience was different than the previous Jeep rental. The car was waiting for us at the airport on the top deck of the parking garage. There the host met us and went over the features of the car. The Model X from Tesla is an SUV with seating for 7.
In the state of Hawaii electric vehicles (EV) get free parking and EV spots are right next to the handicap ones. Also, the Trump hotel, like many other hotels in Hawaii give free charging. Not paying for parking and charging while on vacation can save a lot of money. Honolulu airport gives free parking to EV owners. The Model X is the most expensive Tesla on the market. However, both the Model S & Model 3 are cheaper on Turo.
I know much more about aviation than I do cars. However, I am a huge fan of Elon Musk’s Twitter account and Tesla’s. The lowest price of gas per gallon in Hawaii is $3.00.In my state, I usually pay around $2.10- $2.20 at the pump. EV rentals really do make sense to save money on gas. Don’t splurge on a Model X like my family did, instead get the older, cheaper Tesla’s. They are just as nice as the new ones. Lets be honest, they are better than our daily drivers 🙂
When I was staying at the Hilton Hawaiian there was a nice shopping mall nearby. At the mall there was a Tesla dealership. I spent a few minutes talking to one of the car salesman and I was surprised to learn that Hawaii has no Superchargers. The biggest advantage of the Supercharger is being able to charge a Tesla in less than an hour. I would not recommending renting an EV vehicle if one plans to do more than 200 miles of driving in day.
Note: According to the Tesla Supercharger Network two supercharger locations are being opened in Oahu in 2019.
If done correctly, renting a Tesla can be a big money saver. Do your homework and try to book a hotel which offers EV charging. Plugshare is a great website which lets you see all available EV charging stations around the world. I would recommend becoming familiar with the cables in your EV and how to plug & charge. A quick YouTube video would explain. Valet at hotel should know how to charge a Tesla or any other EV.
In the United States, gas prices are reasonable. However, in other places around the world gas is very expensive. I visited Finland in 2017 before I started blogging and my parents had to rent the car. The price of gas in Finland is $6.10 per gallon. If renting abroad, I would highly consider how much one would need to spend on gas. It might cost the same or be cheaper to rent a Tesla. Sadly, Turo is not available in most countries.
How to Use Turo
To use Turo simply visit the website here then search where you are going. I picked Kansas City (MCI) as my search.
As you can see, I selected free delivery as my option. There were abut twenty vehicles with free delivery offered. The vehicle I would pick would have to be the Mercedes Benz E Class for only $50 a day!
Now I did the same search on Kayak. Kayak takes all the agencies combined and searches the entire database. Dates are exactly the same with all rental agencies at MCI.
Please do note that this is the total price. Still the first and third choices scare me. What is a surprise agency? Let’s take the second choice from Dollar. $107 and a free shuttle is a good value for a small car. Turo still offers a better deal with a much nicer car and not having to deal with a rental agency.
Conclusion
As consumers in the travel industry we need to be searching around for the best deals. Car rentals for many travelers is just as important as airfare. Turo is a new competitor in the car rental business. In 2019, there are so many options for getting the best price in airfare & hotels. Now, it is time for car rentals to become better priced and higher quality. I am rooting for Turo as a company.
Thanks for reading! This is one of many installments in the Hawaii Trip Report! Feel free to check out the other posts below!
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