Turo?

[OffToDWD]

We're hoping to visit Oahu for 2 weeks + 1 day (late May/early June) and the car rental is almost $1000 (no insurance)! This is the cheapest and we checked using Costco. We've rented cars many times before while visiting Oahu and it was never that expensive. I saw that there's Turo that also rents out cars. Anyone ever used them before? Thoughts on them? Or if there are other sites I should check out, please let me know. Thanks in advance!

 

[corgi_monster]

I have family members who have used Turo on Oahu to rent a minivan and they said they would gladly do it again.

 

[Lilsia]

Rates are the cheapest between 3-6 weeks out. Keep checking the prices. You can always rebook if you see a lower price. BTW, we will be there the same time.

 

[OffToDWD]

Rates are the cheapest between 3-6 weeks out. Keep checking the prices. You can always rebook if you see a lower price. BTW, we will be there the same time.

Thanks for the tip! Maybe we'll ran into each other there - so looking forward to some Hawaii time!

 

[Lperd]

I looked into Turo for our last trip and was partway through the booking process when I realized that the cheap prices don't cover insurance fees. Car sharing isn't covered by auto insurance or by credit card, so you have to take out Turo's insurance. Then there were all the extra fees that popped up like $25 for the person to meet you at the airport, $25 to drop off at the airport, fee to clean the car, fee for fuel and so on. So the final price turned out to be a lot more than booking a rental agency car and a lot more hassle!
Also, I've found that Costco has never had the best price, sometimes it's 50% more than other places.

 

[kdonnel]

Using Turo for the first time for a trip to Hawaii in July. I need an 8 passenger minivan and all the rental companies have 7 passenger minivans. Cost wise it looks to end up $100 more with Turo primarily because I am paying for the cleaning fee. I don’t want to have to figure out where I can vacuum the car as I am returning to the airport.

The extra $100 is really saving $600 since to get 8 seats with a traditional rental I would need to get a 8 passenger SUV or a 12 passenger van both of which are really expensive for my needed time.

 

[OffToDWD]

I looked into Turo for our last trip and was partway through the booking process when I realized that the cheap prices don't cover insurance fees. Car sharing isn't covered by auto insurance or by credit card, so you have to take out Turo's insurance. Then there were all the extra fees that popped up like $25 for the person to meet you at the airport, $25 to drop off at the airport, fee to clean the car, fee for fuel and so on. So the final price turned out to be a lot more than booking a rental agency car and a lot more hassle!
Also, I've found that Costco has never had the best price, sometimes it's 50% more than other places.

Thanks for the heads up on all the different fees - I'll make sure I compare apples to apples!

 

[swooshbear]

I've used Turo twice on Oahu and both experiences were positive. I searched for free delivery and making sure they didn't have mandatory fees like cleaning. My first trip was completely contactless, they left the car at the airport and I dropped it off at the airport with no issues. My second trip, the guy dropped off the car and it was also easy. But now that the rental car companies are open again, I rented from Budget via Costco and it was cheaper. I also didn't need to worry about sand in the car since they don't charge cleaning fees.

 

[Sepo]

Yes. Used Turo twice. It’s good. My advice:

1) rent from essentially professional hosts. They’ll have tons of reviews and you can be assured that the transaction is smooth with reasonable expectations.
2) consider no added insurance. I checked w my Statefarm agent. He responded to my email in ALL CAPS emphasizing that I should not bother with it; that a Turo car is treated the same as driving your neighbor’s car. If your personal car insurance covers that, it’s equivalent.
3) get the easy beach chair, umbrella add ons. Nice affordable way to enjoy other beaches.
4) the main Turo issue is the cleaning requirement. Some hosts don’t require it or will take care of it for a small add on cost. Otherwise, you may be expected to hit a car wash and vacuum.
5) the pickup is the best part. Often right at the airport parking lot or they’ll even drive it to you or leave it at a similar close place.
—

 

[OffToDWD]

Yes. Used Turo twice. It’s good. My advice:

1) rent from essentially professional hosts. They’ll have tons of reviews and you can be assured that the transaction is smooth with reasonable expectations.
2) consider no added insurance. I checked w my Statefarm agent. He responded to my email in ALL CAPS emphasizing that I should not bother with it; that a Turo car is treated the same as driving your neighbor’s car. If your personal car insurance covers that, it’s equivalent.
3) get the easy beach chair, umbrella add ons. Nice affordable way to enjoy other beaches.
4) the main Turo issue is the cleaning requirement. Some hosts don’t require it or will take care of it for a small add on cost. Otherwise, you may be expected to hit a car wash and vacuum.
5) the pickup is the best part. Often right at the airport parking lot or they’ll even drive it to you or leave it at a similar close place.
—

Thanks for all the awesome tips!!

 

[Proflig8tor]

Kayak.com seems to have the best car rental rates.

 

[margot31]

I know many military use them while they wait for their car to arrive.

 

[MinnieTheGreatDane]

Turo was fantastic when I used it a couple years ago! I had a jeep for a week before going to Aulani for a few days. The people I rented the Jeep from were so great, they came to Aulani to pick it up. It was maybe $550 for the week too. Significantly cheaper than airport car rental. I've used Turo a couple other times in other states and it's usually a good experience!

 

[patches4me]

Can anyone confirm if you rented Enterprise through Costco that you pick up directly from HNL airport without taking a shuttle? We know we’ve used Hertz and Advantage and literally walked across the street to pick up car. No shuttle to offsite needed. Thanks.

 

[cgattis]

Can anyone confirm if you rented Enterprise through Costco that you pick up directly from HNL airport without taking a shuttle? We know we’ve used Hertz and Advantage and literally walked across the street to pick up car. No shuttle to offsite needed. Thanks.

Well I didn’t rent through Costco but I rented directly through Enterprise and we did have to take a very short shuttle ride—because of the way the rental lot is fenced, you can’t walk straight out from baggage claim and across to it. You can see it though IIRC! LOL But it was less than five minutes.

 

[hlrubin507]

1 - try autoslash.com and check back weekly for the best rate.
2 - I used Turo for a 3-week trip to Orlando in December and was really, really happy with it. It was super convenient (paying the fee for the airport meet/dropoff) and it saved me about $300 on a 3-week rental.
3 - I called my insurance (USAA) and they confirmed my insurance carries with me to a private car so I did not need to take out additional coverage.
4 - My wait at the Avis counter at HNL (and I have "preferred") was LONG. Like, 40 minutes long. Anything to avoid that would also be a real bonus.

 

[nkereina]

I have a friend who swears by Turo. She's used it to rent jeeps and convertibles for affordable prices in Hawaii. Her auto insurance covers it, but it may vary by carrier and policy. Definitely something to look into. I second PP's suggestion of renting from professional-type hosts as well.

FWIW, there's an Alamo on-site at Aulani and an Enterprise on-site at the Marriott Ko Olina that is walking distance from Aulani. I'm not sure how the price would compare to airport rentals, but just mentioning in case there's a savings that would make it worthwhile renting there and taking a taxi from the airport. Also, for comparison, we rented a car directly from Alamo for 6 nights from the Honolulu airport and paid about $350 and that was four years ago. So $1000 for 15 nights doesn't seem too egregious, IMO.

 

[OffToDWD]

1 - try autoslash.com and check back weekly for the best rate.
2 - I used Turo for a 3-week trip to Orlando in December and was really, really happy with it. It was super convenient (paying the fee for the airport meet/dropoff) and it saved me about $300 on a 3-week rental.
3 - I called my insurance (USAA) and they confirmed my insurance carries with me to a private car so I did not need to take out additional coverage.
4 - My wait at the Avis counter at HNL (and I have "preferred") was LONG. Like, 40 minutes long. Anything to avoid that would also be a real bonus.

Thanks!! I have USAA too so will definitely call and check with them.

 

[jimmymc]

Keep checking rental car prices. I paid $900 for a convertible for 18 days, and a regular sedan was half that price.

 

[monsterkitty]

I have a friend who swears by Turo. She's used it to rent jeeps and convertibles for affordable prices in Hawaii. Her auto insurance covers it, but it may vary by carrier and policy. Definitely something to look into. I second PP's suggestion of renting from professional-type hosts as well.

FWIW, there's an Alamo on-site at Aulani and an Enterprise on-site at the Marriott Ko Olina that is walking distance from Aulani. I'm not sure how the price would compare to airport rentals, but just mentioning in case there's a savings that would make it worthwhile renting there and taking a taxi from the airport. Also, for comparison, we rented a car directly from Alamo for 6 nights from the Honolulu airport and paid about $350 and that was four years ago. So $1000 for 15 nights doesn't seem too egregious, IMO.

I tried the Enterprise at the Marriott Ko Olina but the only locations open at this point are at the airports.