Turo car sharing in England?

I don’t have personal experience with Turo with in the US or England. I do follow the Trip Advisor Road Trips forum where this thread is 30 pages long mostly with complaints regarding car conditions or rental experiences.

https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g1-i12567-k11686240-Any_reviews_for_Turo_com_Car_Rental-Road_Trips.html

Do go into this with your eyes open and try not to let the lower price unduly influence your decision.

We have used Turo here in the states and it was fantastic and a lot less expensive then car rental company.

I'd not heard of them either and the Trip Advisor post makes interesting reading.

I'm always twitchy if something is a lot cheaper as there's usually a reason for it. Check exactly what you are getting (or not getting) and any 'hidden costs'.

I had a look at their website Check the date of the cars they are advertising- they are all several years old and the newest is 2018.... With a hire company your car will be not be older than a year or so. They may be better maintained too.

I have a friend who used this when family were visiting from overseas and they needed an extra vehicle. You use an app to access the car but they parked up somewhere without any phone signal and couldn’t get back in it! It’s not that unusual to have no signal in rural areas, although it is improving.

Thanks, all, for the feedback! I took a look at the Tripadvisor thread. Definitely lots to consider there. My initial take is that perhaps some Turo renters are not going into the arrangement with their eyes wide open - it seems like a lot of people are surprised about extra fees and policies that are actually quite well documented on Turo's site, and assume that it's just going to work like a regular car rental.

I think one of the biggest disadvantages with Turo is that if something goes wrong with your rental while you're out on the road and you need to make alternate arrangements, you still have to get your car back to its owner or arrange for the owner to come pick up their car, as opposed to a regular rental chain where there is likely an office nearby where you can have your vehicle swapped. This becomes more of a significant issue the further you drive from the Turo owner.

Something else I was thinking of in regard to Turo in England specifically is that from what I understand, England's MOT car inspection process is more stringent than most state car inspections over here in the US - so in theory that should give you more assurance over there that your vehicle is likely to meet basic safety standards than it would be with Turo here in the US, where some states don't even have a required inspection.

Another factor to consider is what we're used to driving here in the states - I drive a 22-year-old wagon, my wife drives a 19-year-old minivan, and I maintain both of them myself, so I'm not accustomed to the latest and greatest most comfortable automobiles and would probably be willing to put up with well-worn vehicles if the price is right.

It also seems that Turo has a lot in common with AirBnB in terms of how experiences vary from owner-to-owner and renter-to-renter. We've had a decent amount of experience renting with AirBnB, and quite frequently are willing to pay for slightly shabbier accommodations or more difficult to work with owners if they're in the area we want at a price we can afford. Obviously putting this amount of trust in a vehicle that you're depending on to keep you safe on the roads is different than renting an apartment with a worn carpet or a slow flushing toilet, but I guess in general it serves to illustrate our attitude on rental-by-owner experiences.

Still happy to hear any first-person experiences people have with Turo in England or other thoughts on this topic!

There is a major issue that is going missing here - Who , how , and in what manner , are you indemnified against loss , damage , or any other of a multitude of potential issues that surround hiring and/or operating a car under this arrangement ? This could be a very dicey and potentially tenuous situation , legally and practicably , To say that there would be a great deal of fine print surrounding this would be an understatement . This looks like a big gamble , one that I would never take

You can get insurance through Turo. We’ve had lovely experiences with them, have a car booked again for our trip in August. The cars have been clean, filled with gas…just had to walk to short term parking at airport use the code to open door,never had money in car to pay for the parking.

My curiosity got the better of me so I checked the Turo site as to insurance . What fhey provide is third party liability insurance . There is no indication of coverage for the value of the car in case of damage or theft , something which is always available from major rental agencies. . Driving a rental without CDW ( Collision Damage Waiver , and preferably an excess rider ) can leave you stuck for the value of the car itself in case of damage or theft . Also , third party liability inxurance is part of the rental charge as required by UK law .EDIT - Having taken a bit more time , and reading further on the Turo site , I did , in fact , find reference to damage coverage , It is woefully inadequate ( even their " Premier " plan ) leaving the renter liable for what they call " mechanical ", or interior damage . Always pays to read the fine print !