My first experience with Turo and probably my last.

I’d heard great things about the convenience of airport terminal pickup/drop off and the reasonable rates, so I decided to give Turo a try.

I booked a compact SUV in Las Vegas (LAS) for a weekend. The reservation simply said “pickup at the airport” with no further details. My friend was also renting that same weekend, and their host advised that Turo pickups are handled at the Rental Car Facility. This is neither efficient nor convenient. Since my reservation was non-refundable, I was stuck with it.

Nothing prepares you for standing in a 100 degree Vegas rental car shuttle line. I immediately regretted every life choice that led me there.

Pickup itself went fine, the car was okay. The smell of cleaning product used was overwhelming.

The return was a mess. The designated Turo lot at the Rental Car Facility was full, so overflow parking was across the street. If you know Vegas, those streets are huge & easily seven lanes. Picture J walking across seven lanes back to the shuttle in the blazing 100 degree sun.

Takeaways:

If I wanted to deal with the Rental Car Facility, I would have just rented a car. The extra risks of using Turo (having to rely on your own insurance and deductible) aren’t appealing. I have Chase and Capital One cards that offer primary rental car coverage. I’d rather use that protection and rent through a regular company than save a few bucks on Turo.