OWNING a car is a necessity for many – but Suzannah Beazley found a savvy way to drive a motor without needing to buy one herself.
Suzannah has saved around £5,600 on the cost of running a car since 2021 by renting one from strangers.
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The 52-year-old, who works in local government in London, came across the car-sharing app Turo in 2021 and found it to be an “excellent” fit for her.
Suzannah and her husband sold their car six years ago and mostly use Turo for trips out of London to see family or for holidays in the UK with their dog Tucker.
She told The Sun: “I prefer Turo to traditional car rental as I’m able to have the convenience of using a car, without having the hassle of extensive booking and insurance paperwork.
“I also love the freedom of being able to use whatever car suits my needs at a particular time.”
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The app is free to use – you simply enter your location and the date you need the car and browse motors shared and listed by local hosts.
Prices start at around £30 per day but this will vary depending on the kind of car you choose and the protection plan you opt for.
Suzannah said: “When looking for cars, I prioritise the most cost-efficient options, as well as those that are close to my home.
“With traditional car rental you have to find a provider, travel to them, and pick the car up – but with Turo, I can easily find options within five minutes walking distance from my home.”
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Getting set up
To book a car on Turo, you need to create an account, be at least 21 years old and have a valid driver’s licence.
When you’re booking your first trip, you’ll go through a quick approval process by entering your driver’s license and some other information.
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Suzannah said this process was pretty much instantaneous for her.
She said: “The whole process was really efficient. When you use other car rentals, there is a lot more paperwork involved.”
You can then either choose to have the car delivered, or pick it up from your host.
Either way, you’ll need to meet renters to hand over the key.
Are you protected?
You don’t need to take out personal insurance coverage either because all trips are covered under a third-party automobile liability insurance policy arranged by Turo.
You will, however, need to choose between three protection plans – Premier, Standard, or Minimum.
Under a premier plan, the excess a guest is liable to pay for damage is limited to £250 and the cost is 80% of the trip price.
So, for example, if your trip was £30, this plan would see you pay an additional £24 – taking your total to £54.
What other car-sharing apps are there?
Turo isn’t the only app of its kind out there – as we explain below.
Hiyacar uses keyless technology to let renters unlock the car without having a key.
This means you don’t need to meet everyone you are hiring a car from.
You can book a car through the app, or its website and prices start from £28 a day.
All trips are fully insured and covered by roadside assistance.
Zipcar lets renters hire a car from just £3 an hour, and also offers a Flex “one-way” service in London with a per minute charge.
If you have a car, and are looking to cut costs, you could try BlaBlaCar.
It lets you carpool to share journeys rather than hire out your car entirely.
In a standard plan, the excess is limited to £750 and costs 30% of the trip. This would take the total for a £30 trip to £39.
If you have a minimum plan, the excess is £2,000. The cost is 5% of the trip or £10 – whichever is greater.
You can also cancel and get a full refund on your booking up to 24 hours before your trip starts.
Suzannah said she has never run into a problem when using Turo, even when she broke down.
She said: “The car’s owner was immediately responsive and he gave me money back on my booking for the hassle. It was really efficient.”
Choosing a car
Suzannah has used a range of cars including a Ford Fiesta, Toyota Prius, VW Golf, a Renault Cleo and BMWs.
She chooses a car based on her needs for that particular trip but she tends to lean towards renting from people she has used before.
This is because she’s already built up trust with them, and found that they may even offer a discount.
She said: “It’s such a personal thing and all built on being respectful and nice to people.
“It pays to build up a good relationship with someone whose car you like and then you may get discounts.
“I was told by someone who lives near me and whose car I have used that he would offer me a discount 30% discount if I booked again.”
Suzannah also looks for cars that are dog-friendly so that she can take her eight-year-old Patterdale Terrier Tucker.
“You can filter the results so that you can see dog-friendly cars in your area and just view those results,” Suzannah said.
“Just make sure you return the car in the state that you found and not covered in mud, for example.”
There are ways you can make money from your motor too – such as Tarek Fergani who makes more than £100 a month renting out his parking space.
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Elsewhere, we spoke to one student who makes £100 a month from his side hustle designing trainers.
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