Turo for Teslas, Experience, Trust, Results, Cost

[kpanda17]

What has been your experience renting Teslas via Turo?
Are the hosts trustworthy?
Delivery and give back experience?
Do we have to return charged?
Do they include CCS and J1772 adapters?
Any long term rental experience? 30 days
Insurance?
Costs? Anything hidden?
Post rental, advice?
Did I miss anything?

 

[E90alex]

All those questions are going to vary from host to host. There’s no universal answer.

 

[kpanda17]

All those questions are going to vary from host to host. There’s no universal answer.

at a min, looking to see if whomever used Turo, was it a good experience and worth it

 

[Takumi]

The questions you ask are for the host to answer. Check the host's reviews.

 

[Sig72]

What has been your experience renting Teslas via Turo?
Are the hosts trustworthy?
Delivery and give back experience?
Do we have to return charged?
Do they include CCS and J1772 adapters?
Any long term rental experience? 30 days
Insurance?
Costs? Anything hidden?
Post rental, advice?
Did I miss anything?

Host here: I've been renting my S Performance since 2016 and my 3 Performance since 2018 on Turo.
Always depends on the host, with 200+ 5 star rentals, I think I'm trustworthy haha
I usually meet renters either at the airport (SFO) or my house
I'm usually pretty chill about returned SoC, as long as it's not <10%
I include J1772 adapter and mobile connector in my rentals, I have a Chademo adapter, but I don't think anyone has ever ask me to use it. Don't have a CCS adapter
I've done loads of 30+ day rentals- love them
Insurance- hosts and guests can pick which level they want- this determines out of pocket maximums and for hosts, how much of a % Turo takes from your earnings
Price depends on market, how new the car is, trim, etc....

 

[Takumi]

@Sig72

Has any of your renters ever leave your car at 20% or lower SOC or 100% over night consecutively?

 

[karkrazy]

Host here: I've been renting my S Performance since 2016 and my 3 Performance since 2018 on Turo.
Always depends on the host, with 200+ 5 star rentals, I think I'm trustworthy haha
I usually meet renters either at the airport (SFO) or my house
I'm usually pretty chill about returned SoC, as long as it's not <10%
I include J1772 adapter and mobile connector in my rentals, I have a Chademo adapter, but I don't think anyone has ever ask me to use it. Don't have a CCS adapter
I've done loads of 30+ day rentals- love them
Insurance- hosts and guests can pick which level they want- this determines out of pocket maximums and for hosts, how much of a % Turo takes from your earnings
Price depends on market, how new the car is, trim, etc....

What’s been your worst guest? How did Turo help (or not)?

 

[Sig72]

@Sig72

Has any of your renters ever leave your car at 20% or lower SOC or 100% over night consecutively?

One customer returned car late, with curb rash on the wheels, with like 6 miles of range. Luckily, in the SF Bay Area, there are Superchargers EVERYWHERE, so I wasn't really stranded, but it was definitely a close call

I don't think I've ever had someone charge to 100% and then leave it for multiple days. I've definitely had the car sit overnight at 99% a couple of times, but it's pretty rare

 

[Sig72]

What’s been your worst guest? How did Turo help (or not)?

I've had one or two major jerks, one or two who are just incapable of being somewhere remotely on-time. I've never worried about it too much since I can obviously track the car via app, so theft has NEVER been a concern. All-in-all, my clients have been pretty great. I also once had a client call me at midnight to complain about "a weird brake vibration" and they were wondering if it was safe to drive the car: traction control had kicked-in because they were driving like absolute idiots. I asked if I needed to come pick up the car right that instant because they were incapable of driving safely and their tone changed very quickly

 

[minderbinder]

I’ve rented Teslas on Turo 6 times (though 4 of those were from the same guy’s Model 3 from the Savannah airport). One of those was a beautiful 2022 white Model S LR - what a great way to cruise through LA! I don’t even consider normal car rentals anymore.

- Hosts trustworthy? Absolutely for me. (Look for the all-star hosts)
- Delivery and give-back: I always pickup/return at an airport. Sometimes that adds a little to the cost, but not always. Has always been super easy - the host tells you where they left the car, you unlock it with “Turo go” (see below), and you’re off. Returns for me have been just dropping it at the airport and messaging the host.
- Do you have to return charged? Usually there’s a nominal fee for returning less than 80% (it’s been like $20 for mine). I gladly pay that, since with most of my rentals I haven’t had to charge at all, and that way I don’t have to worry about it. I typically return with 30-50%.
- CCS adapter? No. J1772? Yes. Mobile charger with extension cord? Typically yes, though it’s good to double-check on that before you rent if you’re counting on it.
- Long term rental? I haven’t done it, but I don’t see why it’d be an issue (other than cost, potentially)
- Insurance: I typically take the ‘standard’ insurance. It adds about 25% to the price, but I like the peace of mind. You can check with your regular car insurance provider to see if you’re covered.
- Costs: My latest model 3 rental was about $120/day for 3 days, with airport pickup and recharge fees. Is that more than a Camry from Hertz? Yes, but then you don’t have to drive a Camry from Hertz. No hidden fees - everything’s disclosed before you click ‘confirm’. The one potential ‘extra’ fee may be paying for parking when you pick up the car. Check with your host about that - I’ve had hosts reimburse me for it.
- Advice:
Message your prospective host if you have questions. I’ve always found them to be very responsive. If they’re not, then don’t rent from them.
Look for hosts who support “Turo go”. This lets you unlock the car at pickup through the Turo app, so the host doesn’t have to meet you.
Let the host know if something’s wrong, or if you had issues. Most want things to go smoothly.

 

[Chisale]

Here's my experience for what it's worth. I've rented 3s Ys and Xs. Not an S yet.


Are the hosts trustworthy? Yes, most want to please you so that you'll give a good review. But keep in mind many will also "check in" with your whereabouts, and charging habits to make sure that you are following their rules. Just saying it so you can expect a message if you charge to 100% and leave it or don't lock the doors overnight ect.
Delivery and give back experience? This is what makes Turo so good. No standing in long lines at the airport and counter people asking you all kinds of questions. All the insurance questions are resolved ahead of time. You can literally pick up your bags off the conveyor and be driving out of the airport within 5-10 minutes.
Do we have to return charged? That varies by renter. They will all declare their policies on the summary page. Most want it returned with 80%+ though some are more chill and say 'as long as I can get home from the airport' It's way easier than trying to fill a gas car when returning because they always want it completely full and sometimes finding a station that close to the airport isn't easy. Whereas most major airports have superchargers and arriving with 80% isn't difficult.
Do they include CCS and J1772 adapters? I' never seen anybody include or mention CCS but I'm sure some in major cities do. Most have J1772 and only some have mobile chargers. Just ask them if it's not in the write-up, which it usually is.
Any long term rental experience? 30 days No. Not for me. Longest was 10 days.
Insurance? My auto insurance does cover Turo but I would ask because not all do. I usually get the Minimum coverage but in case and that adds only a small fee. Turo is notorious for charging outlandish repair fees in the event of damage (never happened to me and just going off hearsay). But be fore-warned of this possibility. Though I'm sure whatever Turo does is similar to what a big rental company would do.
Costs? Anything hidden? Not had any problems yet. There's sometimes a fee added for airport drop-offs so that they can get back out of the parking garage. Some airports have special fees and renters will tell you about this and encourage you to take an Uber to a nearby destination to avoid the fee. I've never done that since it's usually not much. Other than that just be sure to follow what's written in the agreement about pets, smoking ect. Or else then you could get a large cleaning fee. Also don't just go off the cost you see on the first page. Follow through to the page right before you Agree to the rental. Then it will list all the fees and add-ons. For instance, if you see a price of $100/day on the first page it might end up being $125/day with insurance, delivery fees ect. This is one thing the Turo webpage could improve on. That is, comparing the final costs car vs car on the first search page.
Post rental, advice? I would take pictures when you drop the car off just in case. I've never had a problem but it's good for peace of mind. You upload them right into the app so there's a record of the condition of the car.
Did I miss anything? Are you a Tesla owner now? I would make sure and tell the owner when you rent. They love it when Tesla owners rent because that's way less explaining about how to open the doors, how to charge ect. I've found all the owners that I rented from very friendly and easy to deal with. Like I said it's a much better experience than the major traditional companies. Some of the traditional companies are renting EVs now but I've found them to be very expensive and way less than the typical Turo rental.

 

[kpanda17]

Biggest fear if I was a host, renter causing stink once given back
Un removable smell
Not sure how it happens but heard it can