Should Turo Hosts Have Multiples of the Same Make and Model Vehicle?

While it might seem like a good idea as a Turo host to get multiples of the same car that you notice are renting while on Turo, it’s not a good idea.

Number one, if you have multiples of the same make and model car in your inventory, you’re actually competing with yourself.

So it’s a good idea to have some diversity in your Turo fleet.

I’ve had many guests tell me that they specifically book my cars because of me.

Recently, I had a guest tell me that they booked my Honda Passport because they drive a Pilot and it’s very similar, so they’re already familiar with it.

I’ve had guests book my Toyota RAV4 and my Ford Explorer because they were thinking about buying one.

I’ve also had people book my Volkswagen because it’s a Volkswagen and my Subaru because it’s a Subaru.

See how variety gets me more Turo bookings?

The other thing you have to consider when getting multiples of the same car is safety recalls.

It is illegal to rent a car with an open safety recall.

This means, for example, if you have two of the Kia Forte and that model gets recalled, they’re both going to get pulled.

So now instead of being down one car, you’re down two.

We had a Ford Bronco Sport that was performing exceptionally well.

I hesitated for a long time getting another one because I thought, if there’s a recall, I don’t want to be down two cars.

Finally, I said screw it and we got another Ford Bronco sport.

Guess what happened next?

We didn’t even have the second Bronco Sport a month when the Bronco Sport model got pulled for a safety week.

It was a pretty stressful week trying to figure out how to replace two cars and fulfill all of our Turo rentals.

Also, keep in mind that sometimes two different models by the same maker will get pulled.

When the Bronco Sports were pulled, there were also some Escapes (also Fords) that were pulled as well.

When people ask me why I have more Hondas and Toyotas in my fleet, the answer is simple – the one Honda and the one Toyota I have had have not been pulled for recalls.

My RAV4 doesn’t really perform too well. We don’t lose money on it.

But for the money we spent, we could have gotten something that performed a little bit better.

Overall, it’s best to have some variety in your fleet.

If you have any other question, let me know – I may answer them in a TikTok video or another post.