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Have you ever rented a car abroad? You have my sympathy. Every last one of them.
You’ve just arrived from a long-haul flight and have to get stuck on a long-haul flight Car rental depot It looks like it hasn’t been updated since the 90s, stand in line behind 10 other bewildered travelers, only to finally get sold insurance you probably don’t need and watch them swipe your card for a deposit more expensive than your car rental. Or at least that’s how it usually goes for me.
But on my last trip abroad, I tried something different. I visited San Francisco from the UK and decided to rent teaching instead of. genuinely? It made the usual car rental routine seem like a relic of the past.
teaching He is a Car sharing Platform – basically AirbnbBut for cars. Instead of dealing with car rental companies and endless paperwork, you borrow a car directly from its owner. Or the host, as Tooru calls them.
They list their car in the app, you choose what you want, and the rest happens in a few clicks. They’ve been growing in popularity in the United States, especially for travelers who want something a little different — or just want to avoid the disaster that is the rental counter.
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A car is waiting for me to get in and go
The rental Turo was parked in the garage waiting for me to unlock it using the app, get in and drive away.
On this trip, I went for 2026 Tesla Model Y. Because if you’re in California, you might be tempted to, too. Plus, it’s a familiar (and great) car to drive, and the Tesla app makes the Turo process even easier. In fact, it’s laughably easy.
The car was waiting for me at SFO’s international garage (Turo had permission to operate in garages A and G), and I didn’t even need to meet anyone. Turo makes it very easy to do everything within the app. You handle all the identity checks before the trip, so there’s no need to prove my identity in person. All you needed to do upon receipt was take photos to check its condition. 28 images, to be exact – just to cover all the bases.
The host gave me his number in case anything went wrong, but there wasn’t a single problem. They also shared access to the Tesla app with me the day before my trip. This gave me full guest functionality for the Tesla app. Remote unlocking, climate control, guard mode, recall, charging stats – just like it was in my own car.
This level of integration made the whole thing feel seamless. No keychains, no lockers, and no awkward meetings.
The car was almost full, freshly cleaned, and looked clean. Truly cleaner and in better condition than any rental car I’ve ever been handed the keys to. Then I got in the car and drove off. The whole process, from arriving to driving, probably took five minutes. Try doing it in a Hertz office and see how far you get.
Everything is handled in the app with Turo: booking the car, paying for your ride, verifying your identity and picking up the car.
The descent was completely painless. I put it back in the same garage and can leave it anywhere open. I just took a picture of the host, so they can find it easily. The host handled the parking fees, so no nasty surprises there. After locking the car remotely, you’re done.
A day later, I got an invoice through the app for tolls and supercharging — complete with receipts — and paid it with one tap using the card in my Turo account. It couldn’t be easier.
As for the cost, I would say it was very fair. Maybe cheaper than a car rental agency. I paid just over $400 for 72 hours, which included 900 miles of driving, Tesla is fully self-driving Enabled, full access to the Tesla app, $16 tax, $50 airport fee, and $90 surcharge for drivers under 25. Realistically, for anyone over 25, it would have been closer to $250. Considering the car was brand new and immaculately maintained, this is a solid deal.
For context, I’ve paid $340 to rent a Jeep Wrangler for five days from Avis before, and $350 to rent a Mustang for 48 hours in Vegas. The Turo isn’t always the cheapest option, but for this level of comfort and quality, it’s worth it.
Sure, not all Turo experiences may be this smooth — I can imagine some pickup locations may be more difficult — but my experience was practically flawless. There are no lines, no counter, and no useless paperwork. Just a few clicks on your phone And a car that looks like it’s already yours.
If this is what the future of car rentals looks like, rental offices should be sweating.