5 things to consider when choosing between Avail and Turo

Do you want to earn guaranteed income by sharing your car?

If you’ve ever considered using a car sharing service to earn passive income or cover vehicle-related expenses, you’ve probably noticed that there are many options in the marketplace. But not all car sharing companies are created equal. Before you commit to using a service to rent your car out to others, you need to understand the benefits (and hidden costs) of car sharing.

Among the companies available today, Avail and Turo are two of the most popular options for borrowers and car owners alike. Let’s walk through the differences between these two companies so you can make the best decision to meet your car sharing needs.

Avail vs. Turo

Avail and Turo are both peer-to-peer car sharing services that allow users to borrow local vehicles, but there are some key differences between them that can impact your experience. Whether it’s how much money you can earn in a given month, the type of insurance available, or even the kinds of vehicles you can share, knowing how each company operates will save you time and help you get the most out of it.

1. Earning potential

Let’s start by getting this out of the way: Avail is transparent about offering guaranteed income, and Turo just…isn’t.

When you share your car on Avail for five days or more, you’re guaranteed to earn at least $50 each week, or $200 per month, even if your car isn’t borrowed. Vehicles that are borrowed for 20 days a month will earn up to $395. 

When you share your car on Turo, you don’t benefit from a concrete guaranteed earnings structure. Instead, Turo focuses on earning potential. Their estimates for sharing one vehicle total $10,516 in average annual income, but there are a lot of “ifs” involved, such as the car being rented for seven trip days each month.

While that potential income can grow exponentially as you scale your car sharing business, it also requires more hands-on management than working with Avail (as we’ll discuss in a bit).

Which option provides the better earning potential largely depends on how much you value guaranteed income and scalability. We may be biased, but Avail’s focus on guaranteed income counts as a big win.

2. Insurance plans

Avail’s Allstate insurance policy kicks in the second a car is left in Avail’s care. Owners receive up to $1 million in primary liability coverage. All vehicles are inspected to ensure your car is returned to you in the same condition you left it with us. If there’s any noticeable damage, we’ll file the claim on your behalf and coordinate repairs. And if your car is damaged and unavailable, we offer a transportation stipend of $50 a day for up to 30 days.

Turo offers $750,000 in third-party liability insurance, physical damage reimbursement and access to 24/7 roadside assistance. There’s an added wrinkle, however: They tie your earnings to the type of insurance protection plan you choose. If you opt for the bare minimum in coverage and take on a $2,500 deductible, you’ll earn 90% of the trip price. If you opt for maximum protection, they cap your potential per-trip earnings at 60% in exchange for no deductible and reimbursement for “loss of hosting income.” You can also opt for a $50-per-day replacement vehicle reimbursement, which makes sense if you’re loaning your only vehicle.

While the flexibility of multiple insurance plans might make sense for car owners who have a fleet of vehicles, or those who operate Turo as a business, it does complicate the sharing process.

3. Vehicle management

Avail and Turo take different approaches to fleet management. With Avail, you list your car for sharing and drop it off at a convenient Avail location near you. We handle the rest, from cleaning and borrower screenings to key exchange and payments. Avail borrowers search for available cars by location, reserve them for a specific date and time, and pick them up from our designated lots.

Outside of cleaning, the owner is responsible for routine maintenance, but the Avail Car Care Plan can help offset those costs for car owners.

Turo is…more complicated. You have more control over car pick-ups and drop-offs because you can choose any address or delivery area that works best for you. However, Turo owners also handle the key exchange on their own. Turo borrowers shop the marketplace for cars as they’re listed, book on the app, and use that same app to check in once the keys have been handed off.

While Turo’s flexibility in drop-off location can make it easier with picking it up later, it does mean that users who want to share their car via contactless or remote check-in must handle those details themselves. If you’re someone who wants to minimize the amount of time you interact with borrowers or needs to manage several vehicles in your fleet, handling drop-offs and pick-ups can become a time-consuming process.

That doesn’t even factor in the other responsibilities Turo owners have: They’re in charge of cleaning and regular vehicle maintenance, too. And while Turo offers discounts through preferred partners on services like cleaning, oil changes and even vehicle purchases, it’s geared more toward people who want to manage their car sharing services like a business.

How you view your car sharing experience — either as a pure P2P car sharing service or a fleet-based business — is up to you.

4. Flexibility

Avail and Turo offer flexibility in different ways to vehicle owners who’ve listed their vehicles for sharing.

Avail owners must bring their vehicle to a designated location and leave it there for borrowers to reserve. So what happens when an Avail owner needs to use their car? 

With Avail’s “I need my car” feature, owners can reserve their car and pick it up from the lot whenever they need it, as long as a borrower hasn’t already booked it for a trip. 

Since Turo owners handle reservations on their own, they have easy access to the car when it isn’t being borrowed. However, if an owner needs their car and a borrower has already reserved it, they must cancel that reservation — potentially leading to a lower reputation on the service.

5. Vehicles

One of the most significant differences between Turo and Avail is the type of vehicles eligible for sharing. Avail accepts cars, trucks and SUVs that are less than 10 years old and have an automatic transmission and gas-powered or hybrid engine. They can have no visible damage, maintenance issues or open recalls. Finally, vehicles must have fewer than 125,000 miles on them. Electric cars are not eligible for sharing through Avail.

Turo cars must be no older than 12 years old, have fewer than 130,000 miles and have a clean title. Owners may also share certain electric vehicles like Teslas, Porsches and BMWs. 

Overall advantages of Avail

Given everything we know about both car sharing companies, what are the advantages of Avail? Guaranteed payouts and the ability to use your car during a reservation period are a big plus for car owners. So is not having to handle any of the sharing details between when you drop off your car and when you pick it up. Avail’s insurance policy is more straightforward, too. Avail is a fantastic fit for those who want to earn some guaranteed extra bucks each month and have a more hands-off sharing experience.

Overall advantages of Turo

Turo does have advantages that make sense for the right kind of user. If you want to build a fleet of vehicles for rental and include luxury cars, Turo is a great fit. For owners who want to be more hands-on with their vehicle management, including maintenance, cleaning and delivery, Turo is the way to go. 

Overall disadvantages of Avail

While Avail offers excellent benefits, we know a few disadvantages do exist. For one, Tesla and other electric vehicle owners aren’t eligible to share their cars. Avail also currently only operates in Denver and Chicago. However, if you live anywhere in the United States, you can still share your car on Avail. We can help you choose where to share and how to transport your vehicle to one of our locations. Just email us at share@availcarsharing.com.

Overall disadvantages of Turo

Turo’s great for many users, but it’s not perfect. It requires a more hands-on effort, especially regarding vehicle maintenance and delivery. If you want to park your car in a lot and let someone else deal with providing customer service, then Turo is not the best fit. The earnings potential is also significantly less transparent than Avail. While there are estimated dollar amounts for sharing one or more cars, there’s no guaranteed income. You also have to choose between several insurance plans when you share your vehicle(s), adding another layer of potential disharmony between you and the experience.

Deciding between Avail and Turo

Choosing a car sharing service might feel complicated, but it depends on which one provides the most value to you and your lifestyle. Avail is geared more toward everyday users who don’t want to do the heavy lifting of managing a small business. With flexible reservation policies, guaranteed payouts and insurance coverage from Allstate, it’s a true winner in the space. To learn how to rent out your car on Avail, download our app or sign up online today.

Avail vs. Turo questions

What are the benefits of sharing your car with Avail vs Turo?

One of the best benefits of sharing your car with Avail over Turo is the simplicity. When you share through Avail, we handle the business management process, including screening borrowers, processing payments and cleaning your car before you pick it up. Avail also offers guaranteed payouts when you leave your car with us for five days or more, and our insurance protection does not require you to choose a complicated plan.

What happens if someone crashes your car on Turo?

Turo will cover 100% of eligible damage costs above your chosen deductible when you pick a specific coverage plan. These coverage plans are tied directly to how much you can earn per trip, which means that opting for a riskier, high-deductible plan increases the percentage of your earnings that you take home vs what is taken out for insurance coverage. If you’re uncomfortable with that, you can sacrifice some of your earnings to have no deductible and receive reimbursement if your car is unusable.

Avail doesn’t force you to pick a specific plan or sacrifice earnings to receive that reimbursement. It’s baked into the service. If someone damages your car during their trip, they call our 24/7 roadside assistance phone number, and we file a claim on your behalf after you authorize it.

Do people actually make money with Turo?

People can make money with Turo, but — to the best of our knowledge — there are no guaranteed earnings. With Avail, you’ll earn at least $50 per week when you leave your vehicle with us for five or more days.

Do car hosts make more money on Avail vs Turo?

How much money you earn on either service largely depends on how long you make your vehicle(s) available for reservation. Because Avail handles the reservation, key exchange and post-trip cleaning processes, you do not have to spend money to care for those things. You also don’t have to pay for parking with Avail, which could further reduce your vehicle ownership costs.