Turo: How to List and Rent Out Your Car

If you ever find yourself not using your car for a day or more at a time, then you may be the perfect candidate to list and rent your car on Turo.

Turo is a peer-to-peer car rental service that connects local vehicle owners with those in need of a rental car. The whole process takes place online, allowing you to list your car for rent and approve potential renters before getting paid to rent your car. Below is a guide to listing and renting your car on Turo.

How to List Your Car on Turo

Listing your car on Turo is easy. To get started, you will head to Turo.com and click on “List a Car.” Then, follow these steps to complete your listing.

1. Create a Turo Account

First, you’ll need to enter some basic information about your location and vehicle. You’ll enter your country before giving the following information about your car:

• Make, model, and year
• Miles on odometer
• Vehicle transmission type (automatic or manual)

After entering this information, you will then be asked to create a new account. You can sign in using Facebook or an email address. After signing up, follow the instructions to confirm your account on your mobile phone.

2. Verify Your Identity

Once you’ve created an account, it’s time to verify your identity. Turo will ask for some basic personal information, including the following:

• Name
• Date of birth
• Driver’s license number
• Current address
• Last four digits of Social Security number

Turo will also ask some questions to verify your identity. These questions might include information about where your Social Security number was issued and your past addresses.

3. Fill Out Your Profile Page

Now you can complete your profile page. This is the profile renters see before they request to rent your car. As a new host, you’ll need to make sure you’ve completed your profile to establish credibility and show renters you take this responsibility seriously.

In addition to filling out information like your name, location, place of work, and languages spoken, you’ll also upload a clear photo of your face. Not only does this make your profile more personable, but renters need to know what you look like when you’re delivering the car. With a clear image, it will be easy for renters to recognize you and feel at ease during delivery.

4. Enter Your Car Information and Availability

Now it’s time to fill out information about your vehicle location. You’ll also need to provide your license plate number. Remember, renters will only see this information after they have confirmed their rental. After this is complete, you will decide on your vehicle’s availability.

Use the car availability section to choose what days your car will be available to rent throughout the month. Initially, you can choose from every day, weekends only, weekdays only, or decide later. You can always change this information after your vehicle has been listed.

The availability section is also where you identify whether or not you require advance notice for rental requests and how short or long you would like these rentals to last. The shorter the notice you allow, the more opportunities you will have to secure bookings. However, you’ll need to give yourself enough time for vehicle turnover. Therefore, if you have a full-time job, you may not be able to offer bookings on a one-hour notice.

5. Upload Photos of Your Vehicle

Now you need to upload photos of your car. You only need one photo to get started, but the more photos you provide, the more attractive you will be to potential renters. Make sure to upload multiple clear photos that accurately depict your vehicle. Try to take several photos in good lighting and from different angles, showing both the interior and exterior.

Hosts on Turo have access to a free photographer to take professional images of their vehicle. However, while you are waiting for the photographer to schedule a shoot, it’s best to provide your own photos of the vehicle so you can start listing as soon as possible.

6. Provide a Description for Your Car

You will also need to write a brief description of your car to let renters know why they should pick your vehicle. You can choose from a list of special features like GPS, hybrid, or convertible to highlight what makes your car special. Try to keep your description short and to the point while focusing on the best attributes of your vehicle.

 

Pricing Your Vehicle Properly on Turo

Once you’ve created a listing, you’ll need to set a rental price. Start by doing some market research on your car and checking out what other hosts in your city are charging for comparable vehicles. As a new host, you will need to competitively price your rental until you have earned some positive renter reviews. Once you’ve established yourself as a reputable host, you will be able to increase your rental prices.

Turo gives you the option to automatically price your vehicle. However, if you want to maximize your earnings, you may want to set your rental prices manually. Setting your own prices gives you more control over your earnings, as it allows you to adjust and optimize pricing for different circumstances.

For example, there is typically less demand for rentals during the week. By lowering weekday rental prices, you can maximize your weekday rentals. Similarly, offering discounts for longer rentals, like those that are a week or longer, can help you attract more longer rental opportunities.

When setting rental fees, consider the amount that will go to Turo. The fee depends on which insurance package you choose, but it is anywhere from 15 percent to 35 percent of the rental fee.

Setting Up Delivery and Airport Options

You’ll need to set up delivery options as part of your Turo rental.

Though renters can certainly take a rideshare to your home or another location to pick up the car, including a convenient delivery option gives the renter more reason to rent your vehicle. Not to mention, you will earn a delivery fee when you pick up the renter at the airport to deliver the car.

You can set the price for airport delivery and also offer a delivery discount for longer rentals. Offering free delivery for rentals over a week is a great way to stand out on Turo, as the “free delivery” ribbon will appear next to your vehicle in the search results. Remember when setting delivery fees that Turo takes 25 percent.

Selecting a Vehicle Protection Package

One of the greatest concerns for new hosts on Turo is how to make sure the renter is a safe driver. First off, Turo screens drivers by verifying their identity and allows hosts to view the renter’s profile before accepting the request. Turo also offers vehicle protection packages to provide additional security for hosts.

Turo offers three insurance protection policies, the cost of which is deducted from the trip price:

• Basic Protection: This provides $1 million liability with $3,000 maximum out-of-pocket costs for damages. With this package, the host earns 85 percent of the trip price.
• Standard Protection: This provides $1 million liability with no out-of-pocket costs to the host for damage to the car, including a replacement car during repair. With this package, the host earns 75 percent of the trip price.
• Premium Protection: This offers $1 million liability, no out-of-pocket costs to the host for damage, including a replacement car during repair and covering exterior wear and tear, as well as loss of income in event of accident. With this package, the host earns 65 percent.

If you waive this additional vehicle protection, you will earn 90 percent of the trip price. However, it’s recommended you choose a protection plan just in case something happens to your vehicle.

Responding to Rental Requests and Delivering the Vehicle to Renters

Once you start receiving rental requests on Turo, you’ll be notified through email or SMS. You’ll need to log into your Turo account to accept or decline rental requests. Once in your account, you can see the renter’s profile information and how long they would like to rent your vehicle for. At this time, you’ll be able to contact the renter to ask any questions you may have about their request.

After approving a rental request, you will need to arrange a time and location to deliver the vehicle. When you meet with the renter, you will need to check their driver’s license and check your vehicle’s fuel level and mileage reading before giving them the keys. When the trip is over, the renter will return the car to you. In the meantime, you’ll be able to communicate with them along the way to make sure there are no issues.

Ready to list and rent your car on Turo? Sign up today.