I’m planning a west coast road trip this summer, starting from Seattle. I’m thinking about spending around 5 days exploring the PNW, likely returning to the same spot. I’m considering renting a Tesla via Turo for about $65 a day, which seems reasonable. However, I’m wondering if this will ultimately be cheaper, especially with savings on gas, compared to renting from a major car rental agency. The current price gouging is absurd. Any tips or recommendations would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!
Most cars on Turo have extremely low mileage limits, which can be a problem. It might be $65 a day if you stay under 100 miles, but for a Tesla, it might be even less. Charging a Tesla isn’t an issue in that region due to numerous chargers and the mild climate, but the mileage limits could push your costs up to around $200 a day based on the distances you want to travel.
Honestly, I wouldn’t recommend Turo; check out r/turo to see horror stories. For a PNW road trip, it’s better to go with an economy vehicle from Enterprise, complete with insurance; you’ll enjoy your trip more. Renting from Turo could ruin your vacation.
@Corey
My fiancé and I are honeymooning in the PNW next month, and all our car rentals are through Enterprise. I’ve always had good experiences with them.
@Corey
I totally agree with the mileage restrictions being a weak point. I had a similar experience.
@Corey
I’ve never had issues with Turo; I only use it over big box chains.
I’ve rented Teslas through Turo without any problems. There are many superchargers along the I5 corridor, so as long as you’re not heading deep into the wilderness, you should be good.
I prefer a trusted car rental company over Turo any day. I don’t want to deal with unexpected issues like limited mileage when renting a car.
Check with your insurance, as my agent mentioned they won’t cover rentals from Turo.
Joss said:
Check with your insurance, as my agent mentioned they won’t cover rentals from Turo.
Doesn’t Turo provide insurance?
Joss said:
Check with your insurance, as my agent mentioned they won’t cover rentals from Turo.
Doesn’t Turo provide insurance?
They do, but with that added cost, it’s probably about the same or even cheaper to go with a traditional rental.
If you have an accident, your personal insurance likely won’t cover you. They typically don’t consider Turo a rental agency. If you really want to go with Turo, make sure to purchase their insurance.
Check your insurance; some that cover regular rentals won’t cover peer-to-peer rentals like Turo. Geico won’t, and as for Progressive, they didn’t last I checked. Do your own research, and remember it’s usually cheaper to just use a standard rental place if you need to buy insurance through Turo.
Have you looked at any additional fees from Turo? Also, a Tesla in cold weather can be problematic regarding expected range.
Milan said:
Have you looked at any additional fees from Turo? Also, a Tesla in cold weather can be problematic regarding expected range.
I’ve checked the fees. I’m going in mid-July, so temperature shouldn’t be a concern. However, there is a young driver fee of $120 for under 25, which is ridiculous, but this fee applies to all services for a 23-year-old like myself.
@Briar
I signed up for AAA when I was under 25, which helped me waive the young driver fee with Hertz.
Last October, I rented a Prius Prime for a road trip from Los Angeles to Oregon and had a fantastic experience. I haven’t used Turo since then, but based on how things are going, I would definitely consider it again.
I looked into using Turo for a trip to Hawaii but after adding up the fees, it ended up being far MORE expensive than traditional rental companies. Plus, having that fear of the unknown, I ultimately chose Enterprise.
In Oregon, I ended up renting directly from a Toyota dealership, and the price was very reasonable. My insurance covered me in that car (a Camry), and it was a good experience overall. When I returned the car in Coos Bay (where I rented it), the porter drove us to the airport, which was awesome.
@Azriel
Never heard of that before.
Yeah, I hadn’t either, but it worked out great. I didn’t have a credit card at the time, and they allowed me to rent it with a debit card and a hefty deposit.
For the OP, I wouldn’t recommend renting a Tesla from Hertz either; I can’t speak on Turo, but Hertz is planning to get rid of all their Teslas. The ones they currently have are rough and high mileage—not ideal for a road trip. Check r/hertz for confirmation.